Kate Chopin and Feminism: the Significance of Water
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Kate Chopin and Feminism: the Significance of Water 1* Brittany Groves B.A. Candidate, Department of English, California State University Stanislaus, 1 University Circle, Turlock, CA 95382 Received 16 April 2019; accepted May 2019 Abstract Late nineteenth century writer Kate Chopin in her time was commonly recognized as a regionalist or realist author, focusing on the lifestyle and setting of the Louisiana region. An author’s intentions are extremely important.The way a writer crafts a story is telling of how that person views the world they are in. Because of this, although she did not directly advocate for it, she should be considered a feminist writer as well. Chopin’s writing tells the story of women claiming their own independence in the only ways they can in patriarchal society. Within that, she uses water in many of her stories as a representation of independence and baptism into a new way of life. Most of the female characters who have an experience with water, also act in a way that goes against the societal norm for each situation. Even though Chopin made her career through the use of regionalism and realism (Chopin and Levine et al. 441), it does not take away from the fact that she was representing women in her stories as fighting for their independence in their own ways. While regionalism and realism are very important parts to understanding Chopin as a writer, the fact that she, in her own way, advocates for women to have their own agency is also a huge part of her writing. Water is used as a tool to represent the independence of the characters, and can be used to show how Chopin can be considered a feminist writer. Keywords: Kate Chopin, feminism, water, symbolism Introduction be considered a feminist writer as well as a regionalist and Kate Chopin was a late nineteenth century realist. Placing the sole focus on the two forms takes American author who wrote three novels and over a away from the fact that Chopin was representing women hundred short stories in her lifetime. Her writing is in her stories as fighting for their independence in their commonly considered to be regionalistic in nature, which own ways. While regionalism and realism are very focused on the culture, characters, setting and dialect of important parts to understanding Chopin as a writer, the the Louisiana region; she was also considered to be a fact that she advocates for women to have their own realist writer as well, for her depiction of what everyday agency is also a huge part of her writing. An author’s life was like in each particular setting. In her writings, intentions are extremely important. The way a writer regionalism focuses more on setting while realism looks crafts a story is telling of how that person views the world more at how the situations in the story are realistic. While they are in. For Kate Chopin, her writing tells the story of Chopin’s writing does fulfil aspects of both regionalism women claiming their own independence in the only ways and realism, her writing also possess’ a lot of feminist they can in patriarchal society. aspects. Her writing contains situations and instances that Symbolism and imagery are very important to examine women’s independence in a way that was delve into the deeper meanings of a story, and Kate unusual and unaccepted by men in that time period. Lois Chopin utilizes water to do so. Water symbolism is Tyson in chapter six of her book Using Critical Theory littered throughout her stories as a representation of both explains feminist theory as “examin[ing] the ways in the characters feelings, as well as a rebirth aspect into the which our personal identity is formed by our culture’s female characters and their transitions into their definition of what it means to be a man or a woman” independence. Stories that have a female character having (139). This can be done through looking at the way direct agency in their lives apart from the norms of patriarchy can been seen in society, what gender roles are society also have water symbolism. Motherhood and expected to be fulfilled, sexism, etc. Chopin’s stories maternal instincts also play a large part in Chopin’s mostly contain aspects of feminist theory in them in one writing, and for the stories used in this research, where form or another. Because of this, Kate Chopin should also there was not symbolism with water, there was symbolism with motherhood. Looking at the way Chopin 1* Email: [email protected] represents water further explains her role as a feminist writer. The Awakening The Awakening tells the story of wife and mother Background Information Edna Pontellier as she struggles with understanding who Kate Chopin was born in St. Louis Missouri in she is and what she wants to do with her life. The story is 1850, and lived until 1904. With her father having passed set in both Grand Isle, an island off the coast of New away in a railroad accident when she was about five, Orleans, and the city itself. The novel starts with Edna’s Chopin was raised primarily by her mother and husband reading the newspaper, and when his wife and grandmother. She also went to school at St. Louis companion Robert come back from the ocean, he notices Academy of the Sacred Heart, where she received most of that his wife has been sunburnt. He tells her so and is her education by the nuns there who helped to shape her “looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of education. Because of the way she was raised, and who personal property which has suffered some damage” she was raised by, Chopin had a lot of influence from (Chopin and Culley 4). Right away we see a disconnect independent woman in her life. In her biography between Mr. and Mrs. Pontellier, and the fact that he Unveiling Kate Chopin, Emily Toth mentions that, “She views her as property shows the patriarchal stance of her was a bit too smart, or too forthright, for high society. husband. During their stay there over the summer, the Although she was ‘one of the acknowledged belles,’ couple constantly are at odds with one another, and Edna known for beauty and ‘amiability of character,’ she was is happier when he is away doing other things. During one also noted for ‘cleverness’ – which, for women, is not such fight, where Mr. Pontellier accuses Edna of being a always praise. Often it means that a young woman is bad mother, she sits outside and it is noted that “There unwilling to hide her intelligence. She has a voice and she was no sound abroad except the hooting of an old owl in wants it to be known that she has brains” (45). Chopin the top of a water-oak, and the everlasting voice of the had a habit of not conforming to what society asked of sea” (7). The ocean is constantly referenced and Edna her. She did not want to pretend to be someone she was thinks of it longingly as if it was calling to her. The not in order to appease the patriarchal standards of her moment that Edna begins her awakening, or realization time. that there is more to life than just being an obedient wife Once Chopin was older, she married and moved and mother occurs while she is at the ocean: to New Orleans, Louisiana where most of her writing is The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, set. Kate Chopin was her own person, she did not whispering, clamoring, conform to what society expected of her, and she was murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a lucky enough to have a husband who loved that about her. spell in abysses of solitude; to lose itself in In her biography, Toth mentions that, “Oscar was a rare mazes of inward contemplation. man who preferred an original woman, one who was The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The neither quiet nor stay-at-home” (67). He did not mind that touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body Chopin was her own person, and did things in its soft, close embrace (14). independently, like go for walks alone or even smoking The ocean to Edna is an escape from her life with her cigarettes. Oscar Chopin’s extended family, however family. She loves her children, but they are a drain, and “regarded her with great suspicion and disapproval” (67). her husband’s constant judgement of her capability to be a They would often tell him that he needed to put her in her good wife and mother causes her to seek independence place, but he would just wave them off and laugh about from that even more. Edna reflects on the summer before, their comments with his wife. Chopin’s own personality when her kids had gone to their grandmothers house. can be seen in her writing, as many of her characters act “Their absence was a sort of relief, though she did not in this way. admit this, even to herself. It seemed to free her of a Kelly A. Ryan in her article “Women and responsibility, which she had blindly assumed, and for Patriarchy in Early America, 1600–1800” discusses the which Fate had not fitted her” (19). She does not feel she roles that women held in the time period from 1600-1800. has what it takes to be a perfect mother, as she is called to Ryan notes that “Laws and religious practices demanded do by society.