The Story of an Hour

"The Story of an Hour"
Kate Chopin

The opening sentence of "The Story of an Hour" foreshadows the loss of love somewhere in the story. The heart condition from which Louise suffers serves multiple purposes within the context of the short story. First, it establishes the manner in which she would be told of her husband's death; it portrays her as a weak character unable to withstand traumatic information. Obviously, a person suffering from heart troubles could not handle any news which would be too exciting or too depressing. This information makes it even more strange that Louise's "pulses beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every bit of her body." By adding this detail, the author refutes that her heart is the source of her troubles. In fact, her heart comforts her during her time of sadness and subsequent joy by relaxing her weeping body. Yet, again, this makes her death at the conclusion of the story ironic even though it can be interpreted in the first sentence of the short story. The doctor's claim that she had died because of overwhelming joy at the sight of her living husband is ironic because it was actually the shock from the loss of her joy and freedom that had been her downfall. Thus, the irony lies in that it should not have been the news of her husband's death that worried Louise's sister, but instead the confinement of her marriage.