alive and not joy that killed her. The story begins with a mention of Mrs. Mallard's heart condition, so her death is introduced as a possibility. "Knowing that Mrs. Mallard was afflicted with a heart trouble, great care was taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband's death" (paragraph 1). In "An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge" there is also the imminent possibility of the protagonist's death because the story opens with a description of the impending hanging. "A rope closely encircled his neck. It was attached to a stout cross-timber above his head" (paragraph 1). Both writers manage to warn of death, yet the story lines that follow the warnings are able to steer thoughts away from death and falsely imply the characters might live happily ever after. It is this maneuver around the truth that results in great surprise at the end of each story when both main characters die. Neither short story would have been as effective without the narrator revealing the thoughts of the protagonist. By emphasizing individual perspectives, the author's shift the focus from the external action to the internal experiences of each protagonist. The power and depth of the ideas are successfully delivered because the reader is permitted insight into the characters' thoughts. The analytical tone created by Bierce is a detailed and thorough examination of the character's thoughts before her death while Chopin's sympathetic tone is responsible for allowing the reader to feel affectionate for Mrs. Mallard's plight prior to her death. Both stories arrive at these similar conclusions with opposing tones through the successful use of third person point of view....
