Essay about Kate Chopin Short Stories - 1663 Words

Kate Chopin was an American feminist fiction writer and a woman ahead of her time. She lived in the socially conservative nineteenth-century, but in her stories, she wrote about unconventional characters, particularly women, that caused others to question her morality. Similar to the female characters in her stories, Kate Chopin was an independent woman. She would often smoke cigarettes or walk in the streets unaccompanied; these practices were considered unusual for a nineteenth-century woman to do (Katherine Chopin). One critic points out that many of Chopins stories are characteristic of independent heroines and their conjugal relationships (qtd. in Hicks). The Story of an Hour and The Storm are two of Chopins feministic short†¦show more content†¦In addition, because women were uneducated, each needed a husband for economic support. Perhaps Mrs. Mallard only married because society told her that it was her duty as a woman to do so. Her true feelings of marriage and her h usband were repressed, making her feel as if she were a prisoner. However, she would not let anyone know her thoughts because it was expected that she mourn the loss of her husband. Marriages are mutual relationships, so in reality, neither partner in a marriage has absolute freedom. However, Mrs. Mallards desire to live for herself shows how incompatible she was as a wife. She even reveals that at times she did not love her husband. Of course, in marriages, arguments are commonplace. During an argument, the couple may feel hatred more than they feel love (Berkove Fatal). Yet, Mrs. Millard views love as an unsolved mystery that is secondary to self-assertion which was the strongest impulse of her being! The fact that she has no children further illustrates her unfruitful marriage and desire for freedom. It is curious that Mrs. Mallard is given the name Louise only after she realizes her freedom. At first she is referred to as Mrs. or as she. The transition shows how Louise eludes her marriage when her husband dies. Reference to her new name now gives Louise hope: She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. Yesterday, before her husbands death, she did not wish for a long life; perhaps because she was unhappyShow MoreRelated An analysis of three short stories written by Kate Chopin, 1914.2340 Words   |  10 PagesAn analysis of three short stories written by Kate Chopin, 1914. Kate Chopin, a pre 1914 author was born in 1850, in Missouri, USA. She was the third child of five for her parents Mr and Mrs O’Flaherty; however she was their only child to live past the age twenty-five. Her upbringing was very unfortunate, when she was only 5 she was sent to a boarding school but returned home on hearing the news that her father had died. She remained home and stayed there for a further two years with herRead MoreEnglish 12: Short story personal response for The Locket, by Kate Chopin800 Words   |  4 PagesEnglish 12: Short story personal response for The Locket, by Kate Chopin In the lives of many people, certain items have held great importance in those lives due to their association with elements that has an significant, if not symbolic effect on their lives, such as association with past memories, events, or people. The locket presented in The Locket by Kate Chopin is one that binds the themes of love, loss, the chaos of war together throughout the entire story. I believe that the locket is symbolicRead MoreKate Chopin s Story Of The Hour Essay982 Words   |  4 PagesKate Chopin was an American author who wrote two novels that got published and at least a hundred short stories. In Kate’s short story The Story of the Hour she uses some of her traumatic event that happened in her lifespan in the short story even though it the story is fictional. A lot of her fictions were set in Louisiana and her best-known works focused on the lives of sensitive intelligent women. One-third of Mrs. Chopin’s stories are children’s stories. A lot of Mrs. Chopin’s novels were forgottenRead More The Unconventional Kate Chopin Essays718 Words   |  3 PagesThe Unconventional Kate Chopin Kate Chopin, a female author in the Victorian Era, wrote a large number of short stories and poems. She is most famous for her controversial novel The Awakening in which the main character struggles between societys obligations and her own desires. At the time The Awakening was published, Chopin had written more than one hundred short stories, many of which had appeared in magazines such as Vogue. She was something of a literary â€Å"lioness in St.Read MoreThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin886 Words   |  4 Pages In Kate Chopin â€Å"The Story of an Hour†, the reader is presented with the theme of prohibited independence. In Kate Chopin â€Å"The Storm†, the scenery in this story builds the perfect atmosphere for an adulterous affair. The importance of these stories is to understand the era they occurred. Kate Chopin wrote stories with exceptional openness about sexual desires. In â€Å"The Storm†, a short story written by Kate Chopin in a time when women were expected to act a certain way and sexual cravings was consideredRead MoreAn Examination Of How Kate Chopin s Work1298 Words   |  6 PagesENGL 1102 – Comp/Lit Essay 2 (Mulry) Sellers, James R – 920022413 Due Date: April 20, 2015 An Examination of How Kate Chopin’s Works Taken Together Contribute to our Understanding of Her Time and the Place of Women in Society Looking at themes present in his short stories and novels, Kate Chopin presents examples of female strength and an assertive rebellion to the social norms during the late 1800s. By seeking to transparently and boldly portray the risquà © behavior of her lead characters, whichRead MoreThe Unique Style Of Kate Chopin s Writing1603 Words   |  7 PagesThe unique style of Kate Chopin’s writing has influenced and paved the way for many female authors. Although not verbally, Kate Chopin aired political and social issues affecting women and challenging the validity of such restrictions through fiction. Kate Chopin, a feminist in her time, prevailed against the notion that a woman’s purpose was to only be a housewife and nothing more. Kate Chopin fortified the importance of women empowerment, self-expression, self-assertion, and female sexuality throughRead MoreThe Storm By Kate Chopin1649 Words   |  7 Pageswriters in present day, Kate Chopin was a writer who wrote to re flect obstacles and instances occurring within her time period. Writing about personal obstacles, as well as issues occurring in the time period she lived, Chopin proved to be distinctive upon using her virtue. Kate Chopin was a determined individual, with true ambition and ability to produce writings that reflected women on a higher pedestal than they were valued in her time. â€Å"The Storm† by Kate Chopin is a short story written to provideRead MoreA Brief Note On Kate Chopin s Chopin 1642 Words   |  7 PagesMaddy Mummey Mrs. Corby AP English 12 20 April 2015 Kate Chopin Kate Chopin was a successful author of numerous short stories and novels during her life; many critics refer to her as a forerunner author of the 20th century (Kate). Throughout Chopin s life and the many experiences she endured, she grew a great sense of respect and empowerment towards women. However, she is not categorized as a feminist or a suffragist (Kate). Chopin insistently supported the revolutionary notion that women wereRead MoreKate Chopin s Literary Creativity And Women s Independence1097 Words   |  5 Pages Kate Chopin has become one of the most influential feminist writers of the century. From Chopin’s literary rejection of The Awakening, the rejection sparked a fire in Chopin’s feminist side. Chopin began writing short stories that would become society’s lead in literary creativity and women’s independence. Kate Chopin’s biography is astonishingly intriguing and the importance Chopin plays to the feminist literature genre is exceptional. Critics either rave Chopin’s work or completely destroy it