ipl-logo

Kate Chopin Controversy

1383 Words6 Pages

Kate Chopin was born Katherine O’Flaherty on February 8, 1851. She was born to Eliza and Thomas O’Flaherty. Unfortunately, her father passed away when she was just five years old. “As a result, Kate Chopin lived her preteen years in a female-centered household. She lived with her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother” (Tolentino 6). Most authors immerse themselves in their books. Whether a planned or subconscious action, they use their own experiences to influence their works. Kate Chopin’s household experiences, as well as, the progression of feminism, society in Louisiana, and Creole standards directly influenced her novel, The Awakening. Kate Chopin lived a bitter-sweet young-adulthood. In addition to the death of her father in a railroad accident, she experienced the losses of her half-brother George O’Flaherty, her grandfather, and her great-grandfather, all within a couple of years. “Their deaths ‘prevented her as she matured from experiencing in her own family the traditional submissiveness of women to men’” (Tolentino 8). She was instructed to be compliant to men; however, she was also taught to …show more content…

She was constantly looking for ways of self-expression. Society’s expectations of her and the other women were similar to those of the New Orleans Creole society. Madame Ratignolle, on the other hand, was the epitome of a “mother-woman.” She fit the mold of a perfect housewife and fulfilled the expectations of society. She performed the household chores and took care of the children. She also seemed very dependent on her husband, Monsieur Ratignolle. When fighting a cold, Madame Ratignolle asked where her husband had gone. She was mentally dependent on him always being there to take care of her. Madame Ratignolle wanted the comfort of him next to her bed, like a child wants a parent present when they close their eyes to go to

Show More
Related

  • The Return Of Martin Guerre By Zemon Davis

    709 Words  | 3 Pages

    She shows not only women’s roles in family and economy, but also the view on marriage. After Martin left, Bertrande wasn’t aloud to even consider divorce or remarrying, despite their unfruitful marriage and his absence. Rather than having to enter a relationship with the real Martin, Bertrande was able to make an independent choice about whether to enter into a relationship with Arnaud du Tilh. The new relationship allowed her to break free of the specific constrictions that had been imposed upon her by asset of her gender and class. Studying the circumstances from this point makes her choice to harbor a fraudulent husband seem not so absurd, because of the patriarchal society that deprived women of the ability to make choices concerning their relationships.

    Read More

  • Oppression In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    1315 Words  | 6 Pages

    In the late 1800s, nearly all women were viewed as subservient, inferior, second class females that lived their lives in a patriarchal and chauvinist society. Women often had no voice, identity, or independence during that time period. Moreover, women dealt with the horrors of social norms and the gender opposition of societal norms. The primary focus and obligation for a woman to obtain during the 1800s was to serve her husband and to obey to anything he said. Since women were not getting the equality, freedom, or independence that they desired, Kate Chopin, an independent-minded female American novelist of the late 1800s expressed the horrors, oppressions, sadness, and oppositions that women of that time period went through.

    Read More

  • Tale Of Two Cities Dialectical Journal Essay

    1598 Words  | 7 Pages

    “‘As a wife and mother,’ cried Lucie, most earnestly, ‘I implore you to have pity on me and not to exercise any power that you possess, against my innocent husband, but do use it in his behalf. O sister-woman, think of me as a wife and a mother!’ Madame Defarge looked, coldly as ever, at the suppliant, and said, turning to her friend The Vengeance: ‘The wives and mothers we have been used to see, since we were as little as this child, and much less, have not been greatly considered? We have known their husbands and fathers laid in prison and kept from them, often enough? All of our lives, we have seen our sister-women suffer, in themselves and in their children, poverty, nakedness, hunger, thirst, sickness, misery, oppression, and neglect of all kinds?”

    Read More

  • Examples Of Societal Standards In The Awakening

    1624 Words  | 7 Pages

    While at the Grand Isle, Edna meets several contrasting characters who help develop her defiant thoughts eventually leading to her awakening. One of her closest friends, Madame Ratignolle, is described as the ideal mother and wife; she is attentive to her husband and cares for her children above all else. Ironically, Edna feels the opposite way; she would “give up the unessential; [she] would give [her] money, [she] would give [her] life for [her] children; but [she] wouldn’t give [her]self” (40). When she revealed this opinion to Madame Ratignolle “a rather heated argument [followed]; the two women did not appear to understand each other or to be talking the same language” (52). Edna’s attitude toward her children compared to Madame Ratignolle’s is the first of many rebellious

    Read More

  • The Theme Of Loss Of Innocence In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    1217 Words  | 5 Pages

    Catherine O'Flaherty was born in St. Louis, Missouri, on February 8, 1850. Kate grew up speaking both French and English. Kate attended the St. Louis Academy of the Sacred Heart, with one year at the Academy of the Visitation. Kate Chopin was an American feminist writer, she wrote two novels, and wrote more than a hundred short stories and sketches. Her great grandmother inspired her to get into French culture and feminism.

