“The Story of an Hour”

According to the story entitled “The Story of an Hour”, Louise Mallard is a woman with a heart disease that has many different emotions after she hears about the death of her husband. Her husband’s friend, Richard, lets her know that he died in a railroad disaster which he had knowledge of through a telegram. Richard breaks the news to her gracefully although it still sends her to her room where she can be alone.
In the beginning of the story it appears that she is really upset to hear of Mr. Mallards passing and then later shows a significant amount of extreme joy by saying “And yet she had loved him-sometimes”. “Often she had not”. She also goes on to say “Free! Body and soul free!” I do believe that she loved Mr. Mallard but she seemed very self-absorbed.
The story did not show any indication that he was cruel to her, which led me to wander why she was happy he was dead?
Later, Josephine, Louise sister, is kneeling at her door begging her to come out and of course she denies Josephine’s request. Josephine is afraid that this news is going to make her sister ill. It seems that based on the passage instead of weeping she is rejoicing while she gazes out her open window in her bedroom. She is embracing the spring and summer days ahead of her without a mate.
Once Louise comes out of her room and proceeds down the stairs Richard is waiting at the bottom. Then the front door opens and it is her husband, Brentley. He had not died in the railroad disaster. He had no knowledge of the accident or that it had even happened. Once Louise realized that Mr. Mallard was alive she died of a heart disease. I think that the overall message of the story was that she did not die of happiness, she was shocked that he was alive.