Story of an Hour

I thought that Kate Chopin’s “Story of an Hour” was an excellent story, with a twist. I did not expect Mrs. Mallard to be excited by her husband’s death. I had to read (194-14) before I understood that she was extremely excited, not depressed. From her reaction of excitement, I could only conclude that she hated her husband. The thought of abuse that came up in class, makes me think that she was psychologically abused, since “there would be no powerful will bending her”(194-14). Since she had said “It was only yesterday that she had thought with a shudder that life might be long”(194-19), I am led to believe that she hated her husband so much that life was unbearable. Now that he was gone, she would be extremely happy, after she got over the death of a human being that she was close to. I think that she found out that her husband was alive and since she had “heart trouble”(193-1), she could not take such an unpleasant surprise. When “she was striving to beat it back with her will”(194-10), referring to an attempt to not get excited about his death, she shows a human side. During the group discussion I was exposed to the thought that she loved her husband, and free could mean dying. I still think that the evidence points overwhelmingly to her hating, but not wanting to hate her husband. For the most part, I have only increased the support of my original interpretation of the story.