The Importance of Male Characters to Kate Chopin Essay -- Kate Chopin

The Importance of Male Characters to Kate ChopinWhy and how does she use them?Kate Chopin is an seed who examines the position of wo men in 19thcentury Louisiana. She describes their plight, living in a societydesigned by men, one that confines womens behavior. It was exacting for Kate Chopin to highlight her priapic characters, as theyultimately ar responsible for her heroines actions. The wake upand Desirees Baby are two examples that deal with the issuesresulting from a male dominant society, though the stories vary intheir approach. Men and marriage are however the common factors thatsymbolize the obstacles that Kate Chopins women face.In The Awakening Edna, the briny character enjoys being married atfirst but after she finds it to be very limiting and oppressive. Afree spirit by nature, she rebels against her husband and the lifethat he stands for. She hates the implications that women in hersociety belong to men, and that their distinguish is at home doingdomestic chores a nd raising children. This impression is reinforcedwhen Kate Chopin lets the lecturer view the situation through Ednaseyes, saying that women are regarded as one looks at a valuable pieceof property (p.11) Furthermore, men decide womens role in lifedeclaring that if it is not a (womans) place to look after children,who on earth was it? (p.15) This role is so precisely defined,ensuring that women will stay within the walls of the house with theirfamilies.Marriage was the answer by which men gained total control over women.The author indicates that a marriage at that period of time was not ceaselessly conservatively planned but was rather a spontaneous and passionateact. For example, Ednas ma... ... was arrogant and overconfident of himselfand his heritage, and was sure that the fault was Desirees never mocking his own ancestry. By jumping to conclusions he never gaveher a get hold to explain herself to him. At the end, Desiree who hadbeen overwhelmed and desperate drowned herself and her baby.Kate Chopin developed her young-bearing(prenominal) characters as reception to maleattitudes. She used men, marriage and the rules by which women wereconfined to demonstrate her point. She expound men as the ones whoplaced obstacles in womens way, created social rules and lay outrestrictions that confined their lives. These boundaries were at timesphysical but almost always emotional, and eliciting defiant behaviorand reactions from the women involved. Placed by men, theselimitations helped in shaping the female character of Kate Chopinsheroines in her stories.