Often times during fiction, the story builds up slowly into suspense, either from a happy opening or a shocking one. This little story seems to have started with a shocking one. The beginning of Mr. Mallard’s death would have filled the audience with grief for Mrs. Mallard and concern for her well being. However, on another …show more content…
Mallard dies when she finds her husband alive. It could be concluded, by the doctor that the overwhelming joy had caused it. However, they only witnessed Mrs. Mallard’s “madness” through her locking herself in the room. (par. 15). Anyone, especially a sister, would be worries about a recent window possibly committing a suicide in a locked room. This worry is clearly portrayed through Josephine’s desperateness in trying to convince Mrs. Mallard to open the door. Little did they know Mrs. Mallard was focused on the silver lining of her cloud of window- hood. If they were aware of her thoughts, they would have considered the possibility of the death being caused by disappointment rather than joy.
Through Mrs. Mallard’s death at the sight of Brently Mallard being alive, it confirms the diagnosis of the heart disease that she had in the introduction of the story. However, the doctor’s conclusion that she died of overwhelming joy is ironic because it had been the loss of joy that could have fairly been the reason of her death. Indeed, Mrs. Mallard seems to have died of a broken heart lead by a sudden loss of her much- loved freedom, her identity that she had lost as a