In "The Story of an Hour," we learn that Mrs. Mallard is sick. She has a heart condition that debilitates her. At the beginning of the story, Mrs. Mallard believes her husband to be dead. However, towards the end, she realizes that he is in fact alive, and the shock kills her. Kate Chopin most likely included this detail in order to justify Mrs. Mallard's death. Moreover, her sick heart is a symbol for the trauma and unhappiness that Mrs. Mallard suffers.