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Abstract： In the 19th century， the great development of science and industry in the United States brought about great changes in the way of people's life. At the same time， Darwinism became the leading philosophical thoughts in the society， and it greatly influenced people's attitude towards life. The co-effect of the violent competing world and Darwinism greatly helped people in forming the prevailed attitudes toward life， and these attitudes were largely reflected in a great number of literary works known as the naturalistic writing.Kate Chopin was one of the naturalist writers at that time. This paper， taking Chopin's three famous short stories as examples and by analyzing their main features， revealed her naturalistic views of life.
Key words： naturalism；naturalist；Darwinism
Kate Chopin was born in 1851 in St. Louis and died in 1904. Most of her life was living in the second half of the 19thcentury， which is the prosperous time for the spreading of naturalistic points of view. At the age of thirty-five， after her husband and her mother died， Chopin was left essentially alone to raise her children and to fashion a literary career out of her experience of Louisiana life and her reading of such French contemporary realists as Emile Zola and Guy de Maupassant. Therefore， philosophically， she can be classed as a naturalist writer.
In common with other naturalist writers， Chopin accepted naturalism's assumption that human character is the result of an individual's hereditary and environment， its assertion that the individual will is helpless against those forces. Like other naturalists， Chopin takes an objective， almost scientific perspective in reporting characters' thoughts and actions. The narrator's comments stress the physical aspect of settings and record the characters' sensual responses to their surroundings. The narrator seldom， if ever， passes a judgement on the character's behavior： moral conclusions are conspicuously absent from the texts.
In Chopin's naturalistic view of the human condition， "persons cannot arrive at a satisfactory sense of whom they are unless they fulfill or sublimate three basic needs： the need for a place in the social order where they feel that they belong， the need for human love， and the need for a sense of their own individual sovereignty. These three needs Chopin regards as universal human drives， and she portrays all sorts of characters as they attempt to cope with the conflicts inherent among these requirements. Furthermore， since she experienced these needs and the conflicts among them from a woman's point of view， her works naturally reflect this perception."
Now I'd like to reveal the deep naturalistic elements that are contained in Chopin's three famous stories.
First， I want to take The Story of an Hour as an example to show how Kate Chopin expresses her naturalistic opinions in the novel.
The Story of an Hour， one of her most powerful efforts， offers provocative glimpse of the complexities in marriage. It tells of Mrs. Mallard's reaction to the sudden and unexpected news that her husband has been killed in a railroad disaster. At first， there is grief ---- "sudden， wild abandonment"； but when that brief storm is spent and she is alone， a young woman "with a fair calm face， whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength，" Mrs. Mallard begins to experience something quite different. Her husband had been killed， yet her bosom rose and fell tumultuously. She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her， and she was striving to beat it back with her will .
When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath： "free， free， free!"
She did not stop to ask if it were not a monstrous joy that held her. A clear and exalted perception enabled her to dismiss the suggestion as trivial .
There would be no one to live for her during those coming years； she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow creature.
And yet she had loved him---sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter! What could love， the unsolved mystery， count for in face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!
"Free! Body and soul free!" she kept whispering.
Her thoughts run wildly， and she tells herself that it is the very elixir of life that she is drinking from this moment of tragic death. And then， abruptly， she is interrupted. The front door opens， and her husband enters. He had not caught the train， after all； he has been spared. But his wife has not. When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease——of joy that kills.
From the story we can see， Mrs. Mallard， when she heard the news of her husband's death， first she showed her grief and sadness. I think， she was so doing is out of the social pressure. Because when her husband was alive， she might be considered a good wife. So， at this moment， the social rules require her to act as this. But when that brief storm is over， she began to recognize that her husband had died， she was alone， and the former bondage that the family cast over her was thrown away. Now her instinct， her surviving purposes and her basic living requirement began to urge her to dream of a happy free life， so she felt excited. But finally， when her husband unexpectedly appeared at the door， she died. Then we may wonder， what's the reason for her death? Even if it is the "joy that kills" her， then what kind of joy it is. Here， Chopin described Mrs. Mallard's physical and psychological changes in a very objectively way， there is no omniscient voice to explain or moralize Mrs. Mallard's hysteric joy. It merely stands， stark and matters of fact. The story ends without any comment from the author. So， from this novel， we can see very clearly the above naturalistic elements.
Second， I want to take Desiree's Baby as an example to show the naturalistic elements in it.
