Comparing The Works Of Mary E. Wilkins Freeman And Kate Chopin

Feminism, the idea that women are equal to men, is a concept that has been an aspect of American society since the nineteenth century. However, while it was first constructed in 1848, feminism has not always been a widely embraced topic. It was once seen as an extremely taboo, controversial notion that could easily ruin a woman’s reputation if she were to dare speak of it. Despite this, many females put their fears of criticism aside and gained the courage to stand up for the freedoms of womankind. Two women who took the risk to write about the ideas of feminism were Mary E. Wilkins Freeman and Kate Chopin. Mary E. Wilkins Freeman was born in 1852 in Randolph, Massachusetts. After having an unsuccessful career as a schoolteacher, Freeman began

In her first published story, “A Point at Issue!” Chopin began to develop a theme that would appear in many of her other works but also grant her a life of public torture. “A Point at Issue!” was the first story in which Chopin explored both marriage and freedom. These two themes became common occurrences in her works, and many of the other topics she chose to write about stemmed from them. For example, in a story that was rejected by her publisher, Chopin wrote about a character who dealt with alcoholism and

Women having affairs was a taboo topic, and it was highly controversial to write about such a thing. Chopin, however, went far beyond a simple affair; the woman in the story, Calixta, felt no guilt for the sin she had committed against her husband, and neither she nor Alcee received any punishment for their actions. Chopin was aware of the fact that a story that presented women in this way would never be acceptable to