Kate Chopin

The excerpt from Kate Chopin's The Awakening shows many Naturalism characteristics. For one thing, the woman who is the main focus is uncontrollably sobbing. The story even says that she does not know why she is crying, other than that she is having a "good cry all to herself" (Chopin "Awakening" 491). She feels oppressed by society and stifled by her husband's kindness toward her. These depressing emotions have been associated with Naturalism for a long time now, whether it was originally supposed to be that way or not. Either way, those emotions bring the human nature and psychological aspect into this story. The idea of fate as a driving force is also brought up in this excerpt, which is also a characteristic of Naturalism. "She did not sit there inwardly upbraiding her husband, lamenting at Fate, which had directed her footsteps to the path which they had taken." (Chopin "Awakening" 491). This quote states that she was not mourning her fate, but it does establish the belief in fate that was a staple of Naturalism.

The other story featured in this blog is Chopin's "The Story of an Hour". This was probably my favorite one so far. It describes a woman who learns that her husband has died in an accident. Instead of feeling sad, like one might expect, she is happy that he is no longer around to control her. When thought upon, this makes sense. At the time this was written, men had almost complete control over their wives. Women were just starting to fight for their equal rights and to raise awareness. So, anyway, she is really happy because she is finally "Free! Body and soul free!" (Chopin "Story" 555). Then her husband comes home and she dies of sadness. Again, we see the depressing emotions that have become intertwined with Naturalism through the years. This story deals with the psychological aspect of Naturalism more than any of the others so far. The wife's reasons for feeling the way that she does are explained in detail. That detail is also characteristic of Naturalism and Realism in general. Chopin describes the room the woman is n, and how her face looks as she cries.

Both of these stories could have happened in real life, which is a ringing endorsement for Realism. Women cry to themselves all the time. Many have good reason to. Also, people's husband's could be mistakenly reported dead, it's happened often enough. Society at the time was very realistically portrayed in both of these stories. Government, religion, and nature are not very prominent in these stories. The American Dream is present in the form of the Women's American Dream. Both of the main women want to be free from the oppression of the men in order for there to be "no one to live for her... she would live for herself." (Chopin "Story" 555). The heroines of these stories would, in my opinion, be able to live such a life quite comfortably. It sounds like they have already been through so much, so they deserve to have their American Dream come true.


Chopin, Kate. "The Awakening." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus; McGraw-Hill, 2010. 491. Print.

Chopin, Kate. "The Story of an Hour." Glencoe Literature. Comp. Jeffrey Wilhelm. American Literature ed. Columbus; McGraw-Hill, 2010. 554-555. Print.