This writing made me feel very sad. You read of a woman who hears of her husband’s death and is saddened, but soon after becomes relieved and almost joyed at the thought of living her life for herself. A twist at the end of the story causes the woman to suddenly die which makes you feel even more remorse for her and her situation.
One of the literary elements used throughout this story is Tactile Imagery. You can feel the woman’s emotions throughout the story. Starting with sadness through the “sob in her throat”, and physical exhaustion as she sat in her chair. Followed by the feeling of relief and calmness as the “blood warmed and relaxed” her. Then finally her relief is suddenly pulled-away at the sight of her husband. The author describes her delicate state and so you can imagine how much stress all of these emotions may have put upon her weak heart causing her to die.
I believe that the author was trying to represent how women, especially during the time this story was written, were seen but never heard. The woman within the story was saddened with her husband’s death which shows that she did love her husband, but the relief at the thought of being able to run her own life represented her imprisonment within her marriage. Then at the sight of her husband, the woman’s independence was stripped-away yet again causing her heart to give and she died.
The story ends with the doctor’s diagnosis of “heart disease—of joy that kills”, what do you think the author meant by this statement?
