Genre: 

Story
•Setting: Sugar plantation form owned by Mr. Baroda in Louisiana
•Who is a respectable woman?
A respectable woman in the 19th century is the one who is a demure (modest and
reserved) dependent, homemaker, who remains subservient (inferior, subordinate)
to her husband. A​respectable woman is also the one who lives up to society's
expectations of her and​ never tries to deviate from them. Yes,​of course, she has
dreams and desires but she suppresses them because she is a respectable woman. ​
•Themes:
1. Identity​
2. Love and romance​
3. Oppression and resistance​
4. Psychological complexity​
Characters:​
1. Gaston Baroda:  Owner of the sugar Plantation farm.  ​
2. Mrs. Baroda:   Wife of Mr. Baroda ​
3. Gouvernail: College days friend of​Mr. Baroda and is a journalist
4. Octavie : Aunt of Mrs. Baroda

Structure of a story
Summary
 A Respectable Woman- Kate Chopin
Mrs. Baroda learns that her husband's friend, Gouvernail is spending some time
with them on their plantation.  She is somewhat displeased by this as they had been
doing much entertaining and she hoped for a break.  She had never met the man
but had heard much about him.  She quickly takes a liking to him upon his
appearance.  However, she finds he has a mystery about him that she can't explain
and regularly tries to make sense of.  She tells her husband that she will be better
when the man is gone because he is unlike other visitors and this perplexes her.
 She decides that she will leave until he has left.  That night, she sits outside on a
bench reflecting on why he makes her feel so strange.  Gouvernail encounters her
at night and says that her husband gave him a scarf to give to her while she is
outside.  After some remarks, the two sit in silence.  He begins to talk but she does
not listen as her body feels drawn to him.  She wants to press close against her but
her standing as a "respectable woman" keeps her from doing so.  To this feeling,
she begins to draw herself away from him.  She eventfully leaves and when in the
house debates telling her husband.  She resists that too and goes to bed.
 The next morning, she has left before others have arisen.  After Gouvernail leaves,
she returns and initially, protests his return.  However, within a year, she
champions his visit to her husband's surprise.  She simply states that she has
overcome everything and will be nice to him.  

Answer the following questions:​

a.       Why was Mrs. Baroda unhappy with the information about ​
Gouvernail’s visit to their farm?​

  Mrs. Baroda was disappointed with the information about Gouvernail’s visit to

their farm because she had planned a period of rest and conversation with her
husband, after their busy life all winter. ​
b.      ​How was Gouvernail different from Mrs. Baroda’s expectation?​

 Mrs. Baroda had never met Gouvernail but she had drawn the picture of 
Gouvernail in her mind which she didn’t like. She assumed him to be slim,  tall,
cynical; with eyeglasses, and his hands in his pockets but,  when she met slim,
neither tall nor cynical Gouvernail,  who also was inoffensive and lovable, she
liked him. ​
c.       How does Mrs. Baroda compare Gouvernail with her husband?​

Mrs. Baroda finds Gouvernail boring, unintelligent, reserved and rather

passive who likes to sit around lazily and listens to others’ conversation.
However, he is courteous towards her and is an inoffensive and lovable fellow.  So,
she finds him attractive.   Contrary to Gouvernail,  she finds her husband a chatty,
sociable and adventurous person but, he doesn’t listen to her and imposes his
decision on her. 
d.       Why and how did Mrs. Baroda try to change the solitary habits
of Gouvernail?​

 Mrs. Baroda learned that Gouvernail’s had none of those promising and brilliant
traits which Gaston had told her that he possessed. He remained mute and receptive
despite the couple’s  chatty hospitality.  Though he was inoffensive and lovable, he
was not sociable.  When she couldn’t understand him any better, she tried
to change his solitary habits. ​ At first she tried to change his habits by becoming
chatty and hospitable. When he made no efforts from his side, she accompanied
him in his walks outside.  ​
e.       How does Gaston disagree with his wife on Gouvernail’s character?​

 To Mrs. Baroda, Gouvernail is uninteresting, mute, reserved, not sociable and

boring. But, Mr. Baroda thinks his friend is very nice, clever, promising and
brilliant.  Mr. Baroda defends his friend’s passiveness by putting everything on the
overwork he has to do.  ​

f.        Why is Mr. Baroda surprised with his wife’s expression towards the end
of the story?​

