If, in 2002, a young lady were told that her future and husband had been predetermined for her without her consent, she would most likely be very unhappy and probably try to escape the situation. Contrary to this, in the late 1800¡¯s, young ladies had to accept the fact that their marriage and future had been set in stone for them. In Kate Chopin¡¯s ¡°The Story of an Hour¡±, the main character, Mrs. Mallard, learns her husband has died in a train wreck. At first, Mrs. Mallard is overcome with sadness but then a new feeling of euphoria comes to her when she realizes that her husband¡¯s death frees her from the oppressiveness of the marriage. Mrs. Mallard¡¯s joyous reaction to her husband¡¯s death is justifiable when you evaluate the institution of marriage in the early 19th century.
             Chopin uses irony in "The Story of an Hour" to illustrate the problem relative to marital relationships in the 19th century. In the 19th century, many women were coerced into marriage not only because of love but also for social acceptance, tradition, and economic factors. This is the same for the protagonist of the story, Mrs. Mallard. When Mrs. Mallard first learns of her husband¡¯s death, she feels a ¡°storm of grief¡± and weeps at once. Her first reaction is typical of how many women were expected to react to their husband¡¯s death. Many women did not have means of support and probably did not know how to survive on their own because they depended on their husbands for their survival. After being told of her husband¡¯s death, Mrs. Mallard returns to her room. The thoughts of spring imagery that soon follow, such as Mrs. Mallard noticing ¡°the tops of trees that were all aquiver with new spring life¡± (13), foreshadow that Mrs. Mallard has begun to feel a new sense of independence and in her husband¡¯s death, she has found solace. Mrs. Mallard also experiences a ¡°physical exhaustion that haunte...