    Read More

  • Léonce Pontellier In The Awakening

    731 Words  | 3 Pages

    Since he sees Edna as a valuable object, he expects her to be the perfect wife model in return- take care of the house, be very caring for their children, and keep up with the creole social standards that he sees necessary. “It would have been a difficult matter for Mr. Pontellier to define to his own satisfaction or anyone else's wherein his wife failed in her duty toward their children.” (9). Being the perfect husband in the Creole culture it makes it very easy to focus on his wife's character and her process of self

    Read More

  • Examples Of Diction In The Awakening

    401 Words  | 2 Pages

    This creates an image in our mind and makes the impression that Madame Ratignolle is obviously rich and spends most of her time relaxing and vacationing (as explained in the story about the family's’ vacation to Grand Isle, a resort for the wealthy). This description could’ve been revealed in one sentence, but instead, Chopin used several precise adjectives

    Read More

  • Edna's Roles In The Awakening

    1386 Words  | 6 Pages

    In Kate Chopin’ s novel, The Awakening, there are three identities inside of the female leading role, Edna Pontellier, being a wife, mother and own self. Edna was born in 19th century at the Vitoria period, a patriarchy society, women have low freedom to achieve personal goal. She married with Léonce Pontellier, a wealthy man with Creole descent. After having a child, her life is still unchangeable and as bored as before. Until she encountered Robert Leburn, Mademoiselle Reisz, and Alcée Arobin, her value of self-cognition has changed.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis Of Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

    913 Words  | 4 Pages

    Chopin also describes Mrs. Mallard as “young, with a fair, calm face, whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength”. At the beginning Mrs. Mallard is thought of as being controlled, and weak. In the 19th Century, when this story was written, husbands controlled their wives. Perhaps Mrs. Mallard wasn’t like most women of her time. After she hears of her husband’s death she morns for what feels like only a moment.

    Read More

  • Motherhood In The Awakening

    919 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the seventh chapter, she is described as “not a woman given to confidences, a characteristic hitherto contrary to her nature” (Chopin 13). Though, it was the trip to the Grand Isle which had awakened many of her desires and caused her to question her role as a woman and go become her own person. Her transition into a new self begins when she first demonstrates resistance towards her husband. Her newfound intransigence towards Mr. Pontellier exhibits her realization that she is not inferior to and has no need to rely on him. In chapter thirty two, she moves out of her and her husband’s home and into the “pigeon house,” which shows that she has gained self-confidence and believes that she would “never again [...] belong to another than herself” (Chopin 80).

    Read More

  • Literary Techniques Used In Kate Chopin's 'The Storm'

    955 Words  | 4 Pages

    KATE CHOPIN’S “THE STORM” RESEARCH PAPER I believe that most talented authors and artist use their life experiences to contribute to their work or projects. In the case of Kate Chopin I found it interesting that she used her past experience of an affair with Albert to ignite the story “The Storm.” Kate Chopin linked the use of names and setting with the stories she wrote based on her actual life experiences.

    Read More

  • Literary Criticism In Kate Chopin's The Story Of An Hour

    1124 Words  | 5 Pages

    In the story, Chopin begins with the issue of female identity. The story, just like several other stories, begins with Mrs. Mallard being at home; two assumptions can be made, one she is married, and two, she is probably waiting for her husband to return home. What is particular about it, is how Chopin only mentions her name after she knows about her husband’s death and when is realizes that she is free. By doing this, the author criticizes the fact that women adopted her husband’s name in marriage as a signal of men’s property. This fact could mean that for a woman to recover her identity or freedom is by becoming a

    Read More

  • Character Analysis: The Awakening By Kate Chopin

    784 Words  | 4 Pages

    Edna and Adele are both upper- class women, they are married Creole men and they have children, they both live in the Creole neighborhood. Edna and Adele both enjoy creative activity “ she had possession of the rocker and she was busily engaged in sewing, she had brought the pattern of the drawers for Mrs. Pontellier to cut out” (17). Edna was drawing while Adele was sewing, However, Adele is a more typical wife of the nineteenth century, she accepts the motherly role as she makes clothes for her children and seems to enjoy her life as a mother. Edna, on the other hand, does not share the same affections, she said to Adele “ I would give my money, I would not give up my life for my children”(79).

    Read More

  • Critical Analysis Of Kate Chopin's 'A Respectable Woman'

    765 Words  | 4 Pages

    In "A Respectable Woman," Kate Chopin digs in to examine the psychology of Mrs. Baroda, a rich woman with a loving husband who encounters temptation in the person of Gouvernail, a well-mannered, humble visitor to the Baroda’s plantation. Mrs. Baroda is tempted early in the story with the view of a change from a noiseless, more conventional life, Mrs. Baroda does not immediately identifies what she really wants and finally struggles with the self-inflicted restrictions of her personality as "a respectable woman." Nonetheless, just as the narrative suggests that she has found the power to overcome her emotions, Mrs. Baroda spoke to her husband and proposes a sweetly unclear statement that revives the question of her intention to act upon her emotions. She tells him, "I have overcome everything!

    Read More

  • The Female Quixote Character Analysis

    1978 Words  | 8 Pages

    She lost her mother when she was very young and is the only daughter of a Marquis who kept her in her beautiful house for most of her life. She knows nothing about the real world and her ideas about it are based on the books she read. She was raised in an uncommon way and she was given an uncommon education for a woman of the 18th century. She is very well educated and enjoys reading her father’s book, where she finds

    Read More

More about Kate Chopin Controversy

Open Document