She was the third of five children, but all of her siblings died before the age of 25. When she was five years old, her father died in a train accident. He was a prominent member of the community and was riding in the first train across a newly built bridge, when it collapsed. She was raised by her mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, all of whom were widows. After a few years as a society belle, she married Oscar Chopin in 1870, the son of a wealthy cotton farmer in Louisiana. They had much in common including the ability to speak French and a casual disregard of their Catholic upbringings. They had their honeymoon in Europe where Kate emancipated herself through such "unwomanly" activities like smoking and drinking beer in public. For several years they lived in New Orleans and vacationed on the Grand Isle like the characters in The Awakening. By 1879, she had given birth to 6 children. In that year, after years of failure in business, Oscar moved the family to his old home in a small town in Northwest, Louisiana. He died in 1882, leaving Kate behind to run the store and plantation as well as raise the children. In 1884, she moved back to St. Louis and her mother, who soon after passed away.
It was then that she began to write professionally. Her first story, "Wiser than God" was published in 1889. In the years following, she found a good deal of success publishing in national periodicals. She soon published two collections of short stories, Bayou Folk (1894) and A Night in Acadie (1897). Her first novel was entitled At Fault (1890). The publication of The Awakening (1899) met with a good deal of controversy and negative reviews because of its anti-traditional depictions of female sexuality. After the reaction to her novel, Chopin wrote only a few more stories. Soon after, her health began to fail and she died on August 22, 1904 after having suffering a brain hemorrhage two days earlier.
Kate Chopin Kate Chopin, nee Catherine O"Flaherty, was born "[ ]according to her baptismal certificate, on February 8th1850 [ ]" (Toth 3), in St Louis Missouri. ... In 1870, Kate met and married Oscar Chopin, a Creole New Orleans native. ... Kolbenheyer was Kate Chopin's pivotal axis. ... Kate Chopin died on August 22, 1904. The 1960's marked a rebirth or "awakening" for Kate Chopin. ...
Kate Chopin faced tremendous amount hurdles that for many would be impossible to jump. ... Many of Kate Chopin's works deal with women in the 19th century whom , much like Chopin did not hold the rudimentary attitudes that was to be beholden to women. . ... (Hicks) With the absence of her father , Kate Chopin and her mother were forced to tackle the stationary roles of men. ... Kate Chopin , did this masterfully through her literary works two being The Awakening and "The Story of An Hour" Even though Kate Chopin faced many attacks she kept on writing on what she thought very strongly a...
"Too strong a drink for moral babies, and should be labeled 'poison'." was the how the Republic described Kate Chopin's most famous novel The Awakening (Seyersted 174). ... Kate O'Flaherty Chopin was raised in St. ... No longer Eliza O'Flaherty's daughter or Oscar Chopin's wife, Kate Chopin was forced to find a new role for herself. ... (Chopin 113). ... Louis shunned Chopin for writing it. ...
In "The Story of an Hour" and "The Storm", Kate Chopin creates an atmosphere so intense that it can almost be considered a character in itself. ... This is where Chopin goes to work creating an atmosphere. ... Without Chopin's creation of atmosphere and mood, the rest of the story would not make much sense. ... Chopin's use of personification brings the storm to life. ... In both, "The Story of an Hour" and "The Storm", Kate Chopin has gone to great lengths to make each part of her story essential. ...
Essay Assignment #3 Kate Chopin's "The Storm" By John Youssef Professor Johnson Humanities 420 Tuesday, December 8, 2003 Kate Chopin's "The Storm" Readings of Chopin's work's often note the tension between female characters and the society that surrounds them. Margaret Bauer suggests that Chopin is concerned with exploring the "dynamic interrelation between women and men, women and patriarchy, even women and women" (146). Often, critics focus on the importance of conflict in these works and the way in whi...
Feminist authors, such as Kate Chopin, tried to personify their characters as strong able individuals to "endorse feminine self-assertion-(Fluck 154) and make a statement for women while criticizing institutions that hindered women's rights. ... In "The Story of an Hour- Chopin places Mrs. ... Chopin shows this by comparing Mrs. ... Mallard's death, Chopin shows that Mrs. ... Kate Chopin showed through her words that women can be "Free! ...
In Kate Chopin's short story "The Storm" it is used as an omen, as well as perhaps despair, but it adds a different element to this story as well; it seems to be a force, perhaps destiny, perhaps a life in itself. ... Kate Chopin describes the forthcoming storm as "sinister"(139). ... Kate Chopin now describes it as "crashing torrents [of rain], and the roar of the elements" (141). ... Kate Chopin's most revealing line is perhaps the last, " So the storm passed and everyone was happy." (142). ...
Kate Chopin adorns her short story, "The Story of an Hour," through irony. By establishing an ironic undertone, Chopin consecrates an exemplary work that becomes dependant on the literary device and, as a result of its being implicated, is renown worldwide. ... Chopin's short story enabled the reader to interpret Louis Mallard, the main character, and society's view of her scenario as she ventured on an emotional rollercoaster. ... Karen Bernardo imparted how the theme of Chopin's short story "deals with an ironic twist." ... As one can see, irony has been interwoven into t...
Kate Chopin wrote two short stories that provide examples of the way women act when they are freed of their homemaking responsibilities. For example, in the "Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin, Louise first cries when she hears of her husband's death. ... In this story, Chopin's main character is a woman today's society would call a homemaker. ... Chopin exposes these truths in her stories. ... Chopin shows that a woman will go to great lengths just to have the option to make her own decision. ...
