In the short story “The Story of an Hour” the author Kate Chopin paints a very ironic story of Mrs. Mallards journey to happiness. When Josephine broke the news to her of her husbands death Mrs. Mallard took it pretty hard. Mrs. Mallard acted the same way as any other wife that just lost her husband would, with tears, and lots of them.
After her initial shock of her husbands death Mrs. Mallard went into her room by herself. There in her room lies a window and we find Mrs. Mallard starring out of this window at a blue sky and at a typical spring like happy day. Chopin stated, “The Delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which some one was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves.” Mrs. Mallard begins to get this feeling that she is not able to describe at first. She then utters the word “Free” over and over. Chopin stated, “There would be no one to live for her during those coming years; she would live for herself.” This is when Mrs. Mallard realizes that she is free from her husband.
Josephine then knocks on the door yelling for Mrs. Mallard. Mrs. Mallard opens the door and the two walk downstairs to find Brently Mallard standing in the doorway. Mrs. Mallard then died of heart disease. This is ironic because once Mrs. Mallard realized she was free and could live for herself the independence literally killed her.
