Mrs. Mallards Reflections on Life in Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Ho

Anyone who receives notice of a loved ones death is never expected to take it lightly. In Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour, Mrs. Mallard is informed of her husbands death as gently as possible, and immediately she understands the enormous significance this loss will have on her life. Unlike many widows, her feelings of utter devastation do not last. Mrs. Mallards sobs of loss turn to cries of joy after she reflects upon her own fibre and discovers truths about her marriage.As any woman would, Mrs. Mallard initially wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, (227) at the news of her husbands death. Her weeping almost seems force as Mrs. Mallards true character is revealed later on. She is described as young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain faculty (227). Though Mrs. Mallard is still youthful, she has much more knowledge, and personal strength than others her age possess. Her extended knowledge and experience leads to realization of the po sition her husbands death has put her in, and that this death might actually bett...