Kate Chopin Research Paper

Kate Chopin is a well-known, celebrated and studied author of the nineteenth century. She was born into the opulent O’Flaherty family in 1850. Tragedy struck her family early and often. Her father, Thomas O’Flaherty, was the founder of the Pacific Railroad however; he died on the inaugural ride when Kate was still a young child. For the next few years, her mother, Eliza Farris O’Flaherty, and her great-grandmother influenced her life. Her mother was a part of the prominent socialites of the area and her great-grandmother assisted Kate with studying French and the piano while telling her anecdotes about European colonists from times of old. Throughout Kate’s school years, she enjoyed reading a wide range of written works from fairy tales to

However, the affluence and wealth of Kate’s family afforded her these coveted rights. Unlike other women of the time, Kate lived her life in a state of freedom that most women only wished they had. These freedoms and privileges, along with her great-grandmothers tales and her love for reading laid the foundation for her storytelling and writing. Her freedom from the conformity of the male-dominated society lends a hand to her feminist writings. While Kate is well known for her fiction and feminist writings her first work “If It Might Be”, an ode to her husband and the longing to join him in death, was published in 1889. In this era, it was uncommon and rare for a woman to be published. Chopin became known not only for her novels but also for her short stories with audacious themes such as freedom, sensuality and symbolism. As with any writer, Chopin experienced rejection. While her writings were published in magazines like Vogue and America she also had some of her writings rejected by publishers. The reason for rejection “moral grounds, citing their promotion of female-assertion and sexual liberation” (moral) appeared to show the men thought her stories to brazen and lends witness to the male-dominated society of the times. It appeared Chopin was a writer that was born before her

She was a revolutionary writer of the time with themes of sexuality, spirituality and freedom. At the time, these topics were considered too taboo to be spoken about let alone written down. It seemed she was too revolutionary for the era of her time but when the feminist movement started in the 60’s and 70’s Chopin’s works were not only rediscovered but also celebrated. The “Story of an Hour” is one of Chopin’s celebrated feminist short stories and has been included in many compilation of short stories such as “Short Stories for Students” (Short Stories) and “Portable Literature” (Chopin). In addition, it has also been produced in to short films some which include different versions of the story, such as “Five Stories of an Hour” (5 stories). The five different versions in this film lend to the knowledge of the diverse understanding of this