A Respectable Woman

Writer: Kate Chopin (original name: Katherine O’Flaherty) (1851-1904)

Characters:

• Mrs. Baroda
• Gaston, Mrs. Baroda’s husband
• Gouvernail, Gaston’s college friend

Theme: inner conflict between unrestrained desire and social limitations of a respectable woman

Summary plus Interpretation of the Story

“A Respectable Woman” is a short story written by an American writer Kate Chopin. The story highlights inner conflict between a woman’s desire and her social limitations in a respectable society. Mrs. Baroda, the central character of the story, is a respectable married woman. She is thinking of having a good time of rest and some privacy with her husband Gaston when her husband informs her about his friend Gouvernail’s visit and stay for a week or two. She doesn’t like the idea, nor does she like Gouvernail whom she has never met. However, when Gouvernail arrives and she sees him for the first time, she finds him rather attractive and takes interest in him. She tries to talk to him freely, but Gouvernail is of introvert nature. He doesn’t talk much and prefers to spend his time mostly alone. Mrs. Baroda begins to hate him.

One night out under the sky, when Mrs. Baroda is sitting upon a bench and having private thoughts, Gouvernail comes from behind and sits beside her. He then begins to talk freely. Mrs. Baroda finds his talk intoxicating, specially the sound of his voice. She feels attracted towards him and desires to touch his face and kiss him in the dark. But her self-awareness that she is a respectable woman prevents her to do so. She feels restless and so, just walks away, but this conflict in her mind torments her very much. It makes her leave home to stay at her aunt’s until Gouvernail has gone.

Gaston finds his wife’s dislike for Gouvernail quite unreasonable. But by the end of the year, to his surprise, she herself proposes to invite Gouvernail again and promises to be nice to him this time. The story ends here leaving readers wondering if Mrs. Baroda will shed off the veil of “being respectable” this time and give in to her feelings to the extent of having extra-marital affairs with Gouvernail. Or, perhaps, she has finally tamed her desires and now she thinks she can interact with Gourvernail without being involved emotionally. It is up to the readers to interpret the meaning of the story’s ending.

While Gaston is open-minded, extroverted, practical, and sociable, Gouvernail is reserved, introverted, quiet, and somewhat mysterious. It is Gouvernail’s elusive nature that captures Mrs. Baroda’s attention and frustrates her when he fails to reciprocate it.

Mrs. Baroda experiences an internal struggle, torn between her societal role as a “respectable woman” and faithful wife and her personal desires and undue feelings for Gouvernail. The story, therefore, delves into the conflict between societal expectations and personal emotions. By the end of the year, Mrs. Baroda appears to have resolved this inner turmoil and attained peace of mind.