This early Kate Chopin story explores the relationship between unconventional 1880s newly-weds. A progressive mathematics professor marries his ideal woman: independent, intuitive, intellectual and extremely good to look at. After a European honeymoon, they decide to live separate lives for one or two years. She stays in Paris to become fluent in French, while he returns to teaching in America. The relationship is tested when he writes about the interesting emotions a friend’s young daughter stirs in him, and she is caught with an embarrassed young man in her studio. Themes: independence and equality, trust vs. suspicion, jealousy, repression.
Original Text / PDF (4,300 words)
The story’s title begs the question: Just what is the point at issue? Set in the early days of the suffrage movement, the story explores the question of whether it is possible for a husband and wife to live as independent equals. Chopin’s conclusion seems to be that emotional issues (in this case insensitivity, jealousy and innate chauvinism) may get in the way. It could be argued that with Eleanor admitting her jealousy and deciding to return to America, she is conceding her independence. This is certainly reflected in Charles’s condescending, chauvinistic final thought: I love her none the less for it, but my Nellie is only a woman, after all.