Kate Chopin was born on February 8, 1850 in St. Louis, Missouri as Katherine O’Flaherty. Her parents, merchant Thomas and aristocrat Eliza O’Flaherty, were prominent members of southern society, and thus Chopin was thrown into the socialite world. Chopin would later write in her diary of how she detested these socialite gatherings, which influenced her later writings of female independence and women’s rights. After the death of her father, Chopin was mainly raised by her mother and grandmother, both strong women who taught Chopin the value of independence and freedom, which were themes that Chopin would later incorporate into her writing.

In 1870, Chopin married Oscar Chopin. During her marriage, Chopin was seen as unwomanly, due to her habit of smoking cigarettes and wearing outfits not typically worn by women. These tendencies can also be seen in many characters of Chopin’s stories, such as Calixta in “The Storm”. In 1882, Chopin’s husband died from yellow fever, and Chopin took over her family’s general store, however she soon moved back home to be with her family. Chopin soon began writing, and her first novel, At Fault, was published in 1890 and tackled societal issues. Chopin’s most famous novel, The Awakening, although met with harsh criticism, discussed topics not seen in society during this time, such as women’s liberation, as well as sexual themes. Chopin later published many short stories about women breaking free from typical gender and wife roles, such as “The Storm” and “Story of an Hour”. Although Chopin died in 1904 after suffering a brain hemorrhage, her memory lives on as one of the foremost female activists and writers of her time.