The Story of an Hour

"The Story of an Hour" portrays an hour in the life of Louise Mallard. In this hour, she is notified that her husband has been killed in a railroad disaster. Through this accident, a greater meaning and message to the story is revealed. When Mrs. Mallard was told her husband was killed, she immediately wept at once and proceeded to isolate herself by locking herself in a room. In this room, there was an open window that revealed things to her that she had never noticed before. The images she saw through this window gave her a sense of freedom and new life. She saw "A long procession of years to come that would belong to absolutely her." Her husband had deprived her of this kind of life, but now she was finally able to welcome this new life in with open arms. However, when her sister, Josephine, came to get Mrs. Mallard, the two walked downstairs. As they were walking downstairs, behind the opening front door was Mr. Mallard. Mrs. Mallard died at once.

The grief of Mrs. Mallard versus Shaila Bhave are handled in two very different ways. When Mrs. Mallard was notified her husband had died, she immediately started sobbing. Most of us go into complete shock when hearing new like that. However, with Mrs. Mallard, there was no moment of shock. She immediately locked herself up in her room so she could grieve alone. In contrast, Shaila portrays to the reader a different type of grieving. Shaila was seen as a strong woman. She was able to hold in her grief and keep relying on her sense of hope. While the medications she was taking could have contributed to this, She still remained calm and hopeful that she would find her husband and two sons.