Comparing Kate Chopin's Life And Work

Kate Chopin, born Catherine O’Flaherty, was an American author who wrote numerous short stories and two novels during the time period of 1889 to 1902. She was born in St. Louis, Missouri on February 8th, 1850 to Thomas O’Flaherty, an Irishman, and Eliza Faris, an American woman of French descent. She spent all of her childhood in St. Louis, up until the age of 18 at which she became engaged to her future husband, Oscar Chopin. She was said to be very personable, fitting in with both the Irish and French sects, and was easily likeable. During her childhood she experienced much sorrow, as her father and grandmother (whom she held a close relationship with) both passed away while she was young. She also had to endure of the pressures of an entire city divided by the Civil War, in which her half brother was killed. These tragedies however helped influence her future writing and feminist ideals, as she was mentored almost exclusively by women throughout her childhood. These feminine mentors included her mother, her grandmother and great

Her time time in New Orleans, where she lived with her husband for almost nine years, had a great deal of influence on her writing. It was here that she birthed all six of their children between 1871 and 1879 and also where she could engage in the French culture from which she was descended. Her history in New Orleans would only last until 1879, and due to financial issues Oscar Chopin was forced to sell his business and relocate the family to Cloutierville, a primarily French town in Natchitoches Parish. It would be here in Cloutierville that Oscar Chopin would meet his fate and die of malaria in 1882. Approximately two years after her husband’s death, Kate Chopin made the decision to return to St. Louis. This is where her career as an author would