Doctors say Mrs. Mallard died of joy.

Date: 2015-10-07; view: 778.

Conclusion

Mr. Mallard walks in, far from dead, shocking everyone.

Denouement

Mrs. Mallard comes out of her room, meets her sister, and starts to go down the stairs.

Suspense

Mrs. Mallard floats out of her room on the crest of Victory, feeling like she's conquered her sadness, her non-sadness, and her new desire for freedom. She sweeps out of her room like a new person, stronger for her grief, and excited about her life ahead. She's almost high with all the emotion and adrenaline floating about her as she keeps fixating on the idea that she's free at last.

Suddenly, a totally unexpected thing happens: Mr. Mallard comes home. Everyone's shocked, except Mr. Mallard, who has no idea of what's been going on. Even though Josephine and Richards are surprised too, they try to keep Mrs. Mallard from receiving the shock. But they can't. As if getting a shock wouldn't be hard enough on her heart, she's got all these emotions and excitement about freedom running through her body.

We readers have to piece together the fact that Mrs. Mallard has died based on what we know about her (the weak heart), her shock on seeing Mr. Mallard, and the narrator's dry statement that Richards couldn't prevent her new shock. Between that and the doctors' explanation for her death, we realize that Mrs. Mallard has passed away. Unlike her husband's death in the train accident, there's no room for error or miscommunication there. She can't return. The events foreshadowed in the "Initial Situation" have come true.