Desiree's Baby is one of Kate Chopin's best known works. Desiree is a girl adopted by the well-to-do Valmonde family. Nothing was known of her origins， but the Valmondes have reared her with great affection （having no children of their own）； and when the time comes， Desiree marries well. Armand Aubigny， a passionate， aristocratic youth---himself bereft of a mother from youth---sweeps the young girl off her feet. The story opens with the fact of Desiree's recent accouchement. At first， everything is blissful； Desiree has never been happier， and her husband is overjoyed finally to have a complete family of his own blood. Yet， as the days pass， some peculiar pall descends over the nursery： the servants speak in whispers； Madam Valmonde grows wary and reticent； and Armand begins to behave with relentless and random cruelty.At last， Desiree， still so much a child herself， turns tearfully to the husband whom she has trusted： "Tell me what it means!' She cried despairingly.It means'， he answered lightly，that the child is not white； it means that you are not white.' "
Afterward， Armand cannot endure her presence. In her misery， Desiree writes to Madame Valmonde， and the kind woman welcomes her adopted daughter and grandson to come home. Desiree goes to take her leave of the still-beloved husband， but he will not speak to her nor even glance in her direction. Desolated， Desiree departs， carrying her son：
She did not take the broad， beaten road which led to the far-off plantation of Valmonde. She walked across a deserted field， where the stubble bruised her tender feet， so delicately shod， and store her thin gown to shreds.
She disappeared among the reeds and willows that grew thick along the bands of the deep， sluggish bayou； and she did not come back again.
Several weeks later， Armand is burning all of their personal effects so that he might obliterate the memory of that shameful union.Quite by accident he comes upon a letter from his own mother---a woman whom he scarcely remembers.
He read it. She was thanking God for the blessing of her husband's love：
"But， above all，" she wrote， "night and day I thank the good God for having so arranged our lives that our dear Armand will never know that his mother， who adores him， belongs to the race that is cursed with the brand of slavery."
And with these words， the story ends.
From this story we can see， Armand and Desiree， they love each other， they could have a very happy life for all their life. But it is only because their son has some black color， their love turns into hatred. Desiree， a girl who strongly desires of love and happiness， can not bear the despise which is suddenly overcastted on her， take her child and goes to the bayou， chooses death with her child as her fate. So， from here we can see， Desiree shouldn't have died， she could go to her mother's home， or she could persuade Armand and still stays in their home. But I think， she had made a deep thinking about her action， that is， even if she could live on， and her mother loves her， but how could she face the strong social discrimination in her future life. Therefore， her destiny is controlled and dominated by the social environment that she is living in， and before the strong social forces， she is helplessness. For naturalists， "race" （blood， or nature）， "milieu" （setting and social status）， and "temp" （era） constitute fate. So， under the social circumstances， she has no choice but death. These are the typical elements of the naturalistic points of view.
Third， I want to take The Storm as an example to show the naturalistic elements in Chopin's works. This novel is Chopin's last important story， which remained unpublished until 1969. In this story， Chopin portrays the adultery between a couple of former lovers. Here， the settings of the story， the descriptions to the weather and environment are all worked as the factors to encourage the couple to satisfy their sexual desire freely. They are human beings， have their own animal instincts， under such an environmental condition， the strong natural force has controlled their actions. In the novel， the woman， Calixta， simply satisfies her needs as a housewife， a woman and an independent individual without reflecting upon the conflicts among them. So， as the storm passed， both of the two lovers and their families were happy. Here we can see， there is no moral conscience existed. Chopin doesn't make any comments about the couple's activity， she just objectively described it. Because from the naturalistic points of view， people's activities are decided or driven by surviving purposes， by the basic living requirements， for example， fear hungry or sexual desires. Therefore， they take a non-moral attitude toward people's life， neither blame nor advocate any of people's actions. These are the basic naturalistic elements in Chopin's works.
Therefore， from all the above analysis we can see， Chopin's works have strong naturalistic ideas in them. Generally， she takes an objective perspective in reporting characters' thoughts and actions， stresses the physical aspect of settings， records the characters' sensual responses to their surroundings， assumes that human character is the result of an individual's hereditary and environment， and seldom passes a judgement on the characters' behavior. And these naturalistic elements， through my above analysis， are clearly seen in her works.
The Bibliographies：
［1］Shi Zhikang，An Outline of Backgrounds of American Literature，Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press， 1998.
［2］Nina Baym，The Norton Anthology of American Literature，Fourth Edition， Volume 2， W. W. Norton & Company， Inc.， 1994.
［3］ Barbara Perkins，Women's Work： An Anthology of American Literature，McGraw-Hill， Inc. 1994.
［4］ Leonard Unger，American Writers，Supplement I， Part I，Charles Scribner's Sons， 1979.
［5］Harold Bloom， Modern Critical Views——Kate Chopin，Chelsea House Publishers， New York， Philadelphia， 1987.
［6］Peggy Shaggs， Kate Chopin，G. K. Hall &Company， 1985， Twayne Publishers.
［7］The Awakening by Kate Chopin， A Bantam Book， Bantam Classic edition / October， 1981. Bantam reissue /August， 1992.
