The Joy That Killed-an essay about "The Story of the Hour", by Kate Chopin

Essay by lvdude2008College, UndergraduateB, November 2009

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In, The Story of the Hour, by Kate Chopin, Mrs. Mallard is given news by her sister Josephine that her husband would not be returning home from war, and that he had passed away. She is in a complete state of awe at first, wondering how something this terrible could happen to her. Mrs. Mallard’s world takes a dramatic turn and she soon finds herself in her room envisioning the new life she will soon embark on. Racing thoughts of freedom, power, and a new life rush through her mind and she becomes simply thrilled when she imagines all of the positive outcomes that can come from her husband’s death and how much better life would be without him.

In the text, we get to see some of the obvious delusions she experiences. Various occurrences such as patches in the sky, awkward sounds, scents, and colors all enter into her mind, making her feel delusional.

Along with her happiness she also experiences sorrowful feelings towards the loss of her husband. Although she loved her husband, their relationship lost its flame, making it nearly impossible for them to maintain a happy loving relationship. All she wanted was just a little freedom from her supposedly overbearing and demanding husband, and although she had gotten her freedom, she never wanted her husband to die. Mrs. Mallard struggled not only with her emotions, but also the morality of the excitement she was experiencing from the loss of her husband.

The major climax of the story is when Mrs. Mallard finds out that her assumingly dead husband is not so dead after all. When her sister Josephine told her of the news about her husband’s death, little did she know that she had made a very unfortunate misunderstanding. After finding out her sister had...