Story of an Hour

I think Kate Chopin's “Story of an Hour” has two major themes that become evident as the story unfolds. The first is selfishness. Mrs. Mallard gives us no indication that she is not happy with her husband. He is not a bad man. She even says that sometimes she loves him. And yet she feels a tingling, selfish joy at the idea of him being dead. She thinks of all the days to come that she will now be able to spend as she wants, with no one to care for and no one to answer to.
At the same time, she feels guilty for being so selfish. That is the story's second major theme. She gives in to that ugly little creature, living in the back of her head, screaming: "Me, me, me!!!!!" and allows herself to feel the joy that her new freedom will bring her. The guilt caused by allowing herself to feel that way is what finally kills her.
I think we all have that little creature living in us. I remember standing at my grandmother's funeral at the tender age of seven and the only thoughts running through my mind were that it's hot, that my feet hurt, and a vague, yet persistent excitement caused by the fact that I was now going to get her room. I knew that it was wrong to think that way and felt some shame and discomfort, but could not help it. Years later I told my Mom about it and she admitted to me that she felt a glimpse of it too. You see, my grandmother was bedridden for many years. She lived with us and my Mom took care of her. I mean she TOOK CARE OF HER - fed her, washed her, gave her medication and all this while listening to rants about what a horrible person she is and how my father should have never married her. So a sense of relief was definitely mixed in with my mother's grief. This presents a clear moral dilemma. Does feeling this way make one a bad person? I guess Mrs Mallard just couldn't live with her own answer to that question...