There are many derivatives of abuse. Most readers would consider abuse to be physical, but some of the most damaging abuse is emotional. Emotional abuse can cause women to rebel against their own sanity and explode with irrational behavior. In Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour," Louise Mallard's reaction to her husband's death results from the emotional lapse between Louise and her husband. Minnie Wright in "A Jury of Her Peers," written by Susan Glaspell, suffers such mental " 'stillness'" that the only way to feel alive and regain what is left of her once free spirit is to kill her husband (300). William Faulkner's "A Rose for Emily" details how the oppression of her father and disrespect of her lover prompt Miss Emily to create her own reality. All three short stories depict accurately the devastating consequences of emotional abuse.
             Louise Mallard in "The Story of an Hour" realizes the emotional neglect and bondage of her marriage to Brently. Brently has "kind, tender hands," which alludes to the fact he is not physically abusive. Chopin further describes his face to never look but "save with love upon" Louise (186). Though Mr. Mallard means no intent of abuse, there is a substantial level of neglect as Louise assumes the dependant role characteristic of wives during that period. When Brently's death is announced to Mrs. Mallard, she does "not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance" (185). Louise does not think but for a moment about the sadness of losing her husband; instead she whispers uncontrollably, " 'Free! Body and soul free!'" (186) Before the news of her husband's death, Mrs. Mallard is oppressed and lives under the strict rule of her husband. The mental freedom she feels with Bre
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