［8］Lynda S. Boren and Sara de Saussure Davis，Kate Chopin Reconsidered / Beyond the Bayou，Louisiana State University Press， 1992，Baton Rouge and London.
Key words： naturalism；naturalist；Darwinism
Kate Chopin was born in 1851 in St. Louis and died in 1904. Most of her life was living in the second half of the 19thcentury， which is the prosperous time for the spreading of naturalistic points of view. At the age of thirty-five， after her husband and her mother died， Chopin was left essentially alone to raise her children and to fashion a literary career out of her experience of Louisiana life and her reading of such French contemporary realists as Emile Zola and Guy de Maupassant. Therefore， philosophically， she can be classed as a naturalist writer.
In common with other naturalist writers， Chopin accepted naturalism's assumption that human character is the result of an individual's hereditary and environment， its assertion that the individual will is helpless against those forces. Like other naturalists， Chopin takes an objective， almost scientific perspective in reporting characters' thoughts and actions. The narrator's comments stress the physical aspect of settings and record the characters' sensual responses to their surroundings. The narrator seldom， if ever， passes a judgement on the character's behavior： moral conclusions are conspicuously absent from the texts.
In Chopin's naturalistic view of the human condition， "persons cannot arrive at a satisfactory sense of whom they are unless they fulfill or sublimate three basic needs： the need for a place in the social order where they feel that they belong， the need for human love， and the need for a sense of their own individual sovereignty. These three needs Chopin regards as universal human drives， and she portrays all sorts of characters as they attempt to cope with the conflicts inherent among these requirements. Furthermore， since she experienced these needs and the conflicts among them from a woman's point of view， her works naturally reflect this perception."
Now I'd like to reveal the deep naturalistic elements that are contained in Chopin's three famous stories.
First， I want to take The Story of an Hour as an example to show how Kate Chopin expresses her naturalistic opinions in the novel.
The Story of an Hour， one of her most powerful efforts， offers provocative glimpse of the complexities in marriage. It tells of Mrs. Mallard's reaction to the sudden and unexpected news that her husband has been killed in a railroad disaster. At first， there is grief ---- "sudden， wild abandonment"； but when that brief storm is spent and she is alone， a young woman "with a fair calm face， whose lines bespoke repression and even a certain strength，" Mrs. Mallard begins to experience something quite different. Her husband had been killed， yet her bosom rose and fell tumultuously. She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her， and she was striving to beat it back with her will .
When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath： "free， free， free!"
She did not stop to ask if it were not a monstrous joy that held her. A clear and exalted perception enabled her to dismiss the suggestion as trivial .
There would be no one to live for her during those coming years； she would live for herself. There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a private will upon a fellow creature.
And yet she had loved him---sometimes. Often she had not. What did it matter! What could love， the unsolved mystery， count for in face of this possession of self-assertion which she suddenly recognized as the strongest impulse of her being!
"Free! Body and soul free!" she kept whispering.
Her thoughts run wildly， and she tells herself that it is the very elixir of life that she is drinking from this moment of tragic death. And then， abruptly， she is interrupted. The front door opens， and her husband enters. He had not caught the train， after all； he has been spared. But his wife has not. When the doctors came they said she had died of heart disease——of joy that kills.
From the story we can see， Mrs. Mallard， when she heard the news of her husband's death， first she showed her grief and sadness. I think， she was so doing is out of the social pressure. Because when her husband was alive， she might be considered a good wife. So， at this moment， the social rules require her to act as this. But when that brief storm is over， she began to recognize that her husband had died， she was alone， and the former bondage that the family cast over her was thrown away. Now her instinct， her surviving purposes and her basic living requirement began to urge her to dream of a happy free life， so she felt excited. But finally， when her husband unexpectedly appeared at the door， she died. Then we may wonder， what's the reason for her death? Even if it is the "joy that kills" her， then what kind of joy it is. Here， Chopin described Mrs. Mallard's physical and psychological changes in a very objectively way， there is no omniscient voice to explain or moralize Mrs. Mallard's hysteric joy. It merely stands， stark and matters of fact. The story ends without any comment from the author. So， from this novel， we can see very clearly the above naturalistic elements.
Second， I want to take Desiree's Baby as an example to show the naturalistic elements in it.
