Paper Example on Kate Chopin's Feminism in Her Writing

Introduction

It is factual that a sizeable portion of feminist literary criticism in the recent times was centered on the decoding and the discovery of the female retellings that were specific to the experiences of human beings and providing explanations on how the revolutionist mythmaking process worked with women from the past and made attempts of rewriting their stories. Kate Chopin forms the center stage of such women. She features different writings which seek to explain issues related to women and how they can acquire space in the male-dominated environment. The idea conforms to the process of the revisionist mythmaking which exist as an objective revisionist usage of gender imagery when exploring and bringing transformation to the self and the culture intended to subverting and changing the life and interpretation of literature inherited by the women poets (Beer, n.p).

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Most of the ideas of female writers and poets like Kate Chopin are also intended to changing the old stories which focused on the experiences of women with the aim of changing the norm that defined the collective male fantasy and redefining the role of the woman in any society. The people who form the center stage of discussion are Shurbutt, Sylvia Bailey, and Kate Chopin whose works seek to explore and examine female sexuality in contrast to the same view of her time. The primary focus is on, "The Can River Characters and the Revisionist Mythmaking. Another useful work is on, "The Storm," by Kate Chopin. "The Can River Characters and the Revisionist mythmaking," deals with the analysis of Kate Chopin's works based on her argument about sexuality, marriage, and duty of her era (Beer, n.p).

Shurbutt, Sylvia Bailey view Kate Chopin as a perfect example of a revolutionist mythmaker based on the majority of her regional stories. That is the reason why Sylvia finds herself citing Alicia Ostriker who claims that most writers bring myth into context whenever there is an added character who was previously accepted. The revisionist also involves an altered narration intended to covering some facts but majoring on the concerns which would give women a better stand and a new place in the society. Kate Chopin touches on the sexuality of her time which is dated at the 1880s and the 1890s. Shurbutt analyzes different stories authored by Kate Chopin with the main focus being on Storm.

Firstly, the story can be argued to denote different meanings. The topical word itself may be argued to offer a detailed argument that offer a great definition of the subject of the story as a whole. Settling at Storm by Kate Chopin allows us the opportunity of exploring an interesting and a tentative view of human sexuality. Storm depicts a woman who is successful in other roles other than marriage and those that evince a passionate nature. The latter may also be deemed inappropriate by the patriarchal and conventional standards of Victorian America. According to Shurbutt, Kate Chopin exist as one of the female writers who rewrite myths in a manner that is more realistic and with the intent of understanding the human condition (Beer, n.p). The argument goes further to note that Kate Chopin focuses on the character of Louisiana as a way of laying focus on both gender and sexuality. The Storm is, therefore, the best example which can be used to denote a character that is set in ensuring the fulfillment of complete sexual potential. The short story, "Storm," can also be viewed as both explicit and adulteress because of the sexual contents. Kate Chopin also takes the position of the most complex revisionist mythmaking based on the depiction of different kinds of marital standards and relations.

In trying to understand further the manner in which Kate Chopin explores the female sexuality in opposition to the view of sexuality of her time. It is important to reconsider how sexuality was regarded at Chopin's time and how the male gender was treated. It is not a secret that women were neglected and their affairs taken less seriously. On the other hand, men enjoyed many benefits coupled with the reverence they received from women. The female sexuality at Kate Chopin's time appeared somewhat inferior going by the duties they were assigned. It is equally believed that the timing might have been cruel about women's sexuality. A belief was noted about women lacking the sexual desires and was compelled to behave based on the demands which were put in place by men.

Kate Chopin did not agree with this belief and ideas thus resorted to writing many fictional stories as a way of addressing the position of the woman within the society and showing a different portrayal of sexuality. Further justification to explain Chopin's disagreement about the view of sexuality of her time can still be explained through the brief love affair of Calixta and Alcee. Kate Chopin imaged how the faithfulness between the two characters influenced their mindset and how their feelings of depression and loneliness became transformed into a refreshing and happy moment. The act of sex between them is depicted symbolically as the apple of bible Eve with sexuality playing a role and acting as the starting point of the opposite world of the soul (Beer, n.p).

Chopin's description of the forbidden love between Calixta and Alcee was intended on giving her opinion and another objective appraisal with the aim of changing the timeworn canon which brought some freedom into a relationship. The two characters who fell in love continued with their love until marriage, something which made sexuality to appear as something which allows a chance of coming back to something which had its share of challenges. The story, Storm, continued with the narration of the book because different methods have been adopted with the aim of persuading the reader to support and exist in line with sexual freedom, an issue that excludes the oppressed desires. Kate Chopin was thus one of the women writers who made attempts to raise all the women's rights and give everyone the opportunity of acquiring more power and freedom.

Nonetheless, sexuality, unlike was believed at the time Kate Chopin acted as a characteristic of a woman that assist in helping them create and develop personality though not an extension of a husband as it was thought during the days of Kate Chopin. Women have experiences, thoughts, and feelings and without men, they can still do better. Kate Chopin also disagrees with the description of sexuality as something which gives an individual the chance of having desired feelings. She, therefore, gives a new view that creates a basis for new beliefs and new beliefs.

Work Cited

Beer, Janet. Kate Chopin, Edith Wharton, and Charlotte Perkins Gilman: Studies in Short Fiction. Springer, 2016.