At first glance Kate Choplin's "The story of an hour" does not seem particularly interesting. A closer look must be taken in order to see the true meaning of the story. There is more symbolism in this four-page story than in most of the four hundred page books I have read throughout my life. It is probably impossible to find every sybolistic word in the story, but some things definitely stick out. The first sentence of the story is "knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible...
a new life and the half dread, half joy from seeing her husband alive was too much for her weak heart to take. Still, others might think that she was punished for being so happy that her husband was dead. But it was stated earlier in the story that "it was only yesterday that she had thought with a shudder that life might be long" after she prayed she would live long so she could enjoy her life. So maybe, in a way, she killed herself. If she couldn't live for herself, she would not live for anyone else.