In "Eveline", the death of Eveline's mother limited Eveline to the same boring and difficult life that her mother had lived. If she had decided to leave her home to be with Frank, she would have been freed from it. She would have been with a man who gave her love and respect. Ultimately, Eveline chose to continue living the life she knew rather than risk her happiness in the unknown. In contrast, in “The Story of an Hour,” Mrs. Mallard learns of her husband’s death and is filled with joy. She sees the freedom his death gave her and understands the restrictions her love placed on her life. She is so happy with this freedom that when it is taken away from her, it kills her. Both stories are able to examine the complex nature of death and love, and how they can mean very different things depending on the situation and the people involved in the situation. The striking similarity found in both stories is that love is not strong enough to override other factors such as freedom and guilt. The idea that love conquers all is completely lost in these stories, and thoughts of personal freedom, happiness, and responsibility play a greater role for the female characters involved. This vision of love reveals the complexity of female life at the beginning