Voltaire once said, “Man is free at the moment he wishes to be” (“Voltaire Quotes”, n.d.). Freedom is something everyone wishes for at least once in their life. Perhaps one wishes for freedom from school or a job, or maybe freedom from someone or one’s self. No matter the case, freedom is highly sought after, or even a necessity is some cases. Before modern times, women did not have as much freedom. They would be forced to marry a man they more than likely did not love, and have to listen to his every will for the rest of her life. Some may think that the women should not have married anyone, but women who were not married could rarely even leave the house. Some women were lucky, or unlucky, if their husbands died, and the wives became widowed. Mrs. Mallard in “Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin was one of these lucky few. After Mrs. Mallard finds out her husband died she is struck with a realization that would change her life forever. It is quite ironic how Mr. Mallard’s death brought his wife such great happiness and self-assertion. The literary element of irony helps magnify the tale of rebirth and death of the Mallard family in Kate Chopin’s “Story of an Hour.”
The death of Mr. Mallard seemingly brought his wife a new life. After Mrs. Mallard finds out her husband has died due to a tragic accident, she is quick to mourn his death. In fact, she weeps too fast for her husband’s death, almost as if she was acting. After Mrs. Mallard’s sister told her the news, Chopin wrote,