Kate Chopin (1850-1904) is a regionalist writer that has several short stories that reflect the themes, subject, and format of the realism period. She is best known for her unconventional stories that focus on the roles of women. She was highly criticized because of her topics: infidelity, sexuality, and divorce. Mary Ann Wilson, Ph.D., Louisiana State University, said in her essay on gender roles that “Kate Chopin posed questions in her novel that challenged current norms and anticipated an unborn future for women” (Wilson). The realism period (1865-1890) was the period of the turn of the century known as the “representation of reality” as it emphasized the real life everyday common activities. A regionalist writer’s focus is on a character’s
…show more content…
Chopin, influenced by her own surroundings—her husband was tolerant to her actions: she smoked and drank while occasionally going out unattended in the evenings—to inform her readers about situations women encountered during this time. She used her surroundings to inspire other women to oppose their husbands if they felt they were forced to marry. Thomas Petitjean, author of one of Chopin’s biography’s, said that “women’s experience is at the heart of all of Chopin’s work” (Petitjean) in regards to how Chopin was a master realist.
Chopin’s short story “Desiree’s Baby,” published in 1892, is one her few stories set pre-Civil War. It is about Desiree who is abandoned and adopted when she was very young. She marries a slave owner, Armand, and they a child. Her child is of mixed race. Armand blames Desiree for having African in her blood. He makes her and their baby leave to avoid ruining his family name. Desiree and the baby die. It is then made known at the end that it is her husband that has African in his blood which caused the baby to be …show more content…
The theme is hypocrisy. Joseph Rosenblum says in his work analysis that “they behave badly, each blaming the other [while] neither knows the truth” (Rosenblum). Armand, Desiree’s husband, was concerned more about his pride instead of his love for his wife and child; he was a hypocrite as he blamed his wife for their mixed child when he was the one of African descent. The subject of the short story is miscegenation; the interbreeding of people considered to be of different racial types. This is different than other stories by Chopin, however, she was a realist. This was something, although frowned upon, that did happen during this period. The format that Chopin used was irony. Armand assumed Desiree was of African descent; she was adopted and did not know her ancestry. Armand, a well-known slave owner, had to protect his family name and sent his wife and child away to avoid being thought of as a joke and ruining his family name. Rosenblum also made it clear about the gender roles during this time in his work analysis when he said “but because Armand is more powerful, Desiree is disgraced and banished” (Rosenblum). It came down to Armand’s mother being of African
Chopin, influenced by her own surroundings—her husband was tolerant to her actions: she smoked and drank while occasionally going out unattended in the evenings—to inform her readers about situations women encountered during this time. She used her surroundings to inspire other women to oppose their husbands if they felt they were forced to marry. Thomas Petitjean, author of one of Chopin’s biography’s, said that “women’s experience is at the heart of all of Chopin’s work” (Petitjean) in regards to how Chopin was a master realist.
Chopin’s short story “Desiree’s Baby,” published in 1892, is one her few stories set pre-Civil War. It is about Desiree who is abandoned and adopted when she was very young. She marries a slave owner, Armand, and they a child. Her child is of mixed race. Armand blames Desiree for having African in her blood. He makes her and their baby leave to avoid ruining his family name. Desiree and the baby die. It is then made known at the end that it is her husband that has African in his blood which caused the baby to be …show more content…
The theme is hypocrisy. Joseph Rosenblum says in his work analysis that “they behave badly, each blaming the other [while] neither knows the truth” (Rosenblum). Armand, Desiree’s husband, was concerned more about his pride instead of his love for his wife and child; he was a hypocrite as he blamed his wife for their mixed child when he was the one of African descent. The subject of the short story is miscegenation; the interbreeding of people considered to be of different racial types. This is different than other stories by Chopin, however, she was a realist. This was something, although frowned upon, that did happen during this period. The format that Chopin used was irony. Armand assumed Desiree was of African descent; she was adopted and did not know her ancestry. Armand, a well-known slave owner, had to protect his family name and sent his wife and child away to avoid being thought of as a joke and ruining his family name. Rosenblum also made it clear about the gender roles during this time in his work analysis when he said “but because Armand is more powerful, Desiree is disgraced and banished” (Rosenblum). It came down to Armand’s mother being of African