Can someone explain "of joy that kills"In the “Story of an Hour” the death of Mrs. Mallard is described as “of joy that kills”. Is this...

The "joy that kills" is, in essence, the return of her husband. When she though that her husband was dead, she experienced a sense of freedom and relief - a joy if you will - in the fact that she would no longer be under his control. As a feminist writer, this type of freedom is crucial to Chopin's characters. She writes of women who seek independence in a world that is still dominated by men and to varying degrees misogynistic.

When the husband returned and she realizes that her freedom was elusive and has, in fact, ended as soon as it began, she is unable to accept this. In that sense, it si the loss of joy that kills her. However, from a societally acceptable standpoint, she is expected to feel joy that her husband is alive, so in that sense the "joy" that she is supposed to feel (Which is actually the antithesis of the true joy that she feels when she thinks he is gone) is what kills her.