Women Struggling with their Marriages in Kate Chopins...

Kate Chopin is an American author who wrote two novels and about a hundred short stories in the 1890s. Most of her fiction is set in Louisiana and most of her work focuses on the lives of intelligent women. Two widely known short stories that Chopin wrote are The Story of an Hour and Desiree’s Baby. Both stories are about women who have struggling relationships with their husbands. The Story of an Hour is about a woman, Mrs. Mallard, who suffers with a heart problem. Her husband’s friend, Richards, and her sister Josephine have to tell Mrs. Mallard that her husband has died in a train accident. They are both concerned that this news might danger Mrs. Mallard’s health. However, when Mrs. Mallard hears about the news, she feels excitement†¦show more content†¦After their marriage, Desiree gives birth to a son. Within a few months, Armand is avoiding spending time with Desiree and their son. One day, she watches a slave fanning her child. She suddenly sees the resemblance between the slave and her own child. When Armand comes, he says that the child is not white, and therefore she is not white. Desiree writes to her mother for an explanation, and her mother responds by telling her to come home. Desiree shows the letter to Armand and asks if he wants her to leave. He answers yes, and she goes outside. Instead of walking on the road, she walk s across fields and her and her child are never seen again. A short time after, Armand is burning Desiree’s possessions. He finds a letter his mother sent his father. In it, Armand’s mother says how pleased she is that their son will never know that his mother is of African descent. In both short stories, Chopin uses various rhetorical devices to further the detail of the stories. In The Story of an Hour, Mrs. Mallard is sobbing, as a â€Å"child who had cried itself to sleep continues to sob in its dreams.† Mrs. Mallard is crying so much that she is crying â€Å"in her dreams,† seeming as if she won’t stop crying. â€Å"She carried herself unwittingly like a goddess of Victory.† She feels victorious in a way, winning her freedom. However, she cannot appear victorious, as she must appear grieving. Mrs. Mallard is being pushedShow MoreRelatedThe Story Of An Hour By Kate Chopin1540 Words   |  7 PagesIn Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour†, the main character, Mrs. Louise Mallard, is a woman with a heart problem that gets horrifying news that her husband has passed away in a train crash. When she starts thinking about her freedom, she gets excited; she is happy to start her new, free life. However, a few hours late r her husband walks in the door and she finds out it was all a mistake. When she realizes her freedom is gone her heart stop and she then dies. In â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† Desiree is an orphanedRead MoreKate Chopin, An American Writer1425 Words   |  6 PagesKate Chopin, an American writer, known for her vivid portrayals of women’s lives during the late 1800s. Her fiction works usually set in Louisiana, which contributed too much of her description of women’s roles. During Chopin’s time, Louisiana was in the midst of reconstruction and was having racial and economic issues. (Skaggs 4) Louisiana is the setting for many of Chopin’s stories, and they depict a realistic picture of Louisiana society. Kate Chopin published two novels and many short storiesRead MoreSocietal Boundaries in Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour and Desirees Baby 1910 Words   |  8 PagesSocietal Boundaries in Kate Chopins The Story of an Hour and Desirees Baby As humans, we live our life within the boundaries of our belief systems and moral guidelines we were raised with. Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Story of an Hour† and â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† tells the story of two women who live according to those societal boundaries. American author Kate Chopin (1850–1904) wrote about a hundred short stories and two novels in the 1890s. Most of her fictionRead More 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 MoreEssay on Kate Chopin1553 Words   |  7 Pages Kate Chopin: A Controversial Feminist nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Kate Chopin was one of the greatest and earliest feminist writers in history, whose works have inspired some and drawn much criticism from others. Chopin, through her writings, had shown her struggle for freedom and individuality. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;Katherine (O’Flaherty) Chopin was born February 8, 1851 to a wealthy Irish Catholic Family in St. Louis, Missouri (â€Å"Kate Chopin† 1). Her father, Thomas O’Flaherty, was a founderRead MoreEssay on The Importance of Point of View in Kate Chopin’s Fiction3285 Words   |  14 PagesThe Importance of Point of View in Kate Chopin’s Fiction The impact of Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, on society resulted in her ruin, both literary and social. Reviewers called it vulgar, improper, unhealthy, and sickening. One critic said that he wished she had never written it, and another wrote that to truly describe the novel would entail language not fit for publication (Stipe 16). The overwhelming condemnation of the entire book rather than just Edna’s suicide seems surprisingRead MoreWomen s Search For Selfhood2169 Words   |  9 PagesWomen’s search for selfhood, for self-discovery or identity are themes that are represented in Kate Chopin’s work. Chopin was on the same regular path as other women in her era. She got married at the age of twenty and had six children. When her husband passed away Chopin wanted to support herself so she decided to start writing which was also an outlet for her feelings. During the nineteenth century women were getting sick of the rules that were forced o n them and Chopin expressed her feeling towards