The Story of An Hour....

In reading the short story..."The Story of An Hour" I found it very interesting to see the way the Author chose to use emotions in a roller coaster sequence.  In the the story Josephine Mallard is home awaiting the arrival of her husband. When her husbands good friend shows up to her house and has to break bad news to Mrs. Mallard. There was a really bad railroad disaster and her husband Mr. Bratly Mallard has been one if the many passangers to be named as diseased. She broke down in her sisters arms weeping with wild abandonment.

One she found her self done with the weeping she asked to be left alone and headed off to her room. In her room she found herself pondering with mixed emotions! Her she realized that she was no longer crying of sadness but more of over joyment.  She found the words leaving her lips over and over..."free, free, free!"

In reading this I sence that her relationship with her husband was not a happy loving one. For why else would someone react in the way she did by saying free? She must of felt traped to be married to this man she called her husband.

She knew that when the time came to see his body she would once again weep. To see "the kind, tender hands folded in death; the face that had never looked save with love upon her, fixed and gray and dead." She also knew that that bitter moment would end and that the years to come ahead would belong to her. And she welcomed it with open arms.

That is pretty deep to see that someone feels free from some one they were supposidly in love with.
She claimed to have loved him at times but only sometimes. How could some one love someone at times? Love just doesn't come and go! Relationships have their ups and downs...this I know!! But why would she have stayed with this man for however long if she felt unhappy and unloved? Now that he has passed away she reconizes her true feelings and her soul is crying out.  "Free! Body and soul free!" she keeps on whispering.

She finds herself pondering on the idea of living the rest of the years, Spring days, and Summer days and all sorts of other days just her to be her own self. She prayed in happiness that life might be long. when only yesterday she shudder at the thought!

When she composed herself she went out of her room to join her sister and husbands friend Richard who were both waiting for her to help her get through this difficult time. As she joined them down stairs there was someone entering the front door.

In enetered her husband Mr. Brently Mallard.  He had been far from the scene of the accident and was not even aware it had occured. Mrs. Josephine Mallard let out piercing cry!  She was pronounced dead of a heart disease--of the joy that kills by the doctor who was called in when she collapsed.

This ending I found very interesting. It was definatley the Climatic Moment in the story. It is sad and silly at the same time. She felt so trapped that when she heard of her husband being dead she found herself elited with happiness and freedom. But when she saw him standing at the door she went into shock of disapiontment and died! She did find a way out by dieing and leaving him but I don't think it was truely the way she had invissioned it!

Very intersting ending to this story!