The Story of an Hour: Summary Essay

It was early afternoon and he knew his wife wouldn’t be expecting him at such an early hour, but there had been a train accident on the way out that morning and Brently was just now getting back. It had been a horrible accident, people had died, including the man had been traveling with, but Brently, in his usual manner, had given his statements to the investigators, dusted himself off, gathered his things and began the long walk home.

He was looking forward to seeing his Louise. Always the dutiful little housewife, she would take his things at the door, settle him into his favorite chair, bring him a soothing drink and then he would be able to relax and tell her all about it. As he walked through the town, he didn’t notice any of the strange looks he was getting. He was too busy thinking about his lovely little wife.

Hed have to tell her about the accident carefully of course. She was such a delicate thing. The slightest excitement would bring a rush of unhealthy color to her face and her breathing would quicken to the point he feared she would faint. It was for this reason he was the perfect man to be her husband and he took pride in the fact that her father had agreed. Brently was nothing if not stable, calm and utterly predictable – quite the opposite from the other man she had considered.

Richard and Brently were friends now, of course, just as they had been when they were boys, but there had been a time when they were the bitterest of foes. That was when they each were determined to win Louise. Richard was exactly the wrong sort of man for her, though, Brently reminded himself. Highly excitable, always rushing around on local adventures and always attempting to pull the delicate Louise into his energetic escapades. Poor Louise, though, had been at such a loss trying to choose between them that her father finally put his foot down and informed her in no uncertain terms that she would marry Brently. In was obvious to Brently and Louises father that dear Louise needed someone like Brently, someone who would ensure her life remained calm and predictable, with nothing to ever upset her or cause her pulses to race.

The house was not far now, he could see it up the street. The lace curtains in Louises upstairs bedroom window were fluttering in the gentle breeze and he could hear children playing not far away. Louise wanted children, but Brently was quite concerned that her constitution wouldn’t be able to bear it so he took the necessary steps to ensure that never happened. Louise cried bitterly about this at times, but accepted his decision in this as she did in everything else. She really was quite a fine wife and Brently was very content with their situation.

Now he was at the front door and letting himself in. As he stepped through the doorway, he was surprised to see his friend Richard sitting in the parlor off to the side. All the color in Richards face quickly drained away the moment their eyes met, but Brently didnt have time to wonder what the man had been up to. A gasp coming from above him on the stairway immediately drew his attention and his eyes met for a final, brief moment, with the pale blue eyes of his wife, looking more beautiful than ever as she had been descending the stairs with her sister. Louise took one look at him and instantly fell down in a heap, landing finally at his feet. Bending to her, Brently immediately found, to his dismay, that Louise was dead. The hasty explanations of his sister-in-law and Richard only confirmed Brently’s conviction that he had been correct in his careful treatment of the small woman now lying dead at his feet. He would never know how a little excitement might have saved her.