In “the story of an hour” by kate chopin, what is the actual cause of mrs. mallard’s death?

In "The Story of a Hour," by Kate Chopin, Louise is told that her husband is dead. After mourning him, she goes to her bedroom and experiences an amazing feeling of freedom and relaxation, which makes her enthusiastic to begin a new life on her own. As a consequence, when she sees her husband is alive and realizes that she will not be able to live the independent life she expected anymore, she feels a dreadful emotional misery, which results in her heart attack.

In the story ‘The Story of an Hour’ by Kate Chopin, Louise Mallard dies from a fatal heart attack that she suffers from seeing her husband alive and return to her. The doctors believed that she had died from too much excitement and joy, however in reality, it was despair from losing her freedom. Mrs. Mallard was already suffering from a heart condition that kept her sick and depleted her youth. She was devastated and shocked at the death of her husband, but slowly learned to appreciate her newfound freedom and lack of restrictions. It is revealed that she did not have a happy marriage, and lived a life of misery and unhappiness. Her marriage caused her much trauma, which caused her illness in the first place.  

Further Explanation:

Louise Mallard is left in shock when she is informed of her husband’s death in a rail accident. She mourns him ardently and believes that she might not be able to recover from the shock. However, as days pass, she becomes conscious of the fact that she was not happy in this marriage, and her husband’s company was not too great either. She was forced to live a life bound by several restrictions, while her husband tried to dominate her free spirit. She begins to be conscious of her freedom, realizing that she didn’t need to have a marriage. The death of her husband was beginning to be welcomed by her, as she made up her mind to finally think of herself and lead her life.However, she suffers a deeper shock on discovering that her husband is alive has returned to her. Her extreme self-assertion and grief over losing her newfound freedom ultimately took her life.  

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Answer Details:

Grade: High School

Chapter: The story of an Hour

Subject: English

Keywords:

Grief, death, acceptance, freedom, disease, marriage, misery