Feminism Movement

Kate Chopin greatly contributed to the feminist movement. She was one of the first females to honestly write about females feelings towards their roles, husbands, children and sexual desires. I believe she had the courage to freely express herself due to her experiences in life. After her father’s death she was raised by her mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, who were all widows. They themselves had managed to support their family without the need of a man. The mother of her great grandmother was actually the first women to get legal separation in St. Louis. Coming from a family of tough women, it was not much of a surprise for her to express herself freely about women’s rights. In her pieces of work she talked about several topics that caused controversy such as a woman committing adultery, having independence from her husband, and having control of their sexual desires. One example is The Storm, a storm being significant with what was happening. Calixta is caught alone with her lover because of a storm, they had previously been together but not to the extreme. As the storm progressed so did the affair and this time they ended up having sex. At the end of the story it said when the storm was over everybody was happy. The fact that the story described a woman who committed adultery and yet was able to live happy with her husband is what bothered the people. At the time that Chopin wrote her stories women did not have many rights, they were held to a high standard. Women were supposed to worship their husband, take care of the children and the house, so this is why her work caused such controversy. The Awakening was another story published before The Storm and it was even banned in her own home town. Although Kate Chopin was not alive while the actual women’s movement occurred, she still contributed. Her work did not receive any admiration until decades after her death around the 1950's.

Works cited
Jhirad, Anna Reid. Kate Chopin: A Re-Awakening.PBS.1998
http://www.pbs.org/katechopin/interviews.html



 Toth, Emily. Kate Chopin FAQs: Frequently Asked Questions about Kate Chopin and her Works. KateChopin.org. Kate Chopin International Society. 1 May 2012
http://www.katechopin.org/faq.shtml#progressivereform

 David Caradine.Kate Chopin: A Woman Ahead of Her Time 18 Feb. 2002 
http://www.angelfire.com/nv/English243/Chopin.html