"The Story of an Hour" Reading Interpretation Questions Directions: Refer to the text of "The Story of an Hour" when responding to the following questions. Write in complete sentences, and check your work to ensure you have fully answered the questions. 8) What kind of relationships do the Mallards have? Is Brently Mallard unkind to Louise Mallard, or is there some other reason for her saying "free, free, free!" when she hears of his death? How does she feel about him? Look to your story for clues and evidence to justify your response. 9) Mrs. Mallard closes the door to her room so that her sister Josephine cannot get in, yet she leaves the window open. Why does Chopin make a point of telling the reader this? Consider the significance of the open window. 10) Mrs. Mallard is described as descending the stairs "like a goddess of Victory." In what ways does she feel herself victorious? 11) The last line of the story is this: "When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease--of joy that kills." In what ways is this an ironic statement? What kind of irony is it? 12) Not until Paragraph 16 does the reader learn the protagonist's (Mrs. Mallard's) first name, Louise. Why does the narrator delay in providing the reader with Mrs. Mallard's first name? 13) In the first full paragraph on the second page of the story, Mrs. Mallard considers if she did or did not feel a "monstrous joy". The phrase "monstrous joy" is an oxymoron-two unlike terms which are paired together. Why do you feel the narrator uses the phrase "monstrous joy"? Justify your response with evidence from the story​