A Respectable Woman Summary

RESPECTABLE WOMAN -KATE CHOPIN Kate Chopin is recognized as one of the forerunners of American feminist writing. In her novels and short stories, she focused on the lives of women and their struggle to create an identity. She shocks the readers with the daring treatment of female sexuality and marital infidelity. In 'A Respectable Woman', we have one of Chopin's female characters who take on a covert voice of resistance. At the end of the story, the protagonist, whom the readers know only as Mrs. Baroda, remains a happy wife, but has wordlessly challenged and "overcome" the identity constructed for her by patriarchal discourse. Mrs. Baroda is somewhat disappointed to learn that her husband's friend Gouvernail is planning to spend a week or two at their plantation, since they had been busy all winter, and she had planned a period of rest and conversation with her husband Gaston Baroda. She wanted to have an undisturbed life of happiness with her husband. She has never met Gouvernail, although she knows that he and her husband had been friends in college and that he is now a journalist. She pictures him as a tall, slim, cynical man and did not like the mental image, but when she meets the slim but neither tall nor cynical. She finds that she actually likes him. Mrs. Baroda cannot discern why she likes Gouvernail, since she does not see all of the positive traits described by Gaston. He does not seem brilliant, but he does seem quiet and courteous in response to her eagerness to welcome him and her husband's hospitality. He makes no particular attempt to impress her otherwise, and he enjoys sitting on the portico and listening to Gaston describe sugar planting, although he does not like to fish or hunt. Although Gouvernail puzzles Mrs. Baroda, he is lovable and inoffensive. She leaves him alone with her husband at first but soon begins to accompany him on walks as she attempts to overcome his reticence. Her husband tells her that he will stay for another week and asks why she does not wish him to stay. She responds that she would prefer him to be more demanding, which amuses Gaston. Gaston tells Mrs. Baroda that Gouvernail does not expect a commotion over his presence and that he simply wishes for a break from his busy life, although she declares that she expected him to be more interesting. Later that night, she sits by herself on a bench, feeling confused and wanting to leave the plantation for a while, having told her husband that she might go to the city in the morning and stay with her aunt. While she sits, Gouvernail sees her and sits next to her, not knowing her displeasure at his presence. Gouvernail hands her a scarf on Gaston's behalf and murmurs about the night, and his silence disappears as he becomes talkative for the first time. He speaks to her of the old days and of his desire for a peaceful existence. She does not listen to his words so much as his voice, and she thinks of drawing him closer, although she resists because she is "a respectable woman." Eventually, she leaves, and Gouvernail remains behind, finishing his address to the night. Mrs. Baroda wants to tell Gaston of her strange folly, but she realizes sensibly that she must handle this feeling by herself. The next morning, she leaves for the city and does not return until Gouvernail departs. Gaston wants Gouvernail to return the next summer, but she refuses. She later changes her mind, delighting her husband, who tells her that Gouvernail did not deserve her dislike. She kisses her husband and tells him that she has "overcome everything" and that she will now treat him more nicely. Husband-wife relation is not always agreeable. Here, Mrs. Baroda dislikes her husbands’s friends even before seeing him. The husband has no such prejudice. Mrs. Baroda finds it difficult to adjust under the circumstance. Governail however doesn’t feel any inconvenience in his friend’s wife trying to keep away. He has his own interests and doesn’t bother her in any way. This indifference provokes Mrs. Baroda. The story has an ambiguous ending. Mrs. Baroda who did not like husband’s friend changes her mind and clears her prejudices and confusions. However, she is a faithful wife that she was ready to openly tell her husband about her feeling for his friend. There are a few instances of surprise in the story. Her absence from her home until Governail leaves, Mrs. Baroda’s change and proposal of bringing her husband’s friends once more are such instances of surprise in the story. The title of the story ‘Respectable Woman’ has a bit of irony. Mrs. Baroda falls into a blunder of thoughts by herself. She overcomes her prejudices by time. There are certain stereotypes which work in this story. Mrs. Baroda has views and conditions on how a respectable woman should be. The feminist interpretation of the story will consider the whole situation as a revolt of the female. It can be considered as a revolt of the female against her own prejudiced view on male oppression.