A Respectable Woman

Describe Mrs. Baroda’s shifting emotional state throughout this short story. How do her feelings change, and how do those developments reflect changes in her character?

Gouvernail is also a major character in Chopin’s 1896 short story “Athénaïse.” Read that story and discuss how (or whether) its portrayal of Gouvernail indirectly illuminates “A Respectable Woman.”

Chopin famously said that she was not a feminist, at least not as it was defined during her lifetime. Despite this, her writings are frequently considered early feminist fiction. Evaluate and discuss why this is the case.