The Awakening

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The Awakening

• Kate Chopin

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Kate Chopin1850 - 1904

• Born Catherine OFlaherty in St. Louis, Missouri
  to a wealthy family
• Lived in St. Louis during the Civil War
• Married cotton trader Oscar Chopin in 1870 and
  had five sons and one daughter between 1871 to
  1879
• Oscar died of malaria in 1182

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The family moved to Cloutierville, LA in 1879
where Oscar purchased a general store.
Although she never remarried, Kate enjoyed a
romance with Albert Sampite from 1883 to 1884.
When the relationship failed, Kate moved back to
St. Louis.
A family friend, Dr. Frederick Kolbenheyer,
encouraged her to continue writing.
Kate was influenced by Guy De Maupassant, and
other French and American writers. She also
involved herself in St. Louis literary and
cultural circles.
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Kate Chopin1850 - 1904

• Kate and Oscar Chopin traveled throughout the
  U.S. and Europe on their honeymoon
• She developed a progressive world-view and a
  social conscience
• She used her literature to bring womens issues,
  racial disparity, and social inequalities to light

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Prevalent Themes of Chopins Short Stories and
Novels

• Inequities of traditional marriage
• Motherhood
• Class division
• Arbitrary race distinctions in Southern culture
• Womens search for identity
• Womens revolt against social norms and conformity

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Historical Reference
Kate Chopin wrote primarily about things she was
familiar with life in the South and
French-American culture.
In The Awakening, Kate incorporated both of
those elements, and also the idea that a woman
could be a separate entity from her husband. Her
idea that a womans needs were important was
somewhat radical. Women were not considered to be
independent, and womens rights were still being
fought for.
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What was life like for men and women in 1890 in
the U.S.?

• The 1890s was part of the second Industrial
  RevolutionThe Gilded Age of substantial growth
  in the U.S. population.
• The extremely wealthy lived lavishly and
  industries grew.
• There were huge disparities between the rich and
  poor.

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There were opulent homes ...
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A Few Things to Consider . . .

• African American men received the right to vote
  with the passage of the 15th Amendment in 1870.
• The Womans Suffrage Movement was sidetracked by
  the Civil War.
• Women received the right to vote with the passage
  of the 19th Amendment in 1920.

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More Things to Consider . . .

• Property rights laws for married women had not
  been passed in all states in the United States as
  of 1890.
• Ownership of womens property was transferred to
  their husbands upon marriage.
• Divorce carried social stigma and property
  reverted to the husband.

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Assignment

• Read
• Historical Background
• Role of Women
• Gibson Girl
• Southern background