The Story of an Hour
Kate Chopin
One thing I noticed in particular about the story was the speaker's diction. "Pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul."I think this beautifully described how she responded to the death of her husband. Though, as the audience comes to find out, doesn't last long. Soon after the initial tears she begins to whisper the words: "Free! Body and soul free!" It is shocking to see Mrs. Bentley respond to the death of her husband by feeling a sense of freedom. She doesn't even wait an hour before she starts praying that she might have a long life to enjoy this freedom. She feels even a sense of victory as she looks forward to being defined by her own wants and desires and not by the will (or seemingly oppression) of a man by her side. When Mr. Bentley comes home, it becomes completely clear how strongly she felt about being alone that she dies right then of heart disease. What is most ironic, is that the speaker said that she died of joy! All I can think is that she would have rather died than face years more of oppression.
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