A review by sharonsm_28
The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin

5.0

This was an amazingly interesting short story. I had to read this story for my English Lit class last week, and I was thoroughly enjoying the writing style. The story is about a woman named Louise Mallard, who is informed that her husband, Brentley Mallard was "killed" in a railroad accident. However, at the end of the story, she finds out he did not die, and she dies herself.

In the story, I saw Louise feel several different emotions. First, she was grieving for the loss of her husband. She is seen as any other grieving wife, weeping a lot and hysterical. However, when she went to her room, those emotions were clearly changing. As she finally realized that she was free. Free to be who she is and the possibilities of what she can do in her future. She began to hope and see the beauty that her life has been given.

This story was written really well. Although, there is not that much dialogue. The emotions conveyed through this story were really powerful. I think the theme of this story is freedom. Freedom is the key to a person's well-being and care. The beauty of freedom is to see the possibilities of the future. The ending of the story is the only ironic thing. She died apparently because she had a heart attack from seeing her husband alive. I guess that's why the last sentence says "The joy that Kills." Overall, a fantastic read.