The Life Of Kate Chopin's A Respectable Woman

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Catherine (Kate) O’Flaherty was born in St. Louis, Missouri on February 8, 1850. She was the second child of Thomas O’Flaherty and Eliza Faris (Biography). Chopin faced many hard times in her life. She had many deaths occur in her family from a very early age; in 1855, her father was killed in a railroad accident, and in 1863 her great grandmother died (Biography). During the time of the Civil War, her brother joined the Confederate army until he was captured by Union forces and died of typhoid fever.
Although she had numerous struggles, she also had happy times. At nineteen, Chopin met Oscar Chopin of Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana; the married shortly after in 1870. For their honeymoon, they traveled to a variety of places including Cincinnati,
A Respectable Woman was written on January 20, 1894 and was published in Vogue on February 15, 1894. This story was one of only nineteen of Chopin stories which were published in Vogue (Respectable). It can also be found in her collection of works, A Night in Acadie. A Respectable Woman became known for the opposite view for women during that time especially with her background. Chopin attended a St. Louis Catholic girl's school, Academy of the Sacred Heart. After thirteen years of attending a Catholic church, it was very surprising for others to read her stories about adultery and ways against the church and her raising. It is even more surprising to know Chopin had an affair with a local married man who is said to be the prototype for Alcée Arobin in The Awakening. A Respectable Woman is similar to the style of theme in The Awakening: women and their temptations.
A Respectable Woman takes place in the 1880’s or the early 1890’son Gaston Baroda’s sugar plantation in Louisiana. In this short story, you will meet three characters: Mrs. Baroda, Gaston Baroda, and Gouvernail. Mrs. Baroda is the main character who is married to Gaston Baroda, and Gouvernail is a college friend of Mr. Baroda. Gouvernail is also featured two other short stories of Chopin’s: Athénaïse and a short scene in The
The narrator tells the story, but focuses on Mrs. Baroda’s feelings and her thoughts. The narrator tells this story in a very calm yet captivated way. It leaves the audience wondering if she will fall into temptation or if she will be a respectable woman and wife. Chopin concluding sentence of the short story leaves the readers ambivalent. Chopin writes this story by giving the reader information to think Mrs. Baroda may possibly do one thing, yet she leaves us with a cliffhanger. She fights her tempestuous thoughts this time, but will she be able to when Gouvernail returns the next

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