There is an assumption that the institution of marriage brings with it love and devotion, and that these bonds are enough to fulfil women. However, Louise discovered that her love for freedom was greater than that which she held for her husband -
'And yet she had loved him--sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter! What could love, the unsolved mystery, count for in the face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!' (Chopin)
Louise feels compelled to hide her joy with the mask of grief. The irony of her death -brought upon by the 'shock' of her husband being found alive - is deep. Her passing is attributed to 'the joy that kills' but it is not the joy of reunion, it is the unassailable pressure of emotional constriction which stops her heart.
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