On the surface, "The Story of an Hour," by Kate Chopin is about a woman named Louise Mallard who is afflicted with a "heart condition." She is informed of the death of her husband, Brently Mallard, in a train accident. Brently Mallard's friend, Richards, confirms twice by telegram before he rushes to deliver the sad message. Her sister, Josephine, breaks the news to her in "veiled hints" and "broken sentences." At first she experiences grief, as one would expect, however she later has feelings of joy. The entire timeline is only one hour long and, at the end, to her surprise, she learns that her husband is indeed alive and she dies.

Below the surface, however, Chopin shows how death, being considered the end of life, actually can mean the beginning of life. This would suggest that, to Mrs. Mallard, the end of her husband's life would mean...