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Kate Chopin's Influences

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Kate Chopin, born Catherine O’Flaherty was born on February 8, 1850 in St. Louis, Missouri to parents Eliza and Thomas. She was the third of five children, but the only one to live past the age of twenty-five. Growing up, Chopin was raised bilingual as well as bicultural due to her mother’s strong French background. The French language and culture would have a strong influence on Chopin’s literary works later in life. At the age of five, Chopin began attending the Catholic boarding school The Sacred Heart Academy. While attending, Chopin was mentored by the nuns and rose to be the top of her class and received many awards. Along with the nuns, other female figures in her life had a strong impact on young Chopin such as her mother, grandmother, …show more content…

At the young age of five, her father died in a railroad accident on All Saints Day and at thirteen her cherished great-grandmother passed away the day before Christmas. The timing of these deaths led Chopin to be highly skeptical of religion. Another tragic influence during her childhood was the vast effects of the Civil War. Her home of St. Louis was divided between supporters of the Confederacy and those of the Union. The O’Flaherty’s were slave owners and thus supported the Confederacy. This led to temporary loss of Chopin’s good friend Kitty Garesche, whose family moved North due to their support of the Union. They would reacquaint themselves when Garesche returned to St. Louis to be a nun at the Sacred Heart Academy. Another loss due to the Civil War was that of her half brother, George, who fought in the Confederate Army and died of typhoid fever after being captured by the …show more content…

After her husband's death in 1882, Chopin moved back to St. Louis to live with her mother and children. In an attempt to support her family, Chopin began writing short stories and novels to be published. With six young children around, Chopin’s writing was often hurried with little to no revisions and followed a common theme of women’s individuality. During her time in St. Louis, Chopin wrote over one hundred short stories, poems, and essays as well as two published novels, At Fault and The

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