The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin

The Story of an hour reflects an extremely odd reaction of somebody towards the death of a relative. The short story begins by telling us how Mrs. Mallard, Mr. Mallard’s wife, had a heart problem and how everyone tried to be careful with it. This time, they could not omit the fact that a very tragic news was about to change Mrs. Mallard’s life. Richards was a friend of Mr. Mallard and he had been the one to see the name Brently Mallard at a leading list of killed people in an accident at a newspaper office. Immediately, he decided to go and give the news to his friend’s wife.

Josephine, Mrs. Mallard’s sister was the one to break the news to her whose wish was to be left alone. She went to her room and sat for a moment. She cried a little and then, began to wonder and think how she was now free, finally to live for herself and with no one to impose anything to her. When she went back to the room were she had been, someone was opening the door, it was Brently Mallard, and when Mrs. Mallard saw him, she died.
I think this story is perhaps to be read as a sad and tragic one but from my point of view, it isn’t. From the very first moment in which Mrs. Mallard began to think about her freedom, we can see that she wasn’t happy or able to share her opinions. We can relate this to the 19th century marriage, since the story was written at the last part of this period. Women were to stay dependent on a man either as a daughter or as a wife and it wasn’t easy for them to obtain the divorce, on the other hand, men could, under the circumstances of adultery committed by their wives. If this were to happen, their children became the man’s property and the women weren’t able to see them again.
When Mrs. Mallard thinks she is free and realizes that she isn’t and dies, it is the way she is released and relieved from her painful life. This is why I believe it has a happy ending ironically and also literally because at the end, doctors say that she had died of the joy that kills.

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