The Rise and Fall of Kate Chopin

The Rise and Fall of Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin once stated that the only true subject for great fiction is “human existence in the subtle, complex, true meaning, stripped of the veil with which ethical and conventional standards have draped it” (Foy 1991). Likewise, Chopin has written almost one hundred short stories, three novels, and one play: all about the people she knew and places she had experienced in her lifetime. Chopin’s work was categorized as local color, which is fiction focusing on the region and its characteristics. Because Chopin wrote openly about what she observed around her, her literary career was ruined by the critical response of her readers to her last novel, The Awakening.

Kate Chopin was born Katherine O’Flaherty in St. Louis, MO in 1850 to a wealthy Irish-French family. When Chopin was five years old, she was sent to a catholic boarding school only to be sent home two months later when her father was killed in a tragic train accident. For two years she was raised in a household dominated by smart, independent, single women who not only taught her piano and French but also how to be independent as well. Consequently, Chopin became very close with her great grandmother who regaled her with stories of other independent women in their history which made a great impression on her. In fact, Howard notes that her great grandmother, Mme. Victoire Verdon, “told tales of her own grandmother who had run a ferry service on the Mississippi and entertained the young girl with lively stories of women who dared and seldom remarried. (1)” Furthermore, Chopin’s great-great grandmother ran her own business, was separated from her husband, and had children out of wedlock. The influences of these strong women provided Chopin with an understanding of women’s independence and strength she brought forth in her writing. Due to the manner in which she was raised that led to her independence, Chopin did not follow some of the social rules for women of her time.

When Chopin turned 18 she entered St. Louis’s high society, gaining popularity for her beauty and charm. As time went on, she began to question the Catholic authority of women’s subservience to men. Because of this, the frivolous practices of high society began to trouble her. In fact, Contemporary Authors Encyclopedia notes the following:

In the spring of 1989 she traveled to New Orleans and befriended a charismatic, independent - though married - German singer and actress. Chopin was impressed with the woman, who seemed to maintain her individuality despite marriage.

This shows, therefore, that Chopin is beginning to form her own character from the women around her and is becoming more independent in nature. In addition, it proves Chopin is increasingly becoming a woman ahead of her time. As a result, Chopin’s writings increasingly become focused on the private needs of women during a time when their public needs were slowly being addressed (Howard 3).

When Chopin’s husband’s sudden death facilitate a move back to St Louis with her mother, she began to write poems, short stories, and her first novel describing to her readers exactly what she experienced in Louisiana. For example, Contemporary Authors notes that Chopin’s first novel, At Fault, is “about morally complex – and preprosterous – romantic considerations” and addresses “women’s emancipation and marital discord (103).” This