Madame Célestin's Divorce | Madame Célestin's Divorce

At a glance:

Author: Kate Chopin
First Published: 1894
Type of Plot: Regional, sketch
Time of Work: The 1890's
Setting: Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana
Principal Characters: Madame Célestin, Mr. Paxton
Genres: Short fiction
Subjects: North America or North Americans, United States or Americans, Wives, Mothers, Abused persons, Nineteenth century, Domestic violence, Creoles, Violence, Divorce, Catholics or Catholic Church, Homemakers, Louisiana
Locales: Natchitoches, LA

The Story

“Madame Célestin's Divorce” relates several brief encounters between the title character and a lawyer, Mr. Paxton, through an omniscient narrator. The plot revolves around Paxton's growing infatuation with the very attractive Madame Célestin, while he counsels her to divorce Célestin, her abusive husband. As is typical in most of Kate Chopin's writing, the characters’ emotional situations, as well as their regional idiosyncrasies, direct the outcome of the plot.

The story begins with a description of Madame Célestin, a young Creole housewife, busy...

Madame Célestin's Divorce | Madame Célestin's Divorce

At a glance:

The Story

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