Per Seyested's Article
Response to “Kate Chopin and American Realists”
By looking at “Kate Chopin and the American Realists,” readers are able to see that Kate Chopin had a contrasting views of women during the late 1800s, than many other authors such as Crane, Garland, Norris, and Dreiser. In American literature, women have been viewed from different aspects. Most of the authors believe that women just want to be wealthy; meaning that women would only have power if there is wealth and a man. On the other hand, Chopin idea’s were different; she believed that women should have their own independence and that money and sex is not power. Furthermore, Per Seyersted’s work said, “ Kate Chopin concentrates mainly on the biological aspects of woman’s situation, while the other writers are more concerned with the socioeconomic forces shaping her life.” The Awakening is divergent to Sister Carrie, Maggie, Rose and McTeague. By comparing those literary novels, readers are able to see that women tend to indulge in wealth, men, and materialistic goods, unlike Edna in The Awakening, who was able to avoid wealth and lived in pigeon house. Per Seyersted’s work was able to say that Kate Chopin is different from other writers. Chopin had six children and deceased spouse, which really affected her writing because she wrote more about independence and children than about wealth and men. Chopin’s work shows that women do not need to rely on materialistic goods or heroic man candy to have an exceptional life. Unlike many authors, Chopin did not use animalistic terms to describe a scenario in her story, “Norris, for example, whose theme in McTeague is how greed leads to murder, compares his her to an evil beast who takes a “panther leap” and kisses Trina, the heroine, “grossly, full on the mouth,” and who delights his wife and himself with biting her. Though Chopin saw brute selfishness as the dominant principle of the world, she rarely used the imagery of man as a warring animal, she never attached
By looking at “Kate Chopin and the American Realists,” readers are able to see that Kate Chopin had a contrasting views of women during the late 1800s, than many other authors such as Crane, Garland, Norris, and Dreiser. In American literature, women have been viewed from different aspects. Most of the authors believe that women just want to be wealthy; meaning that women would only have power if there is wealth and a man. On the other hand, Chopin idea’s were different; she believed that women should have their own independence and that money and sex is not power. Furthermore, Per Seyersted’s work said, “ Kate Chopin concentrates mainly on the biological aspects of woman’s situation, while the other writers are more concerned with the socioeconomic forces shaping her life.” The Awakening is divergent to Sister Carrie, Maggie, Rose and McTeague. By comparing those literary novels, readers are able to see that women tend to indulge in wealth, men, and materialistic goods, unlike Edna in The Awakening, who was able to avoid wealth and lived in pigeon house. Per Seyersted’s work was able to say that Kate Chopin is different from other writers. Chopin had six children and deceased spouse, which really affected her writing because she wrote more about independence and children than about wealth and men. Chopin’s work shows that women do not need to rely on materialistic goods or heroic man candy to have an exceptional life. Unlike many authors, Chopin did not use animalistic terms to describe a scenario in her story, “Norris, for example, whose theme in McTeague is how greed leads to murder, compares his her to an evil beast who takes a “panther leap” and kisses Trina, the heroine, “grossly, full on the mouth,” and who delights his wife and himself with biting her. Though Chopin saw brute selfishness as the dominant principle of the world, she rarely used the imagery of man as a warring animal, she never attached