Kate Chopins Regret :: Chopin Regret Essays

Kate Chopins Regret   The Question How would you characterize Mamzelle Aurelie based on Chopins exposition of her? Make reference to specific details in the grade. How does her inner self-importance that we see at the end of the story contrast with what we see at the beginning?   Kate Chopins story, Regret, is about an unmarried, middle-aged woman who is suddenly given the right of caring for a neighbors small children. In the story, Chopin shows us a steady and independent person whose rough, masculine exterior hides a lonely and tender-hearted woman.   Chopin begins the story with a portrait of Mamzelle Aurelie. We know that she is at least middle-aged because she has hairs-breadth that was changing from brown to gray (461). And she has a rugged, masculine appearance. She wears a mans hat and overcoat and even topboots on occasion.   She not only looks strong nevertheless is strong and capable in her every day life. She has a immovable eye she lives quite alone except for her dog, Ponto she runs a farm and supervises her workers, and she had a gun with which she shot chicken- hawks (461).   However, the arrival of the neighbors children bring out a antithetical aspect of her character. At first she tries to deal with the children almost as if they were some other variety of farm animal. Thus, when they arrive, she determined a line of action which should be identical with a line of duty, which from her point of view means ply them. But she soon discovers that little children are not little pigs (462). lovingness for the children requires that she awaken the feminine and maternal aspects of her nature that had been dormant. Therefore she brings out her blank aprons and got down her sewing-basket to mend the childrens clothes. She washes their feet before bed, tells them stories and even lets the youngest sleep with her.