Essay on A Story of a Spinster in Regret by Kate Chopin,

â€Å"So she was quite alone in the world, except for her dog Ponto.† Kate Chopin’s â€Å"Regret† is the story of an elderly spinster who is burdened with the task of watching her neighbors four kids. The story is said to take place in rural Louisiana some time around the nineteenth century. Through this story Chopin portrays how people find regret in the most unlikely of places. Katherine Chopin was born on February 8, 1850 in St. Louis, Missouri. She was bilingual and could speak both French and English. Unfortunately, her life was filled with misfortune. Before the age of eighteen, her father had died in a railroad accident, as well as her grandmother, and her half-brother of typhoid fever. By the age of thirty-two she was a mother of six and a†¦show more content†¦She even owns a gun â€Å"with which she shot chicken-hawks.† She did not have a single feminine trait and didn’t seem to be desire any. At the age of fifty she had â€Å"never been in love† and â€Å"never lived to regret† and other than her dog Ponto she lived alone and was satisfied with her life. This all changed when a neighbor who’s mother was ill had to leave her four children with Mamzelle Aurlie. At first Mamzelle Aurlie was unsure how to feel about the children since she had never had any of her own. She was baffled when she realized children need more than food and shelter. She treated them like a man, strategizing, â€Å"determining upon a line of action.† In a very withdrawn way as a commander leading troops. She ordered them to bed as she would â€Å"the chickens in the hen-house.† At first Chopin’s use of language is dry and simple but the longer the kids are there the softer the language becomes. Almost romantic as Mamzelle Aurlie describes Lodie breathing on her as â€Å"warm breath beating her cheek like the fanning of a bird’s wing. Her feminine side came out and she began to act like a mother to the children. She even brought out her sewing kit and read the kids bedtime stories. When the children leave Mamzelle Aurlie â€Å"let her head fall down upon her bended arm, and began to cry. Oh, but she cried!† For the first time she felt â€Å"regret† and loneliness. In the nineteenth century women held few powers, they were to be obedient to men and had little independence.Show MoreRelated The Importance of Human Intimacy in Chopins Regret Essay1235 Words   |  5 PagesThe Importance of Human Intimacy in Chopins Regret      Ã‚   The short story, Regret, by Kate Chopin is about a childless spinster who accepts the responsibility of caring for a neighbors four young children while their mother is away. The main idea of the story is that even though independent people like Mamzelle Aurelie become used to living alone, they still need affection and human intimacy.    Mamzelle Aurelie is depicted as a woman with masculine traits and a somewhat military