The Story of an Hour

In the beginning of The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin, refers to the main character as Mrs. Mallard. When Mrs. Mallard learns that her husband Brently Mallard has been killed in a train accident, Chopin writes, "She said it over and over under her breath: 'free, free, free!'". Her sister, Josephine then comes calling for her by her first name which is Louise. This shows that Louise Mallard is property of her husband, which is common for the times. She's elated to know that she's free of the duty of being a wife, as she says that "And yet she had loved him- sometimes". This makes me wonder if their marriage was possibly an arranged marriage, where they have grown to respect each other.
I found that the weather was ironic during the story. Louise says that, "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...There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled one above the other in the west facing her window". This weather parallels Louises' good mood. I found it ironic because usually when somebody dies, or something bad happens, the weather usually rainy, dark, gloomy, etc.