“I give myself where I choose”: The Irrepressible Power of the Drive for Authenticity and Selfhood in Four Selected Stories of Kate Chopin
Keywords:
Kate Chopin, True Womanhood, New Woman, gender roles, selfhood, industrializationAbstract
This article analyzes the drive for authenticity and selfhood in four selected stories by Kate Chopin, set against the backdrop of nineteenth-century industrialization in America. The paper explores how industrialization transformed traditional family life and gender roles, particularly confining women to domestic spheres under the Cult of True Womanhood. The author contends that Chopin's stories challenge these patriarchal norms through characters who defy societal expectations. This study examines the emergence of the New Woman, a literary and social phenomenon that rejected conventional gender distinctions. The article argues that Chopin's narratives demonstrate the irrepressible power of women's quest for selfhood and autonomy in an oppressive society.
(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)
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