“The Story of an Hour” leaves a strange feeling based on misunderstanding and a lasting impression of what happens at the end. Indeed, Louise’s untimely death came as a surprise to me. However, throughout the story, the author seems to be preparing the reader for this conclusion. Firstly, at the very beginning of the story, Chopin makes it clear that the main characters have heart problems, and a solid emotional shock can be fatal for her. Moreover, before immense joy explained her condition, one might have thought that she was experiencing mortal anguish.
The death of a character from the joy that kills causes conflicting feelings. Alone in a room, Louise is unaware at first but then realizes that she enjoys being on her own. It refers to the marriage union of a man and a woman as an oppressive position and a life doomed to shared suffering. Louise despaired that her independence as a free man was tied to her husband. The release that led to a heart attack can be called joy that kills. For a moment, she thinks she loves her husband, but afterward, Louise realizes that most of their marriage, she did not feel it. Her joy is due to the complete liberation from the marriage ties that bind her. Louise is delighted that now she can control her desires.
However, this does not mean that she did not love her husband. Nonetheless, even in favorable alliances, oppression and implicit control of a person’s will can occur. Thus, Louise’s feelings are pretty explainable by the fact that she can devote her life to herself with the death of her husband. The realization of this leads her to delight and a feeling of euphoria, which she cannot contain in herself. Louise’s heart is already weak, so she dies from an overabundance of positive emotions.