Analysis of Short Stories by Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin was an author who was underappreciated by those in her generation. Much of this was due to the fact that she was a contemporary author, who primarily wrote about women’s sexuality and their roles in the world. Two prime examples of this writing style are her short stories “The Story of an Hour” and “Desiree’s Baby.” While these two works do share some similarities there are also vast differences and a few parallels from Chopin’s own life. A brief look into the settings and themes of the two stories along with Chopin’s biographical information aid in portraying this.
The actual settings of “The Story of an Hour” and “Desiree’s Baby” are the first instance where the two stories differ. In “The Story of an Hour”, the entire piece takes place in Mrs. Mallard’s home or the scenery outside the house. In fact, the outside scenery plays an important role to the story, paralleling the new spring with Mrs. Mallard’s new found freedom. Wh...