The Story of An Hour

Mrs. Mallard and Edna from The Awakening have a lot in common. Both feel controlled by their husbands and feel unhappy about this. They desire independence. Edna decides to act in her own interest, such as moving out to the pigeon house and acting rebellious. Her decision to go against Creole societal standards results in criticism and people thinking she's mentally sick. Despite other's reactions to what she has done, Edna feels free. Mrs. Mallard is in a similar predicament in which she is unhappy about having to take care of his every need. When she hears that her husband tragically died in a railroad accident, and even though she knows her husband loves her, she is relieved and feels like she can finally act how she wants. She's looking forward to the rest of her life and the day before she dreaded it. Shortly after, she sees Mr. Mallard alive and walking in. It turns out he wasn't near the accident. Her heart problem, described at the beginning of the story, leads to her abrupt death. She "died of heart disease -- of the joy that kills". 

In both The Awakening and The Story of An Hour, both character's downfall are related to their feelings of being suppressed by their husbands. Edna's and Mrs. Mallard's realizations that they're trapped result in their deaths.