The Story of an Hour

The Story of an Hour
Kate Chopin

In this story, Josephine and Richards reveal to Mrs. Mallard the death of her husband. As the reader would suspect, Mrs. Mallard started crying. Ironically, Mrs. Mallard's tears were from joy not anguish. Mrs. Mallard was subject to a restricting marriage, so the news of her husband's death brought her joy not anguish. "There would be no one to live for in those coming years; she would live for herself" (Chopin). However, Mr. Mallard was not killed in the train accident. When he arrived at his house, he found that his wife had died of heart disease. Mrs. Mallard had been so overjoyed that her weak heart could not withstand her immense joy. Whereas earlier in the story Josephine and Richards had been careful to break the news about her husband for fear that grief would cause her heart to fail, in actuality Mrs. Mallard's heart failed because of her immense joy. Her death could be considered ironic because the story began with her husband's "death", but ended with her death while her husband still lives.