The Feminist Perspective of Kate Chopin's " A Respectable Woman"

Kate Chopin's "A Respectable Woman" is one of her best stories, and it is about a woman who is attracted to her husband's college friend. The plot revolves around her conflict between what she feels and what social norms require. This conflict is universal, occurring anywhere and at any time. In the midst of this conflict, there are some fundamental conventional and cliché ideas that are the primary source of contention among feminists. Feminism is a social, political, and economic equality movement for women. We don't know whether Kate Chopin was a feminist, but it's clear that her ideas align with the feminist perspective. In that story, for example, feminist ideas such as women's search for identity, the impact of social norms on women's lives, and women's understanding of sexuality can be seen.
Mrs. Baroda is the main character, and her identity search is the focus of the entire narrative. This search captures interest from start to finish. Our names represent our unique identities, but in the story, we are never given her first name. The only French terms her husband ever uses to address her are "ma belle" and "chere amie."
 
Another example is that she is referred to as "Mrs. Baroda," which includes her husband's last name. This shows that she cannot exist independently; rather, she can only exist as a man's wife. The feminist viewpoint holds that having an identity is important because, without it, women would always be dependent on men, which would result in inequality. Mrs. Baroda, however, begins to recognize who she is. She believes that "there are some battles in life that a human being must fight alone," as she considers temptation. She now perceives herself as an independent person for the first time and believes she is alone. We can therefore say that she begins to individualize.
Another feminist theme in the story is women's perceptions of sexuality. In traditional societies, the concept of sexuality is typically associated with men. Given that this widespread belief excludes women's desires and that most people are unable to comprehend what women want, feminism poses the question, "How about women?" Kate Chopin made mention of these issues as well and intended for her story to demonstrate how women view sexuality. Gouvernail, in Mrs. Baroda's opinion, is distinct from her husband. The phrase "Gouvernail's personality puzzled Mrs. Baroda" indicates that she is perplexed by him. She does, in fact, feel something for Gouvernail. However, as demonstrated by the following phrase, "she could not satisfactorily explain to herself why she liked him," she was unable to express these feelings, not even to herself. In the future, she feels a stronger desire to "draw close to him and whisper against his cheek." She feels guilty as a result of her sexual desires, which makes her consider tempting her husband. She actually wants her husband to love her, but he doesn't seem to care. She has a dream at the start of the story about "a time of uninterrupted rest, now, and an undisturbed tete-a-tete with her husband."However, her husband shatters those hopes by inviting his friend. Women, as we can see in this tale, are unable to express their desires, and as a social rule, they are not permitted to anticipate romantic behavior from men. The social norm generally presents challenges for women. Because a woman cannot perform to her full potential under this pressure, feminism completely rejects some stereotypical notions about women in society. One excellent example of how social norms affect women is Mrs. Baroda. She experiences conflict due to social norms, and she can think about this conflict.
She believes that after her self-disclosure, "she didn't care what—as she might have done if she hadn't been a respectable woman." Social norms are the basis for this conflict. The emotional attachment of a married woman to another person is frowned upon by society. With Mrs. Baroda's conflict, the relativity of being a respectable woman is handled in this story. There is uncertainty at the conclusion of the narrative; we are unsure of whether she will choose her emotions or suppress them. By doing so, Kate Chopin challenges our perceptions of what it means to be respectable—whether that means adhering to social conventions or leading regret-free lives.
A Respectable Woman concludes by demonstrating some fundamental feminist principles. We can draw a lot of parallels between Mrs. Baroda and many other women when we consider her circumstances. Contrary to Mrs. Baroda, many women actually deal with that challenging circumstance. According to the feminist perspective, Mrs. Baroda is a symbol of women's lost identities, sexual orientation, and pressure from society.