Selfish Mrs. Mallard in The Story of an HourKate Chopin's story, "The Story of an Hour," may seem to be about the unexpected and ironic reactions to the news of her husband's untimely death following a train disaster. At least that's what I thought when I read the story. It seemed to me that she was living a normal life with a normal marriage. She had a stable home life with a kind and loving husband who took care of her. She seemed to like him sometimes. She had some sort of “heart problem” (Chopin 25) that didn’t really affect her physically, until the very end. I thought Mrs. Mallard would have been saddened and filled with grief for a while after her spouse's death, but her grief passed quickly and she embraced a new life that she seemed content with. Therefore, I believe there is good evidence that Mrs. Mallard was an ungrateful woman who did not appreciate her husband or his love for her. This evidence is found in her selfish behavior after the death of her husband, Brently Mallard. Mallard's reaction to the sad news was natural, but the time she had devoted to overcoming her melancholic feelings had passed too quickly. All of a sudden, she couldn't wait to begin her life as a widow. Immediately after hearing the sad news of her husband's death, "she immediately wept, with sudden and wild abandon, in her sister's arms" (Chopin 25). This seems acceptable and understandable to me because I believe that anyone who has just lost their spouse would want to be comforted by a close family member. The story then says: “When the storm of sorrow had passed, she went to her room alone. She didn’t want anyone to follow her” (Chopin 25). I found it odd that she got up and headed straight to her room. The t...... middle of paper ......ishness who got his just reward? Work cited Chopin, Kate. “The story of an hour.” The Harper Anthology of Fiction. Ed. Sylvain Barnett. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. Works consulted Bender, Bert. “Kate Chopin.” Review of a short story. Ed. Thomas Votteler. Flight. 8. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1991. 20 vols. Ewell, Barbara C. “Kate Chopin.” Review of a short story. Ed. Thomas Votteler. Flight. 8. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1991. 20 vols. Magill, Frank N., ed. Critical investigation of short fiction. Ed. revised. Flight. 2. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1993. 7 vols. Seyersted, Per. “Kate Chopin.” Literary criticism of the 20th century. Ed. James E. Person, Jr. and Dennis Poupard. Flight. 14. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1984. 60 vols. Skaggs, Peggy. “Kate Chopin.” Review of a short story. Ed. Thomas Votteler. Flight. 8. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1991. 20 vols.