”She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except when a sob came up into her throat and shook her, as a child who has cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams.” At this moment in The Story of an Hour Mrs. Mallard just found out her husband died, or so she thinks. Not many things are worse then losing a loved one. So overcome with emotion she can do nothing but sit. Mrs. Mallard has a change of mood, she realizes that now she is “free”. She is not bound down by her husband anymore. She lived her life for her husband. Everything she did, she did with her husband in mind. Now there is no one to live for, to work for, or take care of but herself. She realized she loved him but only sometimes, her husband and she had a rocky marriage. Now with her husband gone she feels free, there is no one else to do things for or take care of. The rest of her life now belongs to her and her alone.

“Free! Body and soul free!” she kept whispering to herself. Her mood completely changed. She went from being sad and depressed, to almost excited. She realized she now can do what she wants, and she can do it whenever she wants.

When she finally emerges from her room, she finds her husband standing in the doorway. The man that supposedly died, now stood in the doorway alive. This was the same man who restricted her and kept her from doing the things she wanted. When the doctors came they said she died of a heart attack. So overcome with joy, she suffered a heart attack. In reality joy did not cause her to suffer a heart attack. Mrs. Mallard finally was set free to do what she wanted, but the realization of her husbands return killed her.