Kate Chopin, born February 8, 1850, used her life experiences to express strong opinions to the American public of 1900. Although her work was criticized for her honesty and boldness, by the late 1900s Chopin's work was considered brilliant literature that accurately depicted the women of the late 1800s. The Awakening was Chopin's most famous work, however it nearly ended her writing career due of the violent reaction he received for writing such a truthful novel about women in an era when they were still considered inferior to men. This novel was virtually ignored in the early 1900s because it was considered inappropriate as Chopin was among the first authors of his time to write accurately about a woman's life. Kate Chopin was greatly influenced by the strong single women who raised her, the Southern lifestyle of the 1800s, and the French literature and authors who wrote her highly criticized feminist novel, The Awakening. Kate Chopin was born in St. Louis, Missouri. to Eliza and Thomas O'Flaherty. Born into a wealthy Catholic family, at the age of five Chopin attended the St. Louis Academy of the Sacred Heart, a boarding school run by nuns ("Kate Chopin Biography"). In 1855, two months into Chopin's boarding school, his father was killed in a train accident when a bridge collapsed, and Chopin was taken by his family from the boarding school, although he returned two years later. All widows, Chopin was raised by her mother, grandmother and great-grandmother. No married couple lived in Chopin's house until he was sixteen, but his house was full of brothers, uncles, and cousins. Chopin was the only one of five children to live past the age of twenty-five (Wyatt). The Awakening is a novel about a woman who... middle of paper ...... ended her career and good writing spirit. Five years after the publication of The Awakening, Chopin died of a cerebral hemorrhage in 1904, but led an eventful and influential life. Although his work was not popular among audiences of the early 1900s, Chopin's work was rediscovered around 1970 and has since become known as classic literature by a brilliant author. Works Cited "Kate Chopin". Magill's survey of American literature. Ed. Frank N. Magill. vol. 1. New York: Salem, 1991. 384-91. Print."Kate Chopin Biography." KateChopin.org. Kate Chopin International Society, nd Web. 12 February 2014."The Awakening of Kate Chopin 1899." Novels for students. Ed. Diane Telgen and Kevin Hile.Vol. 3. Detroit: Gale Research, 1998. 45-67. Print.Wyatt, Neal. "Kate Chopin Biography." Kate Chopin Biography. Virginia Commonwealth University, 1995. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.