In the story "A Respectable Woman" by Kate Chopin, we see a glimpse into the life of a married woman who begins to question her loyalty to her husband after her husband invites a male friend to stay with them for a while. In this blog post, we provide a concise summary of the story and include an exercise for students of Class 12 English to help them better understand the themes and motifs explored in the text. So if you're looking for a summary of "A Respectable Woman" or a Class 12 exercise related to the story, keep reading!
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Summary (A Respectable Woman) Grade 12 Compulsory English
The story begins at the plantation where Gostan lived with his wife Mrs. Baroda. Gostan informed his wife Mrs. Baroda about the invitation he gave to his college friend Gouvernail. He said that Gouvernail would stay with them for a week or two. Mrs. Baroda was wishing to spend some time privately with her husband. But the very news of the invitation made her upset. The couple (Mrs. Baroda and Goston) had entertained a good deal during the winter and Mrs. Baroda wanted some rest. She wanted unbroken rest and some private chat with her husband. So, Mrs. Baroda didn’t like her husband’s idea of inviting his friend. However, she accepted what her husband did.
Gostan had talked a lot about his friend Gouvernail with his wife. However, she had never seen Gouvernail. Gostan described his friend as the man of ideas, brilliant, clever, and interesting to his wife. Now, Mrs. Baroda imagined how Gouvernail would look like. She thought that Gouvernail would be slim, tall, cynical. She imagines that he would wear eyeglasses and would put his hands in his pocket.
When Gouvernail arrived, Mrs. Baroda found Gouvernail just opposite of what she had thought about. Gouvernail was not tall. He was not wearing eyeglasses and his hands were not in his pocket. He didn’t look cynical either. The very appearance of Gouvernail impressed Mrs. Baroda. She liked him.
Though she liked the guest Gouvernail, she didn’t find any strong reason for her liking. She didn’t find any such qualities in him that her husband had told her. Gouvernail was rather silent and receptive. He didn’t pay much attention to the homage the couple had paid to him. His manner was courteous towards Mrs. Baroda and Mrs. Baroda liked it.
During his stay at the plantation with Mrs. Baroda and Goston, he remained silent and quiet most of his time. Gouvernail actively listened to the experience of his friend Goston about sugar plantations and he appreciated his lifestyle.
Gouvernail loved the dogs owned by the Baroda family. He expressed his liking towards the dogs by rubbing their legs. But he didn’t like going fishing and shooting birds when proposed by Gaston.
These strange personalities of Gouvernail puzzled Mrs. Baroda. But she still liked him because she found him lovable and inoffensive. Even after staying for a number of days, Mrs. Baroda could not understand Gouvernail. He was often quiet. She thought that Gouvernail must have been feeling uncomfortable to express himself in her presence. So, Mrs. Baroda left Gouvernail with her husband alone. However, he was the same as usual. Now, she planned to give him her company. She took him to the mill and they walked along the batture. During the visit, she constantly tried to understand his personality. But she could not.
Feeling irritated by his behavior, Mrs. Baroda, then, wanted Gouvernail to leave her house. She asked her husband when Gouvernail would be leaving their house. Her husband tried to pacify her telling her not to feel troubled by his presence. She told her husband that Gouvernail was an odd man and he didn’t fit in their house as a guest. She also told her husband that if Gouvernail was like Bostan’s other friends, she would enjoy Gouvernail’s company. She told that Gouvernail was too strange to deal with as a guest.
Mrs. Baroda complained to her husband for what he said about Gouvernail. She said that he was neither interesting nor clever. Since Mrs. Baroda was frustrated by Gouvernail, she planned to go to the city where her aunt Octavie lived. She thought of staying there until Gouvernail left their house.
Now, Mrs. Baroda found herself in trouble. She didn’t find any clear way out of the problem. She couldn’t decide whether to leave her house or not. To calm herself, she went and sat alone upon a bench under an oak tree at the edge of the gravel walk at night.
In the meantime, she heard footsteps coming towards her. It was night and she couldn’t recognize the person. But she noticed the red cigar tip. She understood he was not Gostan because her husband never smoked. She hoped to remain unnoticed. But her white gown was so distinct that Gouvernail identified her. Throwing away his cigar, Gouvernail went and sat beside Mrs. Baroda. He didn’t even think whether she would show any sort of discomfort. Gouvernail justified his visit to Mrs. Baroda by giving her white scarf that her husband gave. She received it and thanked him.
Gouvernail stayed there with Mrs. Baroda murmuring himself about the night. Then, she started talking freely and intimately with Mrs. Baroda about his and Gaston’s college life. Although Gouvernail was talking to Mrs. Baroda, she didn’t understand exactly what he was talking about because she was not thinking of his words. She was just enjoying the tones of his voice.
