Although Mrs. Mallard feels confined by following her husband's wishes, she overdoes it by being "free." This hyperbole can help the reader understand how free Mrs. Mallard felt and the joy she must feel at no longer having a husband. This great feeling of freedom is then exploited when her husband comes home and is revealed to actually be alive. This perception of reality becomes overwhelming and ultimately leads to his actual death, described ironically as "a joy that kills" (3). These two characters are linked in the sense that their perception of reality harms their mental state and their health. As a result, leaving them both in a tragic ending. In The Story of an Hour and The Yellow Wallpaper, the main character's reality is worked on and influenced by his perception of reality. Both authors effectively use rhetorical devices to help the reader better understand how an individual surrounds themselves, states their business, and is mentally influenced to alter their reality through their perception of reality. These points are crucial because they allow an individual to understand how our perception can drive a person to the breaking point of insanity, or even