/ Class 12 English, NEB
Class 12 English Short Story A Respectable Woman Complete Guide (NEB New Syllabus) | Notes, Exercise Solutions & Summary | Literature
Importantedunotes.com
Back to English Notes

Welcome to your premier destination for the Class 12 English Short Story A Respectable Woman academic syllabus. This complete online textbook companion offers fully resolved answers to all end-of-chapter questions and literature context exercises.

Through this comprehensive resource on Class 12 English Short Story A Respectable Woman, you will delve into profound literary themes regarding internal psychological conflict, marital boundaries, societal expectations of Victorian-era women, and unspoken desires as depicted by Kate Chopin.

To acquire more context on the author and her groundbreaking feminist literary works, you can explore the life and literary history of Kate Chopin online.

Access our general index for additional chapters here: Class 12 English Notes.

Class 12 English Short Story A Respectable Woman study notes

1. Class 12 English Short Story A Respectable Woman: Understanding the Text

Answer the following questions based on the short story.
a. Why was Mrs. Baroda unhappy with the information about Gouvernail’s visit to their farm?
Mrs. Baroda was unhappy with the information about Gouvernail’s visit to their farm because she was eagerly looking forward to a much-needed period of unbroken rest and an undisturbed tête-à-tête (private conversation) with her husband after entertaining so many winter guests.
b. How was Gouvernail different from Mrs. Baroda’s expectation?
Mrs. Baroda had preemptively formed an image of Gouvernail in her mind as tall, slim, cynical, with eyeglasses, and keeping his hands in his pockets; but he was very different from her expectation. He was slim enough, but he wasn’t very tall nor very cynical, neither did he wear glasses nor constantly carry his hands in his pockets.
c. How does Mrs. Baroda compare Gouvernail with her husband?
Mrs. Baroda compares Gouvernail with her husband primarily by their level of frankness. Mr. Gaston Baroda, her husband, was highly frank and chatty, but Gouvernail was not frank at all; rather, he was a quite silent and reserved person.
d. Why and how did Mrs. Baroda try to change Gouvernail’s solitary habits?
Mrs. Baroda was a naturally frank and sociable woman and wanted Gouvernail to be frank, chatty, and demanding to make him feel more at home. She actively tried to change Gouvernail’s solitary habits by being exceptionally frank, accompanying him on walks, and offering overly wordy hospitality to break his silence.
e. How does Gaston disagree with his wife on Gouvernail’s character?
Mrs. Baroda was taking Gouvernail’s quietness very seriously and felt he was uninteresting. Gaston disagrees with his wife on Gouvernail’s character by saying that Gouvernail actually gave no trouble to her and that he simply didn’t like commotion or fuss, defending his friend’s easygoing nature.
f. Why is Gaston surprised with his wife’s expression towards the end of the story?
Gaston is thoroughly surprised with his wife’s expression towards the end of the story because she initially never liked the arrival of Gouvernail and even left the plantation to avoid him. But at the end, she proposed, wholly from herself, to have Gouvernail visit them again.

2. Class 12 English Short Story A Respectable Woman: 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?

The primary cause of internal conflict in Mrs. Baroda’s mind is her sudden, unexpected physical attraction towards Gouvernail battling against her deep-seated fear of society’s judgment. Being a “respectable woman,” Mrs. Baroda firmly controls her dangerous feelings and lets social norms win the immediate battle. During a quiet night on the plantation, she was so intensely attracted to her husband’s friend Gouvernail that she desperately wanted to touch his face and lips with her sensitive fingers. However, she does not do that; she physically walks away and controls herself precisely because she identities primarily as a respectable, married woman bound by strict social propriety.

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

Gouvernail is Mr. Baroda’s old college friend who came to spend a week or two resting on his friend’s sugar plantation. Gouvernail is described as a slim and subtly attractive man. He doesn’t wear eyeglasses and he is highly lovable and inoffensive. He is a silent guy who deeply loves peace. He is neither overly frank nor too chatty. He loves to sit quietly on the portico and simply enjoy the cool air with his cigar. He graciously accepts whatever the Baroda couple gives and doesn’t demand anything.

The characters of Gouvernail and his friend Gaston Baroda are virtually opposite. Mr. Baroda is extremely frank, lively, and chatty, but Gouvernail is deeply silent and reflective. Gouvernail smokes cigars, but Mr. Baroda does not. It can be confidently said that Mr. Baroda is a clear extrovert and a much more sociable man, whereas in contrast, Gouvernail is a quiet introvert and a significantly less sociable, contemplative man.

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

As the story subtly implies, there are some psychological battles in life which a human being must fight entirely alone. Mrs. Baroda was deeply ingrained as a respectable woman, and if she were to disclose her confusing, passionate feelings towards Gouvernail to her husband, it could cause a devastatingly serious problem. A husband naturally never likes his wife being attracted to another man, especially a close friend. Many husbands historically have given divorce to their wives after knowing that they are attracted towards another man. Moreover, if she freely reveals her hidden feelings, the lifelong friendship of Mr. Baroda and Gouvernail would be completely destroyed. That’s exactly why Mrs. Baroda chooses not to disclose her feelings towards Gouvernail to her husband, opting instead to leave the house temporarily to protect her marriage.

