The Great American Author: Kate Chopin

The Great American Author: Kate Chopin

        Kate Chopin was a powerful and controversial writer from the 19th century. Chopin used a feministic style in her works. Much of her writing also included realistic and regionalistic styles. Themes that may be found in some of Chopin's most notable works include the nature of marriage, racial prejudice, and women's desire for social, economic, and political equality. Her themes at this time were considered radical, and challenged social boundaries which was very risky to do.

       Kate Chopin was born on February 8, 1851 in St. Louis, Missouri. She was born into a wealthy Christian family, and her father was a wealthy businessman. At the age of five, Chopin's father died in a railroad accident. As a result, she was raised at home by three generations of strong-willed, and self-sufficient female relatives. This has undoubtedly influenced Chopin's attitude about women. On June 9, 1870 she married Oscar Chopin. Oscar had a cotton-brokering business, therefore the couple moved to New Orleans. During this time, Chopin's responsibilities consisted of raising her children. 10 years later however, due to the failure of her husband's company, the family of now 8 relocated to central Louisiana. These were difficult times for the Chopin's but this location provided the setting for many of Chopin's short stories. On December 10, 1882, Chopin's husband died from a fever unexpectedly. This left Chopin with little financial security, and six children to raise. Chopin carried on the plantation business alone for a few years. Once she regained her financial standing, she returned to her mother's home. Her mother died suddenly in 1885. As you can imagine, Chopin was in deep sorrow. Her family doctor advised her to begin writing fiction because he was concerned about her emotional health. Chopin followed his advice and began her writing career.

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Within her first decade of writing, she had written three novels, twenty poems, several essays, and almost one hundred short stories (632).

       Kate Chopin was renowned for her feministic writing style. Chopin's fiction challenged traditional roles for women, and addressed controversial themes such as interracial relationships and human sexuality. In much of Chopin's writing, realistic and regionalistic ideas also appear. The characters mentioned in her fictional stories are representational of people Chopin knew in real life. The setting in a majority of her works is located in a specific region, Louisiana, where she spent much of her life. It wasn't uncommon to recognize many uses of irony in her short stories, whether it be verbal, dramatic, or situational.

       In Kate Chopin's "The Story of an Hour," various styles can be found. This

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