Desiree's Baby is one of Kate Chopin's best known works. Desiree is a girl adopted by the well-to-do Valmonde family. Nothing was known of her origins， but the Valmondes have reared her with great affection （having no children of their own）； and when the time comes， Desiree marries well. Armand Aubigny， a passionate， aristocratic youth---himself bereft of a mother from youth---sweeps the young girl off her feet. The story opens with the fact of Desiree's recent accouchement. At first， everything is blissful； Desiree has never been happier， and her husband is overjoyed finally to have a complete family of his own blood. Yet， as the days pass， some peculiar pall descends over the nursery： the servants speak in whispers； Madam Valmonde grows wary and reticent； and Armand begins to behave with relentless and random cruelty.At last， Desiree， still so much a child herself， turns tearfully to the husband whom she has trusted： "Tell me what it means!' She cried despairingly.It means'， he answered lightly，that the child is not white； it means that you are not white.' "
Afterward， Armand cannot endure her presence. In her misery， Desiree writes to Madame Valmonde， and the kind woman welcomes her adopted daughter and grandson to come home. Desiree goes to take her leave of the still-beloved husband， but he will not speak to her nor even glance in her direction. Desolated， Desiree departs， carrying her son：
She did not take the broad， beaten road which led to the far-off plantation of Valmonde. She walked across a deserted field， where the stubble bruised her tender feet， so delicately shod， and store her thin gown to shreds.
She disappeared among the reeds and willows that grew thick along the bands of the deep， sluggish bayou； and she did not come back again.
Several weeks later， Armand is burning all of their personal effects so that he might obliterate the memory of that shameful union.Quite by accident he comes upon a letter from his own mother---a woman whom he scarcely remembers.
He read it. She was thanking God for the blessing of her husband's love：
"But， above all，" she wrote， "night and day I thank the good God for having so arranged our lives that our dear Armand will never know that his mother， who adores him， belongs to the race that is cursed with the brand of slavery."
And with these words， the story ends.
From this story we can see， Armand and Desiree， they love each other， they could have a very happy life for all their life. But it is only because their son has some black color， their love turns into hatred. Desiree， a girl who strongly desires of love and happiness， can not bear the despise which is suddenly overcastted on her， take her child and goes to the bayou， chooses death with her child as her fate. So， from here we can see， Desiree shouldn't have died， she could go to her mother's home， or she could persuade Armand and still stays in their home. But I think， she had made a deep thinking about her action， that is， even if she could live on， and her mother loves her， but how could she face the strong social discrimination in her future life. Therefore， her destiny is controlled and dominated by the social environment that she is living in， and before the strong social forces， she is helplessness. For naturalists， "race" （blood， or nature）， "milieu" （setting and social status）， and "temp" （era） constitute fate. So， under the social circumstances， she has no choice but death. These are the typical elements of the naturalistic points of view.
Third， I want to take The Storm as an example to show the naturalistic elements in Chopin's works. This novel is Chopin's last important story， which remained unpublished until 1969. In this story， Chopin portrays the adultery between a couple of former lovers. Here， the settings of the story， the descriptions to the weather and environment are all worked as the factors to encourage the couple to satisfy their sexual desire freely. They are human beings， have their own animal instincts， under such an environmental condition， the strong natural force has controlled their actions. In the novel， the woman， Calixta， simply satisfies her needs as a housewife， a woman and an independent individual without reflecting upon the conflicts among them. So， as the storm passed， both of the two lovers and their families were happy. Here we can see， there is no moral conscience existed. Chopin doesn't make any comments about the couple's activity， she just objectively described it. Because from the naturalistic points of view， people's activities are decided or driven by surviving purposes， by the basic living requirements， for example， fear hungry or sexual desires. Therefore， they take a non-moral attitude toward people's life， neither blame nor advocate any of people's actions. These are the basic naturalistic elements in Chopin's works.
Therefore， from all the above analysis we can see， Chopin's works have strong naturalistic ideas in them. Generally， she takes an objective perspective in reporting characters' thoughts and actions， stresses the physical aspect of settings， records the characters' sensual responses to their surroundings， assumes that human character is the result of an individual's hereditary and environment， and seldom passes a judgement on the characters' behavior. And these naturalistic elements， through my above analysis， are clearly seen in her works.
The Bibliographies：
［1］Shi Zhikang，An Outline of Backgrounds of American Literature，Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press， 1998.
［2］Nina Baym，The Norton Anthology of American Literature，Fourth Edition， Volume 2， W. W. Norton & Company， Inc.， 1994.
［3］ Barbara Perkins，Women's Work： An Anthology of American Literature，McGraw-Hill， Inc. 1994.
［4］ Leonard Unger，American Writers，Supplement I， Part I，Charles Scribner's Sons， 1979.
［5］Harold Bloom， Modern Critical Views——Kate Chopin，Chelsea House Publishers， New York， Philadelphia， 1987.
［6］Peggy Shaggs， Kate Chopin，G. K. Hall &Company， 1985， Twayne Publishers.
［7］The Awakening by Kate Chopin， A Bantam Book， Bantam Classic edition / October， 1981. Bantam reissue /August， 1992.
［8］Lynda S. Boren and Sara de Saussure Davis，Kate Chopin Reconsidered / Beyond the Bayou，Louisiana State University Press， 1992，Baton Rouge and London.