American Realism: Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin was an American realist author. In class, we read a couple of her stories: Lilacs, and A Pair of Silk Stockings. Both of these stories seem to embrace both writing genres of realism and romanticism. Realism, when applied to writing, produces a high quality of writing. The realists use the harshness of their day-to-day life in order to create literary work that is personal, and that which exposed the horribleness of the world. Romantics, however, strive to create a fantasy-like world for their readers to get lost in, to escape the barbarities of the world. A Pair of Silk Stockings is about a young woman who may have come from a wealthier past, but now is living in the working class. Once day, she comes into an unexpected (and unspecified) amount of money. The money is enough to let her indulge in the things she clearly misses from her wealthier days, but which now may seem trivial. A pair of shoes, new silk stockings, a meal at a fine restaurant…these things are taken for granted by some, and are considered the most luxurious of activities. Kate Chopin creates this world for her story’s main character, one that allows her to completely get lost in the wonder that money can bring. I thought this story was interesting, because it shows the clear differences in class during the period in history that the story takes place.

Lilacs was a really good story too. I liked the plot, and the fact that French words were interjected into the text at certain points. It really took me away from my seat in English class and into the world of Adrienne and her precious Paris, and her home in the convent. I was confused, though, as to why Adrienne was banned from the convent. In class, Mr. Fiorini tried to explain his reasoning of it: The nuns realized Adrienne would not make the decision she needed to make: pious life in the convent, or a “wild” life in Paris, as an actress. To resolve the issue, she was banned from the convent, the place she grew up. Clearly, Adrienne was upset by this, stunned, even. She seems just as confused as to why she was banned as the reader may potentially feel. However, it is also clear that she feels respectful of Mother Superior for making this decision, but unless a copy of the letter given to Adrienne ever becomes available (highly unlikely), we will never know exactly why she was barred from ever returning.