Kate Chopin : a writer of her century? (LELE)

Kate Chopin was born in 1850. Her Dad died when she was very little and she was mainly raised by her mum, her grand-mother and her great grand mother who were all widows. Her own husband died after about 10 years of marriage, and she found herself with 6 children to raise on her own. To support her family and distract herself from her grief, she started to write short stories, that were well received. They were seen as « delightful sketches » of life in the Southern States. But her stories are actually more than that: they address large issues and make of Kate Chopin much more than the « local colourist » she was sometimes referred as.

In « Désirée’s Baby » for instance, not only does she precisely depict the society of her time, but she also addresses some of the major issues that were tackled in literature at this time: women’s right, racism, culture vs nature, slavery …

Kate Chopin did draw inspiration from her own life : her husband and her owned a plantation near the Cane River, and one can imagine Armand’s parents’ or Madame Valmonde’s house a little bit like hers.

Kate and her husband both had French ancestors and they lived in a region where the Creole culture was important. It is fun to see all these French words in “Désirée’s Baby” (« corbeille », « Monsieur », « Madame »); some names of places and characters sound French too: Armand, D’Aubigny, Valmonde, L’Abri ... and just the fact that Désirée’s Baby is actually spelt with an accent.

She was also inspired by writers of her time. Some scholars compare her work with Flaubert’s, or sometimes with Maupassant. She admired Maupassant’s capacity to look at life with his own eyes ; she saw him as someone who had escaped from tradition and authority.

By making Armand the one with black blood, Kate does not only create a closure worthy of Maupassant (master of shocking closures), but also addresses the ridiculousness of a society that is obsessed with segregation: an arbitrary segregation that can alter the love and even the lives of families. Armand does not only appear as cruel, but also as ridiculous, like in a Molière’s play. He has been fooled by his own parents, who apparently did not think him strong enough to live happily knowing he had some black blood in him, and he ends up killing the two beings that are the most important to him out of pure prejudice and fear of what other people might say.

Women are strong in this short story, as were the women of Chopin’s life. She was raised by widows and mostly raised her children by herself: she could see with her own eyes that women are strong and can take decisions. Such is the case of Armand’s mother, who is the one who decided to hide the truth from him. Madame Valmonde is also the one who saved Désirée the first time, and who unconditionally accepted her return as well. The women make the decisions and are in charge. And even, some women that have some black blood, like Armand’s mother. In this, Kate Chopin challenges the stereotypes of her time, or at least the way slaves, or women were often portrayed in literature at this time: as inferior to white men and depending on them, like mere accessories, or helpers.

...