Kate Chopin Controversy

On February 8, 1850, in St. Louis, Missouri, Catherine O’Flaherty became the second child born of Thomas O’Flaherty and Eliza Faris. Later in life, Catherine, also called “Kate,” developed into a well-known, American writer, who focused on topics that people considered ahead of her time. Her daily life and traumatic events influenced her literary works to a great extent, overall proving that greatness comes out of unfortunate circumstances. Catherine O’Flaherty Chopin died at fifty-three years of age due to what might have been a cerebral hemorrhage on August 22, 1904. While her works were published in the 1890’s, most of them were not recognized until after her passing. Chopin is considered by most to be a modern writer because she focused upon topics that were not common in her time. Today, critics from all over continue to discuss the topics of Chopin’s writing, including the most touched-upon subject: feminism.

This recurrence is due to her upbringing; five months after Kate began attending The Sacred Heart Academy, a Catholic boarding school located in St. Louis, Missouri, her father was killed in a train accident. The train crossed a bridge, and it collapsed. Her father’s death lead her to be raised by three women: her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. The three-widowed women raised Kate, and her fictional stories illustrate the affectionate care she received whilst growing up. Victoria Verdon Charleville, Kate’s great-grandmother, directed Kate’s education and taught her the importance of living life “clearly and fearlessly.” When Chopin was a teenager, she had a great interest in music and was known for her cleverness; she also questioned the Roman Catholic Church because of the subversion of women. This modernism in her writing still provokes critics, adults, and students today in accordance to her sense of breaking traditional