The Story of an Hour

Things are obviously not always what they seem. The irony in Chopin’s “Story of an Hour” is inescapable. At first the reader is lead to believe that Louise would be upset over the news of her husband, but that is not exactly the case. She seems overwhelmed by the initial shock, as it later becomes known that she feels “free” and joyous in the absence of her husband. Her life is now entirely hers, as she puts it. However, the greater irony comes when Mr. Mallard returns home, and Louise ends up being the one who dies. One of the primary concerns about how she should be told about her husband’s death - because of her heart trouble - becomes the primary cause of her death. The reader is lead to believe that she suffered from a heart attack upon seeing her husband in the doorway, which was largely a result of her heart disease. The last phrase of the novel, “of joy that kills,” is not only an ironic phrase in itself, but it sums up the events of the novel.

The grief of Mrs. Mallard is in stark contrast with that of Shaila Bhave. Whereas Shaila refuses to accept the loss of her husband and children for months, Mrs. Mallard seems to experience the grieving process in one day - shock, reality, numbness, acceptance. However, she does not feel sorrow as much as release after coming to terms with the news. Moreover, it is interesting to observe Chopin’s use of bright and cheerful imagery. She describes Mrs. Mallard as gazing out into a beautiful, spring day. The contrast with events and weather foreshadow the sudden emergence of Mrs. Mallard’s realization that she is actually relieved and joyous, not depressed, about the “death” of her husband. Lastly, the point of view Chopin uses impacts our understanding of the grieving process differently because it is less personal. Chopin does not explicitly reveal what is going on in Louise’s head after she is first informed of the news. The reader can only infer that she is crying because she is sad, which may still be the case (after all, she does try to “beat it back” - the oncoming joy - “with her will” probably out of guilt). Regardless, the fact that “Management of Grief” was written in first person, and this story was not, helps the reader to gain insight into the actual feelings of the characters, which clarifies their specific grieving process. The grieving process of Mrs. Mallard is still unclear since the narrator is merely showing her actions, and only tells of the joy she experiences later.