The very presence of Gouvernail at night made Mrs. Baroda arose sensual feelings towards him. She wanted to reach out her hand in the darkness and touch him with the sensitive tips of her fingers upon the face or the lips. She wanted to draw close to him and whisper against his cheek. However, her dignity as a ‘respectable woman’ prevents her from doing so. The more her impulse grew to bring herself near to Gouvernail, the farther she took away from him. Before Gouvernail felt any such impulses of her, she went home leaving Gouvernail alone there.
At home, she thought of telling her husband what just happened because her husband could guide her with proper suggestions. However, she changed her mind and didn’t reveal anything. She knew that there are some battles in life which a human being must fight alone.
The next morning, before Gaston woke up, she had already departed to the city on a train. She didn’t return to her home until Gouvernail left her home.
As she returned home from the city, her husband Gaston again wanted to invite Gouvernail into their house in the summer. Mrs. Baroda strongly objected to the idea at first. However, she herself proposed to her husband to invite Gouvernail later. Her husband was happy that Mrs. Baroda was changed. She was able to overcome her dislike. She promised her husband that she would properly behave his friend Gouvernail in his next visit.
A Respectable Woman Exercise
a. Why was Mrs. Baroda unhappy with the information about Gouvernail’s visit to their farm?
Answer: Mrs. Baroda was unhappy with the information about Gouvernail's visit to their farm because she was looking forward to a period of unbroken rest and undisturbed tete-a-tete (a private conversation between two people) with her husband.
b. How was Gouvernail different from Mrs. Baroda’s expectation?
Answer: Gouvernail was different from Mrs. Baroda's expectation (आशा) because she imagined him to be tall, slim, cynical, with eyeglasses, and hands in his pockets, but when she met him, he was not like that, he was slim enough, but he wasn’t very tall nor very cynical; neither did he wear eyeglasses nor carry his hands in his pockets.
c. How does Mrs. Baroda compare Gouvernail with her husband?
Answer: Mrs. Baroda compares (तुलना गर्नु) Gouvernail with her husband in a way that she imagined Gouvernail to be tall, slim, cynical, with eyeglasses, and hands in his pockets, but when she met him, he was not like that, he was slim enough, but he wasn’t very tall nor very cynical; neither did he wear eyeglasses nor carry his hands in his pockets.
d. Why and how did Mrs. Baroda try to change Gouvernail’s solitary habits?
Answer: Mrs. Baroda tries to change Gouvernail's solitary (एक्लो) habits by imposing her society upon him, accompanying (साथमा रहेर) him in his idle (सुस्त) strolls (मन्थर चाल) to the mill and walks along the batture. She persistently (persistently) sought to penetrate (पता लगाउनु) the reserve (सङ्कोच) in which he had unconsciously enveloped (घेरिएको) himself.
e. How does Gaston disagree with his wife on Gouvernail’s character?
Answer: Gaston disagrees (असहमत हुनु) with his wife on Gouvernail's character by saying that she is taking Gouvernail too seriously and making a commotion (व्याकुलता) over him, the last thing he would desire or expect.
f. Why is Gaston surprised with his wife’s expression towards the end of the story?
Answer: Gaston is surprised with his wife's expression (अभिव्यक्ति) towards the end of the story because even he can never count upon how she is going to act under given conditions.
A Respectable Woman Class 12 Exercise [Long Questions answer]
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?
Answer: The cause of conflict (द्वन्द्व) in Mrs. Baroda's mind is her feeling of being disturbed by the unexpected (अप्रत्याशित) visit of Gouvernail, her husband's friend. The role that "being a respectable woman" plays in the story is that as a respectable woman, she would like to entertain guests, make them feel comfortable, but she had been looking forward to a period of unbroken rest, now, and undisturbed tete-a-tete (a private conversation between two people) with her husband, and Gouvernail's visit disrupts (अस्त-व्यस्त गर्नु) this.
b. Sketch the character of Gouvernail and contrast it with Gaston.
Answer: Gouvernail is a man who is slim and polite, but he is not very tall nor very cynical, neither does he wear eyeglasses nor carry his hands in his pockets. He is someone who sits rather mute (मौन) and receptive (ग्रहण गर्ने) before Mrs. Baroda's chatty eagerness (उत्सुकता) to make him feel at home. He likes to sit upon the wide portico (खम्बै खम्बाले अडाएको छाना) in the shade of one of the big Corinthian pillars, smoking his cigar lazily and listening attentively to Gaston’s experience as a sugar planter. He is described as a lovable, inoffensive (हानी नगर्ने) fellow. In contrast, Gaston is portrayed as a sociable and talkative (कुरा गर्ने) person who is a sugar planter and a good host.
c. Why does Mrs. Baroda not disclose her feelings towards Gouvernail to her husband?
