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A Respectable Woman by Kate Chopin
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GLOSSARY FOR YOU
"A Respectable Woman" is a short fictional story that has been written by American writer Kate Chopin. She had written this story in the early 1890s. The story was initially written on January 20, 1894, and published in Vogue on February 15, 1894. It was one of nineteen Kate Chopin stories that Vogue published.
This story is about the main character, Mrs. Baroda, and her inner conflict. This story has presented Mrs. Baroda's inner conflict as she finds herself attracted to her husband's friend.
The story follows the elements of a traditional plot: exposition, rising action, climax, and resolution.
'A Respectable Woman' is a story about a woman whose husband invites his old college friend to stay with them on their sugar plantation for a week or two. Despite being certain that she will dislike the man, she finds that she is strangely attracted to him and grows confused about her feelings.
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MAIN THEMES OF THE STORY
A Respectable Woman by Kate Chopin
'A Respectable Woman’ has presented various themes regarding women, such as:
▪︎ Identity of a married woman
▪︎ Woman's self-dignity of being a wife
▪︎ Identity and desire versus control
SETTING OF THE STORY
A Respectable Woman by Kate Chopin
The story takes place on Mr. Gaston Baroda’s sugar plantation in Louisiana during the 1880s or early 1890s.
MAIN CHARACTERS
A Respectable Woman by Kate Chopin
The main characters in this story are Mr. Gaston Baroda, Mrs. Baroda, and a visitor named Gouvernail.
Mrs. Baroda:
Mrs. Baroda is the main character in the story "A Respectable Woman." She lives with her husband, Mr. Baroda, on her sugar plantation in Louisiana. She is quite a frank as well as chatty woman. She is happily married to Mr. Baroda. But she seems somewhat disturbed by the arrival of Gouvernail, to whom she is physically attracted.
Gouvernail:
Gouvernail is another main character in the story "A Respectable Woman." He is a journalist by profession and a college friend of Mr. Gaston Baroda. He is a peace-loving person. He visits the Barodas' sugar plantation and becomes the main subject of interest to Mrs. Baroda. His presence as well as his behaviour have made Mrs. Baroda feel a mental disturbance.
Mr. Gaston Baroda:
Mr. Gaston Baroda is the third main character of the story. He is the husband of Mrs. Baroda. He is quite a frank man with different hobbies. He cares for his wife very much. For him, Gouvernail is a great friend from his college days. He seems unable to understand his wife's apparent antipathy.
DETAILED SUMMARY
A Respectable Woman by Kate Chopin
The story starts with Mrs. Baroda's unhappy mood. Mrs. Baroda became unhappy when she learned from her husband that his friend Gouvernail was planning to visit them on their sugar plantation. Gouvernail was about to spend his week or two at their sugar plantation. Mrs. Baroda didn't like her husband's information because she had planned to take a rest and converse with her husband, Gaston Baroda, after their busy winter. For Mrs. Baroda, Gouvernail was quite an unknown person. She had never met Gouvernail in her life before due to various reasons. But she knew that he and her husband had been friends in college. She had heard various things about him through her husband. She had been told that he was now a journalist.
She pictured him unconsciously in her mind. She expected him to be tall, slim, and cynical, with eyeglasses and his hands in his pockets. She did not like Gouvernail's guessing about him.
When Gouvernail arrived and presented himself in front of the couple, Mrs. Baroda kept on looking at him. He was different from Mrs. Baroda's expectations. She didn't find him, as she had expected him to be in his personality earlier. He was slim, but neither tall nor cynical. At first sight, she found herself attracted to him. She started liking him.
Mrs. Baroda herself was quite confused about why she liked a person like Gouvernail. She found Gouvernail quite different from what her husband Gaston had described him to her. She noticed the lack of all the positive traits within him. He wasn't a frank and chatty man like her husband.
He didn't seem brilliant. But he seemed quiet and courteous in response to their welcome and hospitality. Mrs. Baroda was a quite frank and chatty woman. But he behaved quite simply towards them, which wasn't liked by Mrs. Baroda. He made no particular attempt to impress her through his acts. He seemed quite different to Mrs. Baroda, who didn't have frankness like other guests.
He enjoyed sitting on the portico and listening to Gaston's experience as a sugar planter. He felt quite satisfied to experience the environment of the sugar plantation. The big dogs even made him feel good. In response to Gaston's opinions, he didn't seem interested in fishing or hunting.
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Mrs. Baroda became quite puzzled to find his personality. But she found him lovable and inoffensive. She left him alone with her husband at first. But there was no change in Gouvernail in response to her action. But soon, she began to accompany him on walks to overcome his reserved nature. She became tired of Gouvernail and asked her husband about his departure. For her, Gouvernail wasn't like other guests. If he were more like others, she had to plan somewhat for his comfort and enjoyment.
Her husband told her that Gouvernail wasn't giving her trouble. He explained that he would stay for another week and asked why she didn't wish for him to stay. She responded that she would prefer him to be more demanding, which amused Gaston.
Mr. Gaston told Mrs. Baroda that Gouvernail didn't expect a commotion over his presence and that he simply wished for a break from his busy life. She reminded her husband about his description of Gouvernail as a clever man of ideas. She had expected him to be more interesting. She informed her husband that she might go to the city in the morning and stay with her aunt, Octavie. She asked him to let her know about Gouvernail's departure.
Later that night, while she was sitting on a bench, feeling confused and wanting to leave the plantation for a while, Gouvernail saw her and sat next to her. He didn't even think about her reaction.
Gouvernail handed her a scarf on Gaston's behalf and murmured about the night. His silence disappeared, and he became talkative for the first time. He spoke in a low voice to her of the old days and his desire for a peaceful existence. She didn't listen to his words so much. His voice's tones attracted her a lot. She wanted to reach out her hand in the darkness and touch him with the sensitive tips of her fingers on his face or lips. She wanted to be closer to him and whisper against his cheek. But she controlled herself because her self-dignity as "a respectable woman" prevented her from doing so. Eventually, she left, and Gouvernail remained alone behind.
She wanted to reveal her great mistake to her husband. But later on, she decided to handle the situation herself by being sensible. The very next morning, she left for the city and didn't return until Gouvernail's departure. Her husband Gaston wished his friend Gouvernail to visit his plantation again the next summer, but Mrs. Baroda refused her husband. But she later changed her idea, delighting her husband. Her husband told her that Gouvernail didn't deserve her dislike. She kissed her husband and told him that she had overcome everything and that she would now treat him more nicely.
In most of Kate Chopin's writings, she often creates brilliant, sometimes ambiguous, closings.
Here, at the end of the story, there is no certainty; we don't know if she will choose her feelings or overcome them. In that way, Kate Chopin makes us question whether being respectable means living according to social norms or living our lives without regret.
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