Kate Chopin - The story of an hour

Kate Chopin is an american writer born in 1850. She wrote several short stories and novels. She is known to be a pioneer in the treatment of sexuality in American literature, discussing women´s desire to become a person in her own right.One of these novels is "The story of an hour".

In the story it shows how an hour can change a woman´s life.
After her sister told her about the bad news, Mrs. Mallard goes up into her room and thinks about her husband...She is actually realy happy about his death. That may sound weird, but we have to consider the time! Women were dependend on their husbands.
We don´t know why Mrs. Mallard is so happy. But she allways keeps wispering: " Free soul and free body." That show us, that she was dependend on her husband. He owns her.
So, Mrs. Mallard is sitting in her armchair thinking about her husband. She arrives the decision that she loved her husband sometimes but actually she is happy about his death. She feels free, her soul feels free.
After an hour of thinking Mrs. Mallard goes downstairs. Her husband just opend the door, he is alive. But it is to late: Mrs. Mallard died, she died of joy - joy that kills.
But what a joy was that? Joy because her husband came back, because he is still alive? Or because she was so happy about his death, that she died of joy?
We dont´t know!!