In the latter half of the 1900’s, Kate Chopin’s writings became more popular. Through Chopin’s use of irony, subtlety, and foreshadowing, her endings depict reality. She applies irony in “Desiree’s Baby,” foreshadowing in “A Pair of Silk Stockings,” and subtlety in “A Respectable Woman.”

Chopin’s use of irony at the end of “Desiree’s Baby” creates a harsh picture of reality. Armand says to Desiree that “the child is not white…You are not white.” Armand is shamed because of the pain he thinks his wife has caused him. After Desiree has left and died, at Armand’s request, Armand comes across a letter written by his mother to his father. The letter reveals that Armand’s mother “belongs to the race that is cursed with the brand of slavery.” In all actuality, it is Armand that is part black, not the accused Desiree.

Through Chopin’s application of foreshadowing in “A Pair of Silk Stockings” the reader knows the reality of what Mrs. Sommers does, without Chopin directly stating it. The way Chopin described Mrs. Sommers’ impulses throughout the story, the reader knows that Mrs. Sommers gets off the cable car, even though she experienced “A powerful longing, that the cable car would never stop, but go on with her forever.” In the play scene, Mrs. Sommers only getting a taste of the candy is metaphorical for her only getting a taste of the free life. The fact that Mrs. Sommers only gets a taste tells you that she has to get off the cable car at the end.

At the end of “A Respectable Woman” Chopin uses subtlety to tell the reader the reality of the affair Mrs. Baroda has begun. The way Chopin writes tells the reader more than the characters in the story know. Mrs. Baroda tells her husband that she “shall be very nice to him.” Chopin is telling Mr. Baroda that Mrs. Baroda will be nice, but she is telling the reader that something very sexual will happen between Gouvernail and Mrs. Baroda. There is no actual words that come out and say it, but Kate Chopin’s use of subtlety tells you that it is so.

Kate Chopin as a writer was very much ahead of her time. When people read “Desiree’s Baby,” “A Pair of Silk Stockings,” and “A Respectable Woman” back then, they though Chopin’s writings were vulgar. Her use of subtlety, foreshadowing, and irony apply more to our time than they do to her era.

Subtlety, Foreshadowing, and Irony in Kate Chopin’s Writing

• Chopin's A Pair of Silk Stockings: Mrs. Sommers

Mrs. Sommers, of Kate Chopin's «A Pair of Silk Stockings» faces a major Man-vs.-Society conflict. She is a perfect example of how humans are tempted By material gain, «the life of luxury», and the vicious way society judges Things (or people). Society views people who live in the lap of luxury as «gods», they are

• Desirees Baby

Sample essay topic, essay writing: Desirees Baby - 870 words The Power of Writing In Kate Chopin's short story, "Desiree's Baby", she demonstrates how racism played a major part in people's lives in the 1800's. Kate Chopin is extremely successful in getting her readers to feel disturbed by the events in the story. Through words and

• The Story of An Hour

In Kate Chopin's short story «The Story of an Hour,» there is much irony. The first irony detected is in the way that Louise reacts to the news of the death of her husband, Brently Mallard. Before Louise's reaction is revealed, Chopin alludes to how the widow feels by describing the world according to her

• Live Free Or Dont Live At All

Sample essay topic, essay writing: Live Free Or Dont Live At All - 1278 words Live Free or Don't Live at All A very dull and boring story can be made into a great story simply by adding in something that is unexpected to happen. When the unexpected is used in literature it is known as

• Analyzing «The Storm»

The setting in this story creates the perfect environment for an adulterous affair. In Kate Chopin's «The Storm», Chopin not only creates the perfect setting but also uses the setting as a symbol of the affair. Most likely occurring in the late 1800's and taking place in the deep South, the story gives an account