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Kate Chopin's "The Story of An Hour" deals realistically with the possibilities of life, individual consciousness and choices, and the serendipity by which so much is acquired and lost of one's values. Set in the late 1800s on a Southern plantation, the main character, Louise, faces the news that her husband has died suddenly and the resultant possibilities about the kind of life that she, as an unmarried woman, can now live. "The Story of …

…em. Based on inconclusive evidence, Josephine's complete confidence in Richards begins Louise's false awareness of her freedom. At the end, the doctors come to the conclusion that Louise died of a heart attack "of joy that kills." To them---Josephine, Richards, Mr. Mallard---the overwhelming j! oy of Louise to see her husband alive is too much for her weak heart. In reality, her weak heart fails her after a few misguided beats of freedom. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**