The Story of an Hour- Kate Chopin

http://www.flashfictiononline.com/fpublic0052-story-of-an-hour-kate-chopin.html


This story tells of a woman who has heart troubles as it is, but is astonished at the news that her husband has been killled. She sobs and weeps as any woman would do at first but then she stows away to her room and sits in a chair that faces the outside. She sits there and ponders on the past events that have just occurred but she whispers to herself "free, free, free." She sobs a little at the news of her husbands death once again but begins to think about the life she was about to face on her own. After sitting there for a while her sister knocks at the door and tells her to come outside. When she finally gets up and walks outside of her room and down the stairs, her husband is standing in the doorway looking at her. He wasn't dead indeed after all but the woman didn't seem excited about his presence.

This story sounds so familiar but I can not remember where I have heard it before. The woman was at first startled with the news of her husbands death, but then she seems at peace with it. It mentions in the story that she loved her husband, but sometimes she didn't. The lady seems to be accepting her new life on her own as she sits by herself facing the window. She doesn't seem to be saddened by the death of her husband anymore. "Free, free free" is what she says to herself. I think she is talking about herself, like that she's free from her husband now. Since he's dead she has no one to answer to, no one to worry about, no one to tell her what to do anymore. The lady seems kind of disappointed when she walks downstairs to see that her husband was not dead. She feels trapped again and knows that she is going to have to live the life she had been living ever since they got married.

What do you guys think?!