Feminism and Kate Chopin's The Storm Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Feminism and Kate Chopins The impel - Essay ExampleLouis, Missouri, all of whom were women of determination and intellect. This probably pointed her towards the path of feminism. Chopin lived and wrote her impressive repertoire of short stories in the second half of the nineteenth century, when the still patriarchal society revolved around the firmly grow tenet that the ultimate goal of a fulfilled womans life was to be the perfection wife and vex and to adhere to the glorified virtues of submission and sacrifice. The feminist movement was very much in its nascent stages and centered round the demand for equal rights for women in the legal, political and educational spheres. Even out front these issues could be resolved, Chopins stories delved into the complex threads of a womans life, including love, marriage, sex, womens alcoholism, motherhood and autonomy. She was a pioneer in her receive time, in her portrayal of womens desires for independence and control of their own gra mmatical gender (Emily Toth, cited in Kate Chopin, n.d.). The concept of freedom for women, let alone their freedom to explore their own sexuality, was far beyond the comprehension of that age. Chopin wrote The Storm, in 1898 but, perhaps anticipating a encounter of protest and condemnation, the story was published only afterward her death. In this portrayal of a womans extramarital affair, beautifully orchestrated to match the cadences of the storm raging outside, Chopin boldly asserts a womans freedom to explore and delight in her own sexuality, to participate in the sexual act as an equal partner and to fearlessly adhere to the akin standards of sexual morality as a man.The Storm begins its depiction of its protagonist, Calixta, as a woman who conforms to the mother and wife stereotype of that period. Her life, confined within the four walls of her house, is apparently quite satisfactorily filled with national chores like sewing and the laundry. She