The Story of an Hour

"The Story of an Hour"
Kate Chopin

This was by far my favorite piece from this unit of literature because it was funny, interesting, and concise.  I first noticed the descriptive diction in this piece because although it was very short, Chopin still managed to include descriptions of each scene.  Phrases such as "the storm of grief"(Chopin, paragraph 3) and "physical exhaustion"(Chopin, paragraph 4) suggest Mrs. Mallard's hardships after hearing of her husband's death.  However, "free, free, free"(Chopin, paragraph 11) suggests her happiness with finally being released from the burdens of her marriage.  While her marriage had not been terrible or particularly abusive, Mr. Mallard had stifled her, and with him gone, she was finally able to taste freedom.  In the time period of this story, marriages were probably not very healthy, and men often controlled important aspects of their marriages.  Mrs. Mallard symbolizes many women in that age who could only find freedom in the absence of their husbands.  It is hard for us to imagine because our culture is so different than that of this time period, and most relationships today are not as oppressive.
The end of this piece was an evident paradox--"of joy that kills"(Chopin, paragraph 23).  It makes perfect sense, though, in context as Mrs. Mallard had been so happy to hear that her husband was gone and could not fathom living under him again, so she died after seeing that he was alive.