A Respectable Woman by Kate Chopin Summary and Question Answer 

Summary

The story “A Respectable Woman” written by an American short story writer and novelist Kate Chopin is a psychological story that shows how inner conflicts create problem in behaviour with others. The main character of the story Mrs. Baroda undergoes a mental tension because of her extreme emotional thought towards the friend of her husband. The story revolves round Mrs. Baroda. The story further shows that anti-sex attraction sometimes create conflict which brings more tension and irritation.

Mrs. Baroda is a bit more upset when she hears from her husband that her husband’s college mate now a journalist working in the town, Gouvernail is paying a visit to their farm of sugar plantation. The reason why she is upset is she wants to spend a quality time having more intimate chit-chat with her husband, Gaston. They were away home during the whole winter for various activities. So, she wants to have an unbroken rest and undisturbed chit-chat. Gouvernail is sure to visit them however she unfavours his visit. She starts picturizing him as a tall, slim and a cynical person with eyeglasses and his hands in his pockets. When she meets Gouvernail, she finds him different from her expectation. Gouvernail is neither tall nor cynical, nor does he wear glasses and carry his hands in his pockets. All of a wonder as she sees him, she likes him very much.

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She is quite confused why she likes him as he has not tried to impress her. She doesn’t find any characteristics in Gouvernail that her husband had talked about him. She explores him as mute, reserved, non-talkative and receptive in nature. He is lovable and inoffensive fellow but he doesn’t seem to be brilliant as her husband told her. She shows her hospitable and chatty behaviour but he doesn’t react in the same way. 

Gouvernail’s personality puzzles Mrs. Baroda however she likes him. She expects similar manner from Gouvernail in response but he remains more reserved. She tries to make him be familiar and friendly but he isn’t so. Mrs. Baroda is gradually more irritated towards Gouvernail. She frequently leaves her husband and Gouvernail due to dissatisfactory behaviour of Gouvernail. Mrs. Baroda decides to leave home till Gouvernail lives there for a week more. Being more irritated, one night she stays out of home in the garden. She hears footsteps coming towards her. She doesn’t notice who it is. Gouvernail approaches her near and gives her a scarf sent by her husband. Then, Gouvernail starts murmuring in a fine tune. He talks freely about his college days in a modest voice which attracts her so much that she likes to fling her hands in the air and slowly touch on his face and lips with the sensitive tips of her fingers. Mrs. Baroda is restricted to do so because she is bound by social norms, values and culture and her social prestige. She controls her inner emotions rather she likes Gouvernail very much. 

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Next morning, she leaves the house before Gaston wakes up. She requests him to inform her about Gouvernail’s return. Gaston requests Gouvernail to visit again in the next Summer but she rejects the proposal at first. She subsequently changes her mind and she says that she will treat him with greater hospitality next time.

Understanding the text

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

Ans: Mrs. Baroda and her husband Mr. Baroda had spent a cold winter with much difficulty. So, she had planned to spend a quality time with her husband having a unbroken rest and private chitchat but she became unhappy when she heard that Gouvernal, her friend’s college mate, was having a visit to their farm.

b. How was Gouvernail different from Mrs. Baroda’s expectation?

Ans: Mrs. Baroda had pictured Gouvernail to be tall, slim and cynical with glasses on his eyes and hand on pockets and she wouldn’t like him but when she saw him almost different from her expectation after his arrival to their farm, she liked him very much because he was slim enough but neither tall nor cynical and he neither had eyeglasses nor put his hands in his pockets. She was wrong in her perception.

c. How does Mrs. Baroda compare Gouvernail with Mr. Baroda?

Ans: Mrs. Baroda find Mr. Baroda as a social, frank and friendly but Gouvernail was mute and reserved. Gouvernail was less talkative and intelligent than Mr. Baroda. Mr. Baroda was more hospitable but Gouvernail was simple and courteous. Similarly, Mr. Baroda was more interested in fishing and hunting but Gouvernail was not.

d. How and why did Mrs. Baroda try to change Gouvernail’s solitary habits?

Ans:  Mrs. Baroda didn’t find Gouvernail’s character as Mr. Baroda told her him to be. He was neither frank and friendly nor demanding and a man of ideas. She tried to change his solitary habits accompanying him in strolls around the mill and walking along the farm and penetrating into his reserved and solitary attitude. 

e. How does Gaston disagree with his wife on Gouvernail’s character?

Ans: Gaston says that his friend is frank, talkative and a man of ideas but she doesn’t find Gouvernail as said by her husband. The matter of her disagreement is that she finds Gouvernail not demanding, frank, and a man of ideas. 

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

Ans: Gaston is more surprised with his wife’s expression about Gouvernail because she seems to be preferable to meet Gouvernaiul in the next visit however she had disliked his solitary habit in his first visit to them. 

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?

Ans: The main root cause of conflict emerged in Mrs. Baroda’s mind is her blind attraction to the friend of her husband. Although he was different from her expectation, she liked him very much. Being spellbound at the attraction towards the friend of her husband is a madness of her attitude. She was not only psychologically weak towards handsome man but also, she was a woman of high respectability in the society. So, she controls her inner desire to go close to her husband’s friend because of the social norms, values and conviction. Therefore, she behaves as a respectable woman despite her strong impulse of attraction towards next person in the story. 

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

Ans: Gouvernail, the college friend of Gaston, is a man of ideas and in no sense a society man working as journalist in the town. He behaves as a reserved and mute man when he visits Mr. Gaston’s farm however he is not so. From the point of view of Mrs. Baroda, he is calm and not friendly.  He neither likes hunting nor fishing unlike Gaston. He is slim and attractive but not tall in height. He neither puts eyeglasses n or puts his hands in the pockets different from Mrs. Baroda’s expectation. Gaston is farm holder who lives with his wife. According to Mrs. Baroda, Gaston is frank, friendly and sociable but Gouvernail is not. 

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

Ans: Mrs Baroda is a married and a respectable woman of her society. She definitely is tied up with social convictions that she should not cross the line of affinity and marital border being driven by her inner impulse. She is a responsible woman. Her blind temptation drove her to be close to Gouvernail but she suddenly controls herself from being near to him. To disclose her inner feelings to her husband may be her weakness in front of her husband. She has a fear of the society and her husband who may be labelled as an irresponsible and weal charactered. Therefore, she doesn’t disclose her feeling towards Gouvernail to her husband. 

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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?

Ans: The last three sentences of the story bring a kind of twist in the story "A Respectable Woman".  The ending of the story is unpredictable because of Mrs. Baroda’s previous dislike to Gouvernail. The story shows a sudden change in Mrs. Baroda's inner feeling and she seems to be more emotionally liking to Gouvernail. She tells 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, Mrs. Baroda's remark seems to imply that she has recovered control over her emotions. It is her realization that has reminded her to behave with more affection but not with sensual and erotic temptation.  She has found the courage to resist her emotions, her miraculous behaviour seems to be vague whether she will be nicer to Gouvernail or not. Overcoming "everything" seems to imply that she has triumphed over not just her dissatisfaction with Gouvernail, but also her unrespectable love emotions for him. Mrs. Baroda has not only changed her mind about Gouvernail but she may also no longer be bound by society's view of what makes a respectable woman. She is ready to pursue her relationship with Gouvernail by telling Gaston, “I shall be very nice to him."