"The Story of an Hour": Foreshadowing

Mrs. Mallard longs to be a "free bird".

        In the short work, The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin, unexpected as well as ironic events occur to tell of a family's happenings in just one, short hour.  To begin, the author mentions Louise Mallard's newly found heart ailment, but then ceases to continue on the matter.  This provides the reader with foreshadowing to future events.  Next, upon hearing of her husband's untimely death, Mrs. Mallard weeps in her sister's arms then retreats into a room.  While in solitude, the word "free" keeps coming up in Louise's mind.  Ashamed at first, Mrs. Mallard then realizes, from now on, "she would live for herself...(with) no powerful will bending her" (Chopin).  These thoughts of freedom reveal that Mrs. Mallard, instead of finding sheer love and friendship in her spouse, looks at Mr. Mallard as weight keeping her from experiencing life.  I, personally, think this woman as heartless, considering she literally just learned of her husband's death less than an hour ago.  But, an ironic twist is presented when Brently Mallard walks through the door, and Louise drops dead. Now, BMllard is the free bird