The Story of an Hour

Kate Chopin's The Story of an Hour is anything but predictable. I typically like to predict the endings of stories, but I was surprised with each little twist in the short story. Chopin uses irony to surprise the readers of the short story. "She said it over and over under her breath: 'Free, free, free!'" Mrs. Mallard seemed to be more than happy that her husband had died. She even admits she did not love him. Of course, she had to put up the show that she was heartbroken. The irony in the ending is that she imagines her future free from her husband, and then there appears Brently. Readers then infer that Mrs. Mallard died from heartbreak in the sense that she had just had the feeling of happiness only to have it taken away when her husband was still alive. Initially, readers think she will die of a heart attack from the news of her husband's death, but she dies from the news of her husband's survival. Ironic?