Kate Chopin

Discussion of the underline theme of Kate Chopin
In the Victorian age women were men’s property. They weren’t allowed to do anything without their husband’s approval. Their obligations were: house chores, taking care of their children and pleasing their husbands whenever they asked. Kate Chopin was one of the first women who fought for women rights. She did it all through her stories as:Ripe Figs, The Story of an Hour, The Storm and Desiree’s Baby.
In the Victorian age women weren’t allowed to do anything. They assumed that their husbands would allow them to do what they approved on. Though do you really think that men from those times were going to let their wives do something at all? In that era, a women couldn’t even pick up a flower because it wasn’t “lady like”, as seenin the movie, The Story of an Hour. They were allowed to talk to friends but only the ones their husbands approved on. Now days there are still men who think that they could order and rule their wives. Through her stories, Kate informed women that they had the same rights as men and it wasn’t wrong to have fun. We could see this message in the story Ripe Figs.
The story Ripe Figs is about agirl that wants to go to the city. “When the figs are ripe you might go visit your cousin down on Bayou-Boeuf” Maman Nainaine said to Babette when she desperately wanted to leave to the city to have fun. Kate Chopin is not trying to talk about a fruit, but about the maturity of Babette. She is still a young girl without her period. Babette’s period is a symbol of freedom in the story becauseonly when she has her period she could go to the city. Even after, Babette gets her period it does not mean she is mature enough, because she is still young, but in that era when girls got their periods society considered them women. Maman Nainaine is Babette’s godmother. Why does Babette have her godmother instead of her parents? Because a godparent is the symbol of moral values and our spiritualguides that help us make decisions. Therefor Maman Nainaine does not to let Babette go to the city, because she knows Babette is not mature enough. Maman Nainaine realizes that she is still young, but she is physically ready to g to the city and find a wealthy man. Babette finds freedom, but that freedom will only last a short time. Babette can enjoy her freedom and have fun until she getsmarried because otherwise she will not be seen with respect by society, as we will see in the next story.
In The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin tries to explain that women should have the same freedom and independence as men. Mrs. Mallard is happy because now that her husband is dead she is finally free to do as she likes. We could see her freedom when she is in her room and starts imaginatinghow it would be without her husband. She would be “free, free, free!” Mrs. Mallard realizes that with that freedom she would no longer be Mr. Mallard’s property. She realizes that as a widow she could do anything she wanted without society looking at her as a disrespectful wife. Mrs. Millard loved him in her own way but she preferred the fact of her freedom and being her own self. By seeingthat Mr. Mallard had not died all the freedom she felt in her imagination, did no longer exist. Mrs. Millard was so baffled that she will no longer be free and could never fulfill her true desires that she died of disappointment.
The story The Storm, Chopin expresses that if something isn’t for you, there is no need to change your opinion just because society says it. Calixta did not expect thestorm nether did she expect the visit of Alcee Laballiere. As all women in that era was doing her house chores, since she wasn’t part of the high class no longer. Calixta receives Alcee’s visit during the storm and takes advantage of the situation and haves an affair. Kate Chopin expresses the freedom of a woman by fulfilling her desires. She could not express her feelings because society did...