The Selfish Mrs. Mallard in The Story of an Hour Kate Chopin's story, "The Story of an Hour," might seem to focus on the unexpected and ironic reactions to the news of her husband's premature death due to a train disaster. At least that's what I thought when I read the story. It seemed to me that he was leading a normal life with a normal marriage. She had a stable home life with a kind and loving husband who cared for her. She seemed to love him at times. She had some sort of “heart disorder” (Chopin 25) that did not affect her physically, until the end. I thought Mrs. Mallard would be saddened and filled with grief for an appropriate period of time after her spouse's death, but her grief quickly passed and she embraced a new life with which she seemed to be content. 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 spent overcoming his feelings of melancholy passed too quickly. She was suddenly eager to begin her life as a widow. Immediately after hearing the sad news of her husband's death, she "cried at once, with sudden, wild abandon, in her sister's arms" (Chopin 25). This is acceptable and understandable to me because I feel like anyone who has just lost their spouse would want to be comforted by a close family member. The story then goes: "When the storm of grief had calmed down, she went to her room alone. She did not want anyone to follow her" (Chopin 25). I found it strange that she would get up and go straight to her room. The t... half of the card... who got his just reward? Work cited Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." The Harper Fiction Anthology. Ed. Silvano Barnet. New York: HarperCollins, 1991. Works consulted Bender, Bert. "Kate Chopin." Criticism of short stories. Ed. Tommaso Votteler. vol. 8. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1991. 20 vols. Ewell, Barbara C. "Kate Chopin." Criticism of short stories. Ed. Tommaso Votteler. vol. 8. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1991. 20 vols. Magill, Frank N., ed. Critical investigation of short fiction. Revised ed. vol. 2. Pasadena: Salem Press, 1993. 7 vols. Seyersted, Per. "Kate Chopin." Literary criticism of the twentieth century. Eds. James E. Persona, Jr. and Dennis Poupard. vol. 14. Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1984. 60 vols. Skaggs, Peggy. "Kate Chopin." Criticism of short stories. Ed. Tommaso Votteler. vol. 8. Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1991. 20 vols.