Chopin's Unconventional Women
Kate Chopin was a literary visionary. Her insights and sensitivity to the confinement as well as emancipation of women were a precursor to rights for women in the twentieth century. Throughout her works she masterfully explores the plight of the Southern woman at a time when women were not allowed to be vocal about their position in society. Her work has endured for over one hundred years and yet its poignancy and beauty is as relevant to modern readers as it was to her contemporaries. Although Kate Chopin is most widely known for the novella, The Awakening, three of her short stories ("Desiree's Baby," "Regret," and "The Story of an Hour") also reveal awakenings of women through attention to setting, views about marriage and lack of love. These elements, along with her ability to effectively reveal the souls of her characters, have made her work timeless, a mark of true literary classics. Each short story manifests individual ideas about the lives of women in the antebellum south. In "Desiree's Baby" Desiree, a young, innocent orphan, marries Armand, a stern man with a "dark, handsome face" (Seyersted 242). Conflict arises when their newborn child exhibits the same yellow skin color as that of the slaves. Armand accuses D
Portraying an inverse of Aurelie's incident, "The Story of an Hour" depicts the shackles of marriage as opposed to the wings of independence. Louise Mallard characterizes the ideal and devoted wife of the time. However, when she learns that her husband has died in a train accident, Mrs. Mallard faces "a confrontation with her essential self" (Inge 103). She locks herself in the confinements of her room and curiously peers out her window at the vivacious and fascinating world below. Whispering "Free! Body and soul free!" Louise begins to conceive the release that her husband's death has given her (Seyersted 354). She abandons her grief and prepares herself to live a life of her own just as her husband appears at the front door exclaiming his lone survival. Struck with stupefaction, Louise's "fleeting moments of ecstatic freedom" escape from her clutches as life escapes from her body (Bender 77). On a more diminutive scale, the importance of setting in "The Story of an Hour" appears in the form of the Mallard home. Looming over the active and free people beyond its walls, the house acts as a prison to Louise Mallard. Her only sense of rescue comes from the window in her enclosed bedroom as "she (drinks) in a very elixir of life through that open window" (Seyersted 354). Achieving peace about her husband's demise, Louise fancies a life of self-satisfaction that she had never been able to act out in her subservient role to Mr. Mallard. The springtime setting also contributes to her newfound freedom as she "awakes to a new consciousness of self, just as nature has moved into spring, the period of nature's cycle awakening" (Inge 103). Still, just as nature's blooms must wither away, Mrs. Mallard's freedom must dissipate into nothingness. One of the significant developments of the twentieth century is the evolution of American society from male domination to equality for both sexes. Women have cast off nineteenth century stereotypes to assume positions of authority and respect in the workplace, in politics, and in the family. Kate Chopin's works advance this metamorphosis. "Desiree's Baby," "Regret," and "The Story of the Hour" (three of Chopin's best short stories) vividly exemplify this "awakening" or change in women through her artistic use of setting, views about marriage and lack of love. With the millennium approaching and the nation looking to the turn of the century, it is beneficial to reflect on the pieces of literature that define who we are as well as where we have been. Chopin's stories have been an integral catalyst in helping twentieth century women understand themselves and provide a harbinger of awakening for womanhood in the new millennium. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Even though the institution of marriage in the nineteenth century south was demanding, to not be married had its costs as well. In "Regret" Mamzelle Aurelie ignores her femininity while adhering to the stereotypical life of a man. She "had never thought of marrying" and is perfectly content in her life of solitude (Seyersted 375). Selfishly, Aurelie chooses not to share herself with a husband, and having experienced a taste of motherhood, she samples the "maternal instinct (that) provides the theme for some of (Chopin's) finest stories" (Reilly 68). Beyond the social aspects, the physical setting also contributes to the overall impact of the story. Chopin masterfully utilizes color imagery to "unobtrusively contribute both unity and dens
Some common words found in the essay are:
Selfishly Aurelie, Exemplified Desiree, Louise Mallard, Mamzelle Aurelie, Story Louise, Mamzelle Aurelie's, Desiree's Baby, Free Body, Armand Desiree, Baby Armand, desiree's baby, mamzelle aurelie, nineteenth century, desiree's baby regret, desire love, institution marriage, seyersted 375, twentieth century, seyersted 353, inge 103, regret story, baby social setting, baby regret story, setting views marriage, views marriage lack,
Approximate Word count = 2371
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)
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