The Story of an Hour has a connection to the classical era and place while the actions of the frenzied incidents unfold will open and close within the duration of an hour - from the news of her husband's death to the reaction and finally the unexpected death of Mrs. Mallard. Within the structure of an hour, the story of a lifetime (literally) presents the opening line foreshadowing the end - Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was suffering from a heart trouble, gently breaking the news of her husband's death. The weak heart ailment of the protagonist makes her death at the surprise of seeing her husband alive seem believable. The widowed woman's reaction predicts her exceptional temperament as she breaks down into piercing grief, loud cries which tire her physically, causing her to withdraw into the privacy of her room. The room itself stores several of the symbols the author practices to mark Mrs. Mallard's essence and awareness. The door shut to the outside world specifies her isolation from the beliefs of social behavior. The delightful smell of rain was in the air, and sparrows were chirping is the scenery Chopin chose foreshadow as the freedom that Louise feels at her husband's death. As she leaves the room, “there was a feverish triumph in her eyes, and she carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory" (Delbanco). The spirit of success signifies Louise's triumph and victory over …show more content…
A powerful example of irony in this story is the point when Mrs. Mallard dies after hearing the news of her husband being alive. Mr. Mallard is thought to be dead, but he is not, is situational irony. Mr. Mallard is dead, but he is not, that is situational irony. The story flows around the response of Mrs. Mallard to the unexpected news of her husband's death, her consciousness of grief, the following emergence of delight at her unforeseen freedom, the return of her husband, and the surprise end with her shocked demise died of heart disease - of joy that kills. Kate Chopin portrays the essence of a woman (Mrs. Louise Mallard) within the walls of relationships. For the protagonist relationships were an inconvenience of responsibilities, opportunities and duties. The death of her husband was in actuality a freeing of the social and emotional bonds which bound her soul. The news that her husband is alive is a shocking death of her dreams of freedom the ruins of which puncture her heart