Document Type

Thesis - University Access Only

Award Date

1991

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department / School

English

First Advisor

Mary R. Ryder

Abstract

Kate Chopin wrote most of her stories during the last decade of the nineteenth century with her first collection Bayou Folk (1894) including landmark writings about subjects and themes that were previously taboo. Chopin initiated concern with spousal abuse and the ensuing depression and possible suicide. A close study of Chopin's fiction reveals that her portrayal of sexuality evolves from a forced acceptance of traditional values in the early stories to a celebration of self reliance and freedom of choice in her late stories and The Awakening. Her first collection of stories, Bayou Folk, illustrates women who, though distressed and mistreated by fiance or husband, ultimately decide to return to a socially acceptable relationships within marriage. They fail to assert complete independence out of fear of social rejection and/or inability to survive emotionally outside marriage. Bayou Folk explores themes of familial acceptance, conformity, and male dominance. The twenty-one stories of her next volume, A Night in Acadie, introduce the confusion and self doubt of women within marriage. Protagonists of these stories consider alternatives to conventional marriage roles, seeking retreat to sanctuaries as diverse as childhood, parental home, or even death. In A Vocation and A Voice. Chopin expanded these themes of possessive love and escape, offering alternatives to the often passionless conventions of the day. The stories suggest possibilities of freedom and self-determination for women, which often lie outside socially accepted norms, ranging from homosexual relationships to alliances of vast age differences. In her last stories, Chopin allows a new freedom of choice--not retreat to family or rescue by a romantic figure--but rejection and refusal of that which would stifle personal happiness. These final and rebellious pieces lay the basis for The Awakening, a novel in which Chopin's investigation of female sexuality and individuation reaches its climax. The role Chopin's stories played in reaching this climax has been seriously underrated, and this thesis illustrates the need for a close reading of Chopin's short fiction as a reflection of her evolving feminist themes.

Library of Congress Subject Headings

Chopin, Kate, 1851-1904 -- Criticism and interpretation
Chopin, Kate, 1851-1904 -- Characters -- Women
Women in literature
Individuation (Psychology)

Publisher

South Dakota State University

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Rights Statement

In Copyright