During the Gouvernail’s stay on their farm, Mrs. Baroda complained about his

presence to Mr. Baroda.  He is surprised by his wife’s expression towards the end
of the story because she proposed herself to have Gouvernail visit their farm.  ​
Reference to the context:​
a. What is the cause of conflict in Mrs. Baroda’s mind? What role does
Mrs. Baroda ‘being a respectable woman’ play in the story?​

Mrs. Baroda falls in love with her husband’s friend despite his puzzling 
personality. She is terrified of such feelings causing damage to her dignity.  She
knows society would not approve such behaviour of a married woman.  The
arousal of romantic feelings toward Gouvernail and her compulsion to share the
same sphere with him is the cause of conflict in Mrs. Baroda’s mind. ​Mrs. Baroda
goes through a difficult time in her life when she helplessly falls in love with a man
outside her marriage which is completely against the societal rules.  Governail’s
visit shakes her mental peace. She is in love with him but doesn’t reveal this to
anyone because she knows the consequences of the deviation from what is
expected from a good woman. She even gains control over her physical urges to
touch him. She pulls herself back from such taboo desires.  She uses her sensibility
not to seek help to solve this matter so, she leaves the house to avoid the sight of
Gouvernail.  She makes up her personal desire to remain respectable.  ​
b.       Sketch the Character of Gouvernail and contrast it with Gaston. ​

​ Gouvernail is a journalist, who is a college day’s friend of Gaston.  He is slim

enough and not very tall.  He is reserved, and sits mute and receptive listening to
the couple’s conversation. He doesn’t share much about his present life and
situation. He loves natural life as he listens to Gaston’s experience of sugar
plantation and appreciates his life in farm. He is not a sociable person as he shows
no interest in adventure proposed by Gaston.  Gouvernail is difficult to understand
as he leads a solitary life. He is an ignorant person.  He doesn’t notice Mrs.
Baroda’s presence. He doesn’t make any effort to impress Mrs. Baroda but he
remains cordial toward her.  He is unpredictable. He turns chatty and intimately
talks to Mrs. Baroda one evening.  In the story, he is presented as not a society man
or “a man about town” and “a smoker”. ​
​ ouvernail is completely different from Gaston.  Unlike Gouvernail, Gaston is
G
involved in his own sugar plantation business.  He is sociable ​person who loves to
have friends around. He is considerate person that is why he invites his friend for
respite.  He values the presence of others.  He doesn’t keep himself away from
others like Gouvernail. He is chatty and hospitable. He is an adventurous person.
He loves outdoor activities like fishing and hunting.  He doesn’t like sitting idle
and smoking. He keeps himself busy either by working or having visitors at
home. ​Though they are good friends for a really long time, they are poles apart. ​
c.       Why does Mrs. Baroda not disclose her feelings towards Gouvernail to
her husband? ​

Mrs. Baroda commits a folly and is heavily tempted to tell her husband about it.
But then, she realizes that she shouldn’t disclose it to anybody as nobody will
approve of such behaviour of a married woman.  She knows that there are some
battles in life that a human being must fight alone.  She decides not to depend on
her husband to resolve the matter. So, the fear of going against society and
the realization of her individuality prevents her from disclosing her love feelings
towards Gouvernail to her husband. ​
d.       The last three sentences of the story bring a kind of twist. After reading
these three sentences, how do you analyze Mrs. Baroda’s attitude
towards Gouvernail. ​

The story has an ambiguous ending. At the end of the story, we can see a
massive change in Mrs. Baroda’s attitude.  She proposes wholly to her husband to
have Gouvernail back to their farm. She tells him that she has
overcome everything but it is not clear what actually she has overcome. It can have
two possible meanings:​

-          It is possible that she is talking about overcoming her romantic

feelings towards Gouvernail. When people overcome their love feelings
towards someone, they don’t get offended by the person’s presence. She says, “I
will be nice to him”, which could mean she will not be affected by his
presence and will treat him nicely like any other visitor.  ​

-          Another possible meaning is that she is talking about overcoming her fear

of society. She is possibly saying that she doesn’t fear anyone and will do
what her heart pleases without worrying about social duty. She will be nice to
him means, she will express her love and get romantically involved with him. ​