Short Story: Last Breath

Elizabeth: Her voice rising; her composure falling away. Do you doubt my ladyship? Why should I welcome a reaper into my home? You have left the court, have you not? Well I have left the presence of the town. I will no longer allow myself to exchange pleasantries with those who have laid blood upon my husband’s name! You haven’t a clue of the hardship I have endured. No. I will stay in this house until my skin withers. I will stay until my bones dissolve and my tears leak from my fingertips. I will stay until the world falls away and I am left to myself alone. Leave now. Please. While I still have a grasp on the last of my dignity. I cannot bear to see you. Perhaps that is unfair. Her voice shakes and hushes. But so was John’s downfall. You will bother me no longer. Close the door on your way out. Elizabeth sits back down, and turns her chair away. She goes still. She is

Within the article "A Life Worth Ending" Michael Wolff recounts the events of his ill mother at her final stage of life. Along with his own battle with a flawed healthcare system. Wolff Brilliantly intertwines literary elements with the use of characterization and his first point of view to tell his story.

When her husband is killed in a train accident Mrs. Mallard cries, but for different reasons than would be expected. She is sad for her husband’s death, but, moreover, she is overcome with joy. For now she is free. No one recognizes her true emotions because women fall apart when their spouse dies; it’s required. Marriage is portrayed as a life sentence. "She said it over and over again under her breath: ‘free, free, free!' Her pulse beat fast, and the coursing blood warmed and relaxed every inch of her body"(1). Mrs. Mallard was relieved that her husband died for she thought her sentence was over. When she realized that he was still alive, and therefore she was still committed to the marriage, she died from the shock and horror of being trapped.

“Your wife does,” exclaimed Tom, startled. “She’s been talking about it for ten years.” He rested for a moment against the pump, shading his eyes. “And now she going whether she wants to or not. I’m going to get her away” (Fitzgerald pg123).

In this line, “He was in the bedroom pushing clothes into a suitcase when she came to the door”. The husband was anxious from his wife’s complex attitude. He had already decided to leave the house. This scene gave

Initially, Mrs. Mallard reacts with great sadness over the news of her husband’s death. Knowing that Mrs. Mallard suffers from “heart trouble”, Josephine, Mrs. Mallard’s sister decides to “hint” her the news of Brently’s death in “broken sentences”. Josephine assumes that Mrs. Mallard “[loves]” her husband, and naturally

As the women walk through the house, they begin to get a feel for what Mrs. Wright’s life is like. They notice things like the limited kitchen space, the broken stove, and the broken jars of fruit and begin to realize the day-to-day struggles that Mrs. Wright endured. The entire house has a solemn, depressing atmosphere. Mrs. Hale regretfully comments that, for this reason and the fact that Mr. Wright is a difficult man to be around, she never came to visit her old friend, Mrs. Wright.

As she hastily made her way through the long-winded hallway, the realisation of her husband being away at war suddenly hit her. The delight evident on her face swiftly turned into an expression of extreme woe. Heartbroken by the fact that he was missing this major milestone, her eyes were a waterfall, dripped with salty tears down her

In this reading, the narrator talks about the reaction of Mrs. Millard who had heart problems, when she notices of her husband´s death. Louise Mallard is at home with her sister Josephine, when they hear of a rain accident; then Josephine tells Louise that her husband has been killed it in the accident.

“Knowing Ms. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break it to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death.” Her sister and husband’s friend Richard had to be careful when telling Ms. Mallard about her husband’s because it may give her problems with her heart. Ms. Mallard had to lock herself in her room and look out the window to calm down after hearing the news. She even knew that death is inevitable.

"The same husband you just agreed to plot against and murder him, Mrs. Arnold?" Her whole body tenses, it´s easy to see, the colour leaves her cheeks. With the failed attemp to get rid of Hewlett once and for all, he thought it might be worth the idea to tell the Spy Hunter General of this incapable coward and that he knows about the mole, even if it would mean that he himself wouldn´t have the pleasure to kill him on his own. He found the door not proberly closed, heard the quarrel inside and stepped in.

I made it to the new path just in time to see the visitor breaching the top of the hill. Relief fell over me and I jogged swiftly towards the farmer. “Hello, sir! Boy, I am glad to see you. I have lost my way among these paths, and I am in search for my wife! It’s quite funny, actually, I was cycling over a great hill and suddenly my legs had become stronger! Oh, but of course it was just my wife, who had seemingly jumped off of the cycle. Aha! I’m searching for her now, have you seen her? She likes to talk a lot, if you must know.” He stared at me with a look of amusement, and then spoke with a chuckle, “I haven’t seen your wife, sir, but I do know there is a town just down this path. Perhaps she is there. I wish you luck on your journey, good fellow.” He slipped past me and continued down the path whistling to himself. I chuckled at how peculiar the man seemed, then mounted my bicycle and gracefully continued down the path into

She starts to walk on the path of getting to work. Barely awake and aware of her surroundings. As she continues to head to work she starts immediately regretting her life and choices. She hears the sounds of the street and the workers working. She sees the people that were at her wedding. They were exhausted and lacked tons of enthusiasm. They were all drained and out of spirit. She even noticed little Stanislovas who was ill from his act of overeating sausages and sarsaparilla. He is standing at his lard machine, rocking unsteadily, and slightly closing his

When he had gone as far as the meeting-house, he looked back and saw that she was still looking after him – with a melancholy air. He chided himself, “What a wretch am I to leave her on such an errand!” Yet he, in his prioritizing, gave her a back seat to his wishes and continued on his way. When into the dense forest, he met the “grave” man who berated him lightly for his tardiness; Goodman defended himself by blaming it on his wife, “Faith kept me back awhile.” There was no pause to reflect on the uprightness of his actions; he quite naturally and unhesitatingly blamed Faith for something for which she was most

While Mrs. Mallard remembers Mr. Mallard as a kind and tender man who loved her, she also viewed him as the oppression that marriage put upon women and men. While Mr. Mallard was kind and loving to his wife, he was also controlling and overbearing. Josephine, Mrs. Mallard’s sister and Richards, Mr. Mallard’s friend is there to break the news of Mr. Mallard’s death. Richards has learned of Mr. Mallard’s death at the newspaper office, not wanting to believe the information that was received, Richards waited for the new to be delivered for a second time before enlisting the help of Josephine. They are both there to support Mrs. Mallard and their support shows that they care for Mr. and Mrs. Mallard.