Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin grew up in a household of women. After her father passed away, Chopin was raised by her widowed mother, her grandmother, and her great grandmother. Being raised by three generations of strong women was likely an inspiration behind Chopin’s prominent views on women and their role in society. She is considered to be the first American woman that spoke and wrote openly about her feelings on the unequal treatment of women (Chopin). In the novel, An Awakening, the depressed wife describes her somber mood or feelings to be ‘a shadow’ (Chopin). She kept this shadow hidden from her husband and found crying to be the only release she had for her feelings. It’s hard to imagine Chopin writing this because she was so vocal and open with her feelings. It’s understandable that other women during this time period would have been threatened or embarrassed to stand up and say they felt the same way as Chopin. The hidden secret in An Awakening could have been used for many women to admire and relate to. The wife in the story describes the devotion between her and her husband as being ‘uniform’ (Chopin). This description shows how common and possibly plain their love was. Again, this relationship could have been common during the time of dominant men, and therefore relatable to women readers. Women were looked down upon by men, not having the right to vote or even make their own decisions. They weren't given proper jobs because it was thought that the woman should stay in the home and raise the children. Chopin disagreed with these thoughts and, she believed a woman could hold her own in a relationship. Kate Chopin’s frank personality and strong willed opinions are greatly comparable to those of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson. Along with acting upon their beliefs, each author portrayed the struggle and unequal writes of certain groups in the writings.

 Chopin, Kate. "An Awakening". Comp. Jeffrey D. Wilhelm, Ph.D. and Douglas Fisher, Ph.D. Glencoe Literature. American Literature ed. Columbus: McGraw-Hill Companies, 2009. 491. Print.