Commentary on The Story of an Hour Essay

When I first read this short story, I was really confused about what it was about. But after I read it a second time it started to slowly make sense. The Story of an Hour is about a woman who is called Mrs. Mallard. Mrs. Mallard has heart complications, and unfortunately has, in my opinion, a husband who abuses her. But something started when her husband had to take a trip, and go on train to get to his destination. The train had a disaster and at the top of the list of killed was Mr. Mallard. Since everyone who knew Mrs. Mallard knew she had heart trouble they decided to let her know as gently as possible. So her sister Josephine told her with Richards right beside her, you see Richards was at the newspaper office when intelligence of the railroad disaster was founded. Mrs. Mallard wept for a little while then closed herself off in her room. Mrs. Mallard looked through her window to see this beautiful world we live in and realized that her husband no longer controls her and her thoughts. She feels inconsiderable joy rush through her. Mrs. Mallard did love her husband, sometimes, but she often didnt. She opened the door to see her sister, and with triumph in her eyes she descended the stairs seeing Richards at the bottom. But something caught Mrs. Mallards attention the front door was opening, and in the door was Brently Mallard, her husband, he was far away from the accident, and didnt even know there was one. That is where Mrs. Mallard had died of heart disease, of the joy that kills.

There is one word that comes to mind when I think of this short story, and irony is that one word. I thought when I was reading this story how ironic it was that Josephine and Richards thought that this information of having her husband suddenly die would kill Mrs. Mallard, but that was not the case, Mrs. Mallard was actually happy that her husband had passed away and when she saw him at the doorstep ultimately lead to her demise. When she found out that she was not free after all, and had the joy sucked out of her she had died. I just thought that the word irony sums up this story entirety.

I did like this short story. I liked it because of, again, its irony and how detailed it was and the twists and turns. I also liked how you had to make your own conclusions to why Mrs. Mallard was joyful of her husbands death. I just plainly thought it was a very interesting story and that I would love to read more of Kate Chopins pieces.