Question

Which excerpt from "The Story of an Hour" best indicates that Mrs. Mallard may not be grieving about her husband’s sudden death?

She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance.

When the storm of grief had spent itself she went away to her room alone. She would have no one follow her.

Into this she sank, pressed down by a physical exhaustion that haunted her body and seemed to reach into her soul.

She sat with her head thrown back upon the cushion of the chair, quite motionless, except when a sob came up into her throat and shook her.

Answer 1

Your answer should be the first one, She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance.

Answer 2

She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance.

Step-by-step explanation:

Kate Chopin's short story "The Story of An Hour" tells the story of how Mrs. Mallard received her husband's death quite unlike how a normal human would, especially a wife. The sentence

"She did not hear the story as many women have heard the same, with a paralyzed inability to accept its significance"

shows that though she hears the news of the shocking death, she received it a different reaction unlike many women. Most women/ wives will take the news with "paralyzed inability to accept it's significance', she instead took it calmly and didn't even seem to be affected by it at all. This led to the other characters believing that she is too shocked to have any initial reaction.