Class 12 English lesson 2 Story: A Respectable Woman: Reference to the Context and Reference beyond the text Literature Section

 

Reference to the context

a.      What is the cause of conflict in Mrs. Baroda’s mind? What role does Mrs. Baroda's ‘being a respectable woman’ play in the story?

The cause of the conflict in Mrs. Baroda's mind is that she has started liking his husband's friend. Being a respectable woman, she has to protect her pride in being a woman. The primary topics of Kate Chopin's short story "A Respectable Woman" are identity and desire vs discipline, both of which are explored. The topic of identity is further developed via the use of themes such as perception and appearances since the plot tends to follow the protagonist's opinions of herself and Gouvernail throughout the novel. The feeling of being a respectable woman controls her urges and feelings for him.

b.     Sketch the character of Gouvernail and contrast it with Gaston.

We learn about him through his outside portrayal that he is Gaston's "college friend," who is now working as a journalist, "in no way a society man" or "a man of the city," and that he is a heavy smoker. Gouvernail is an introverted type of person, who does not talk much and who is simply boring from the view of Mrs. Baroda, while Gaston is a sociable and friendly person.

c.      Why does Mrs. Baroda not disclose her feelings towards Gouvernail to her husband?

Mrs. Baroda does not disclose her feelings towards Gouvernail to her husband because she does not want to diversify from being a respectable woman. Being respectable means living according to social norms or living our lives without regret. That is why she does not disclose her feelings to his husband even.

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?

In the last three sentences, although the story suggests that Mrs. Baroda has found the courage to prevail over her emotions, she approaches her husband and makes a charmingly vague remark that reopens the issue of whether or not she intends to act on her feelings.

She informs him that "I have overcome everything! You'll find out soon enough. I'm going to be extra kind to him this time." At first sight, her remark seems to imply that she has recovered control over her emotions. Overcoming "everything" seems to imply that she has succeeded over not just her dissatisfaction with Gouvernail, but also her unrespectable love, and emotions for him.

In contrast, because she controls her announcement with the implication that she will be "very nice" to him on his next visit, she may be implying that, after overcoming her doubts and mental restrictions, she has decided to sate her desires in favour of having an affair with someone else. We can conclude from Kate Chopin's entertaining notion that Mrs. Baroda will challenge the ethical standards of her society and learn more about her own needs and available options as a woman.

Reference beyond the text

a.      The entry of an outsider into a family has been a recurring subject in both literature and films. Narrate a story real or imaginative where an outsider’s arrival destroys the intimate relationship between the husband and the wife and causes a break-up in a marital relationship without the direct fault of anyone. Anton Chekhov’s story ‘About Love’ is a story on this subject.

‘About Love’ is a story which is written by Anton Chekov, a Russian writer, who is a dramatist and a story writer, too. In this story, he shows a deep and passionate love of a man for a married woman who has already two kids. Chekov wants to show that love is not bounded by marriage. According to him, love is complex and mysterious and it is a matter of individual happiness. According to the story writer, love can be violent which he shows with the affair that is found between Nikonar, a cook, and Pelageya, a beautiful maid because they express their feelings openly as they fight each other, too. Similarly, Chekov says love can be selfish which is shown with the affair of Alyohin and the University Girl who follows him until he has money in his pockets.

 Alyohin, the main character of the story, lives in his village called Sofyno. He spends his time working on the farm with his workers, yet, he is an educated man. When he is elected as an honorary justice of the peace from his village, he goes to the town with the case of arson. He meets a lawyer called Luganovich who has a beautiful wife called Anna Alexeyvna. Alyohin is impressed by the beauty of Anna and coincidentally, he is invited for the dinner. He is also impressed because of their behaviours and simple mind. During his visit to town, Alyohin spends time with Anna which he can’t forget easily. They talk for hours and share their feelings. They also go to watch a movie and sit together while watching the movie. As a result, their friendship changes into a love affair because Alyohin is fascinated by her dress, voice, hair gate, and the way she behaves with him. Anna’s family wants to support him economically but he can’t accept it as Chekov wants to show the gap between a higher class and a lower class.

Alyohin only imagines the glamour of Anna and curses himself for not being a husband to such a beautiful lady. Both of them love each other deeply but they can’t express it directly because they are worried about the consequence of their love affair. So, according to Chekov, their love affair is a true love of a high standard. Alyohin also thinks about her conjugal life, her children, and her mother. He also asks himself whether he can provide the facilities required for her.

But after some time, they get into a misunderstanding between them. So, Anna shows irritating behaviour to Alyohin. In the meantime, Mr Luganovich gets an appointment in the Western province. Anna has to go to Crimea for treatment. So, Alyohin and Anna for the last time meet in the train compartment which is the day to bid goodbye to Anna. Both of them express their love for each other when Alyohin reaches for Anna with her bag. At that time, their thirsty eyes meet for the last time and they come to the real point of their love so they express it emotionally finally they accept their love for each other and also for their separation. Alyohin says the last goodbye to Anna and sits in his compartment for Sofyno. However, Alyohin’s real love is life itself as he was relaxed by her memories.

b. Mrs. Baroda makes an expectation about Gouvernail even before meeting him. Suppose you are a matured girl/boy and your family members are giving you under pressure for getting married. Write in about 200 words describing what qualities you would like to get in your future husband/wife.

Getting marriage in life is a private affair because this is a tough decision we take in our part of life. Parents’ suggestion in this regard also plays a subsidiary role because they support us in this regard at present. Many things are to be considered well to run marriage life properly. It is not a matter to be taken under any pressure. However, if the family members compel me to get married before my decision, I will try to see the qualities such as understanding, trust, fairness, affection, courage, independence, communication, and sociability. I would like to see the quality of understanding at first with my partner because a lack of understanding may damage our life.

Moreover, we have to complete many things and talk with many people so a suspicious concept can certainly create doubt that kills the seed of happiness in life. Similarly, the trait of trust keeps always believable whatever we do at any time. Additionally, the trait of fairness keeps a good relationship in the family and society. Moreover, affection is a trait that reveals humanity as love, mercy, and affection guide our life. Similarly, courage exposes the inner capability of our life. My partner can be more courageous to solve the problems faced in our life. Because there can be lots of challenges in the journey of life. We should face them cooperatively. Similarly, my partner can be an independent person who can take the right decision at the right time and run life independently because a dependent life may be like getting fish. On the other hand, my communicative and social skills may make my partner talk to other people and keep the views of the mass.

 

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