Question

Read the passage. From “The Story of an Hour” She could see in the open square before her house the tops of trees that were all aquiver with the new spring life. The delicious breath of rain was in the air. In the street below a peddler was crying his wares. The notes of a distant song which someone was singing reached her faintly, and countless sparrows were twittering in the eaves. Considering the news Mrs. Mallard has just received, what is ironic about the details she notices through her window?

Answer 1

This entire passage directly relates to Mrs. Mallard's realization that she is free. It's not that she didn't love her husband, it's the fact that as a wife, her actions were limited. Limited by her husband, by convention, as well as by society. With his death, she is merely a widow.... someone to be humored and left to her own devices. She sees the outdoors as an unlimited future.

Answer 2

The details create a positive mood, one of new beginnings. However, Mrs. Mallard has just received the news that her husband has died which is really an ending. The reader would expect the descriptions to be dark and sad to reflect the grieving widow. Irony is when something happens that is the opposite of what is expected. The details represent Mrs. Mallard's new freedom. The death of her husband starts a life that she can live just for herself. She feels that she has just been reborn in a way. This is also not what the reader would expect as a reaction.