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

Feminism and Kate Chopins The Storm - 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 piffling stories in the second half of the nineteenth century, when the still patriarchal society revolved around the firmly rooted tenet that the ultimate goal of a fulfilled womans life was to be the ideal wife and mother and to adhere to the glorified virtues of submission and sacrifice. The feminist movement was very untold in its nascent stages and centered round the demand for equal rights for women in the legal, political and educational spheres. Even before these issues could be resolved, Chopins stories delved into the complex locomote of a womans life, including love, marriage, sex, womens alcoholism, motherhood and autonomy. She was a pioneer in her knowledge time, in her portrayal of womens desires for independence and control of their own sexuality (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 storm of protest and condemnation, the story was published only after her death. In this portrayal of a womans extramarital affair, beautifully orchestrated to equal 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 strike as an equal partner and to fearlessly adhere to the same 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 domestic chores like sewing and the laundry. She