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?

The last three sentences of the story brilliantly bring a sudden, ambiguous psychological twist. Mrs. Baroda secretly liked Gouvernail, but due to the overwhelming fear of society and the fear of the loss of her marital respect, she initially didn’t want Gouvernail to ever come to their house again. But at the very end, she proposed, wholly from herself, to have Gouvernail visit them again next year. She confidently said to her husband, “I have overcome everything! You will see. This time I shall be very nice to him”.

After reading this, one could analyze that Mrs. Baroda has finally overcome the paralyzing fear of society. And now, she will no longer rigidly control herself and will flow with her hidden emotion. One interpretation is that she will do everything her heart secretly wants to do with Gouvernail, hinting at a future affair, as she has promised she will be “very nice to him.” In another point of view, we can argue that she has completely conquered her dangerous feelings and emotions towards Gouvernail and will simply be a normal, polite hostess to him without any internal struggle. The genius of the story lies in this exact, unresolved duality.

3. Class 12 English Short Story A Respectable Woman: Reference Beyond the Text

a. The entry of an outsider into a family has been a recurring subject in both literature and films. Narrate a story real or imaginative where an outsider’s arrival destroys the intimate relationship between the husband and the wife and causes break up in marital relationship without direct fault of anyone. Anton’s Chekhov’s story ‘About Love’ is a story on this subject.

(Here is a narrative summary written by Binod:)

The story of “About Love” has been brilliantly written by the Russian writer Anton Chekhov. “About Love” is a story fundamentally about unspoken love affairs and societal boundaries. Here in this story, the third love story somewhat perfectly reflects the exact same tragic ideas as seen in the story of Kate Chopin’s “A Respectable Woman”.

The third story has presented the poignant, unfulfilled love story of the major character Alyohin and Anna, the beautiful wife of Dimitry Luganovich.

When Alyohin is elected for honorary justice of the peace, he has to go to town for his legal work. There he meets another judge whose name is Dimitry Luganovich. Once, he goes to the house of Luganovich to have a friendly dinner. There he meets Anna Luganovich, the wife of Dimitry. The striking beauty, youth, and sharp intelligence of Anna immediately attract him. Alyohin’s mind becomes heavily disturbed by Anna’s memory. He starts meeting with her regularly. They pass time together for hours. They warmly share gifts. They go to the theatre together and also share their deepest joys and sorrows. Alyohin falls completely in love with her, but his strict middle-class morals and thoughts stop him from expressing his love openly, as he doesn’t want to ruin her respectable family.

As a result of this repressed emotion, Anna suffers from severe mental tiredness. Both of them suffer a lot strictly due to middle-class moralities keeping them apart. Later on, Alyohin sees the illusion that Anna enjoys her life and doesn’t pay attention to him. Finally, the Luganovich family has to move to a different province. Alyohin rushes to say goodbye to Anna inside the train compartment. When their eyes intimately meet for the last time, both break down, cry, and hug each other. Alyohin finally kisses Anna and desperately expresses his deep love. But it is too late; both separate from each other forever because Anna is leaving for Crimea for her medical treatment, leaving their marital and romantic relationships permanently shattered by what could have been.

b. Mrs. Baroda makes an expectation about Gouvernail even before meeting him. Suppose you are a mature girl/boy and your family members are giving you pressure for getting married. Write in about 200 words describing what qualities you would like to get in your future husband/wife.

(Here is an essay on marriage expectations, written by Binod:)

Marriage is an incredibly sacred and vital relationship between two people. Simply, it is the union of two people that creates a permanent family tie and carries profound legal, social, and religious rights and responsibilities. It is a lifetime decision and should be taken very carefully, as our whole emotional life will deeply depend on the decision we take today. Before marriage, we urgently need to think as well as accurately know about the person with whom we are going to get married. It is a lifelong relationship; that’s why we have to choose a perfect life partner wisely, not just based on societal pressure.

If I get intense pressure from my family members for getting married, I would like to have the following core qualities in my future wife:

1. Lovable and caring: My future wife must be highly lovable and caring. She must be empathetic and caring for all my extended family members, creating a warm home.
2. Well-mannered: She must be exceptionally well-mannered. She should be naturally polite, respectful, and well-behaved to all members of society.
3. Beautiful inside and out: She must be beautiful not only from her outward physical appearance but profoundly beautiful from her heart. She should be outstanding in gracefully performing her role in the family.
4. Responsible and respectable: She must be a highly responsible and respectable wife. She must clearly know her responsibilities towards our family and spend her life maintaining our shared dignity.
5. Educated: She must be highly qualified and intellectually sharp. She must possess the quality of making others actively realize the critical importance of education in life.

Explore Notes for Other Subjects

Class 12 Nepali Social Studies Economics Physics Chemistry Biology Mathematics Computer Science
Copying content is not allowed on this website. Attempting to copy may result in a redirect.

Related Posts

Scroll to Top