Answer: Mrs. Baroda does not disclose (देखाउनु) her feelings towards Gouvernail to her husband because she is trying to understand Gouvernail's personality and she is not sure of her feelings towards him.
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?
Answer: The last three sentences of the story bring a kind of twist (मोडिनु) because Mrs. Baroda's attitude towards Gouvernail is not clear. She is puzzled by his personality (व्यक्तित्व), but she likes him. After a few days, when she could understand him no better than at first, she gave over being puzzled and remained piqued. Gaston finds Mrs. Baroda's feelings and actions towards Gouvernail to be unpredictable (अप्रत्याशित).
Class 12 English A Respectable Woman Exercise [Extra question answers]
Why was Mrs. Baroda initially annoyed when she learned Gouvernail was coming to stay with them?
Answer: Mrs. Baroda was looking forward to a period of unbroken rest and undisturbed tete-a-tete (a private conversation between two people) with her husband, when he informed her that Gouvernail was coming up to stay a week or two.
What traits did Mrs. Baroda expect Gouvernail to have?
Answer: Mrs. Baroda imagined (कल्पना गरेको) Gouvernail to be tall, slim, cynical, with eyeglasses, and hands in his pockets.
What does Gouvernail like to do during his stay at the plantation?
Answer: Gouvernail likes to sit upon the wide portico (खम्बै खम्बाले अडाएको छाना) in the shade of one of the big Corinthian pillars, smoking his cigar lazily and listening attentively (ध्यानपूर्वक) to Gaston’s experience as a sugar planter. He also likes to get on familiar terms with the big dogs that come around him, rubbing themselves socially against his legs.
What is Mrs. Baroda's opinion of Gouvernail's personality?
Answer: Mrs. Baroda finds Gouvernail's personality to be puzzling (अचम्म लाग्ने), but she likes him. He is a lovable, inoffensive fellow.
Why does Mrs. Baroda leave her husband and Gouvernail alone together after a few days?
Answer: Mrs. Baroda leaves her husband and Gouvernail alone together after a few days so that they can have some private (निजी) chat.
How does Gaston respond to his wife's feelings about Gouvernail?
Answer: Gaston takes his wife's pretty face between his hands and looks tenderly (कोमलतापूर्वक) and laughingly into her troubled (अशान्त) eyes. He tells her that she is full of surprises and that he can never count upon how she will act under given conditions. He also tells her that she is taking poor Gouvernail seriously and making a commotion over him, the last thing he would desire or expect.
What was Gouvernail’s profession?
Answer: Gouvernail was a journalist (पत्रकार).
How does Gouvernail feel about the sugar fields?
Answer: Gouvernail expresses deep satisfaction (सन्तुष्टि) and says "This is what I call living" when the air that swept across the sugar field caressed him with its warm and scented velvety (मखमली) touch.
What does Gouvernail think of the big dogs that come around him?
Answer: Gouvernail likes the big dogs that come around him and he likes to get on familiar (परिचित) terms with them.
Did Gouvernail wear eyeglasses?
Answer: No, Gouvernail did not wear eyeglasses.
How did Gouvernail behave towards Mrs. Baroda?
Answer: Gouvernail's manner was as courteous (विनम्र) towards Mrs. Baroda as the most exacting woman could require, but he made no direct appeal (आग्रह) to her approval (स्वीकृति) or esteem (सम्मान).
What kind of relationship do Gouvernail and Gaston have?
Answer: Gouvernail and Gaston have a friendship (मित्रता) as Gouvernail is Gaston's college friend.
FAQs
Who is the main character in the story A Respectable Woman?
Answer: The main character in the short story "A Respectable Woman" is Mrs. Baroda.
Is Mrs. Baroda a respectable woman?
Answer: Mrs. Baroda is presented as a respectable woman in the story. Mrs. Baroda is able to preserve her identity by controlling her impulses and paying attention to her guest.
What is the main message or moral of the story "A Respectable Woman"?
Answer: A Respectable Woman's main message or moral is that even the most respectable and virtuous individuals sometimes fall prey to impulses, and that such desires can often lead to internal conflict and moral ambiguity.
Who are the characters in A Respectable Woman?
Answer: The characters in A Respectable Woman are: a) Mrs. Baroda; b) Gaston Baroda (Mrs. Baroda's husband); c) Gouvernail (a college friend of Mrs. Baroda's husband).