Irony In Kate Chopin's Story Of An Hour

Words: 176
Pages: 1

In “Story of an Hour” Kate Chopin uses irony to demonstrate the people need freedom to survive. When Mrs. Mallard's husband died, she sat down looking through a window, to admire the beautiful atmosphere: “She could see in the open square before the house the tops of the trees that were all aquiver with new spring life”(Chopin 1). The beautiful weather represents how free and happy Mrs. Mallard felt but, this is ironic because her husband had just passed, therefore she should feel more sad and gloomy. In fact when Mrs. Mallard had found out her husband was alive, she was so surprised by the shocking news, she had a heart attack and died: “When the doctors came in they said she had died of heart disease--of the joy that kills”(2). This is ironic