Maternal Ambivalences in Kate Chopin's Selected Works

Abstract

The question of motherhood seems to haunt the works of Kate Chopin, a nineteenth century American writer. Though a mother-woman herself, Chopin gives a paradoxical portrait of motherhood in her works. She implies that motherhood might be a liberating experience for some women as it is constricting for others. This paper tackles the paradoxical nature of motherhood in Chopin's novel, The Awakening and other four short stories. In The Awakening, A Pair of Silk Stockings and Desiree's Baby, motherhood is depicted as a tool of selfdestruction, while in Athénaise and Regret, it is a source of life-giving.