Reflections of the Soul

It is a common saying among authors that writing does not take any effort whatsoever; one simply sits down with a pen and paper and opens a vein. The blood that stains these pages is filled with all of the writer, their faults and strengths, their aspirations and fears, their truths and prejudices. Nothing is left out of this process, most especially the trials and tribulations that makes up the character of the novelist. In this respect, fiction writing of any kind takes on more truth than the author may have intended.

Such is the case of nineteenth century writer Catherin Chopin. Kate widely used the themes of tragedy and irony in her stories to exemplify her view of the world. Her stories not only accurately described the lives of nineteenth century white women, but also hinted towards her own heart wrenching experiences and grievous past. She wrote of the only world she has ever known, one filled only with regret and heartbreak, hopelessness and despair. The events in her life has probably led her to the assumption that true happiness and contentment were the things of the fairytales she was so fond of, meant to be enjoyed only by the young and naïve until the callousness of reality sets in. This ideal is reflected in her writing, where the fleeting blissful movements in her characters’ tales are inevitably overshadowed by the usually fatal disappointments.

Her pessimistic views on life, however, is what gives her distinction from the other romantic writers of this time. Marriages and life in general for women at the time were oftentimes plagued by hardships and sorrow, more often ending in anguish and grief than in the unbridled bliss that matrimony promised. Her essays and writings touched upon on the changing institution of marriage, shedding light on the fragility of the heart and the disastrous consequences it can have for both parties. She intertwined her own despair in the lives of her character to send messages like these home, so that they might have a positive impact on her readers.

The characterization and backgrounds of her heroines likewise mirror their esteemed author. In both Desiree’s Baby and Story of an Hour, the women are from well-to-do or middle class families, like the author. Both were strong, intelligent women, much like Ms. Chopin. She seemed to model their experiences with calamity and heartbreak after her own, while also installing her own strengths and ideal characteristics in their beings. Her characters were only metaphors for the disappointments and tragedies experienced in her life, as well as so many others around the nation.

Even the fate of Chopin, who’s characters’ deaths were always premature and tragic, seemed mirrored in her writing. She died at the age of fifty-four from a brain hemorrhage, two days after making an appearance at the famous St. Louis World's Fair. The fact that none of her heroines lived to overcome the obstacles of their short lives was far from coincidental. Like her characters, Kate could not escape the shadow of tragedy that seemed to surround her like a cloak. Kate’s stories were elegantly simplistic, hauntingly vivid, and, as it would turn out, tragically prophetic.