“The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin describes the thoughts and feelings that are described in a single hour in the life of Louise Mallard after learning that her husband was killed in a railway accident. At the beginning of the story, we are told that Mrs. Mallard is suffering from a heart condition and that the news of her husband's death is kindly broken to her by her sister. Mrs. Mallard's first reaction, upon learning of her husband's death, was one of grief. She wants to stay alone to grieve in her room upstairs in the house. However, during the hour she spends sitting alone in an armchair in the room, her state of mind changes dramatically. She is faced with conflicting emotions and, although she loved her husband and was very upset by his death, she cannot suppress the idea that she is now free to start a new life without the constraints of having a husband. Mrs. Mallard experiences a life-changing joy and hope now that she only has herself to think about. The story ends with a dramatic climax when Brently Mallard returns home, unharmed and not dead. The sight of seeing her husband alive causes Mrs. Mallard to die of what doctors say is “heart disease – joy that kills.” “The Story of an Hour” depicts the social status of the Mallard family as working class. We know this because the author tells us that Brently Mallard works on the railroad. Through...