The Kiss by Kate Chopin is a story about a girl named Nathalie, a
wealthy man Brantain and Nathalie’s boyfriend Harvy. In the story “The Kiss”
Nathalie is presented as a flirting and coquette girl. She exchanges love for
money. She thinks money is the center of happiness.
{getToc} $title={Table of
Contents}
The
Kiss by Kate Chopin [Summary]
In
the story, in a dim room of a restaurant, an elderly man, Brantain sits in a
shadow. He braves himself to stare at the handsome girl, Nathalie (in
the story, a girl, Nathalie is said to be handsome) who sits in front of the
firelight. The girl calmly strokes her cat and occasionally stares slowly
toward Brantain with small talk. She knows that Brantain loves her. She is
waiting for Brantain confidently to declare his love and she will certainly
accept it.
Brantain
is enormously rich although he is unattractive but Nathalie loves his wealth.
When they pause their talk, a young man, Harvy enters there and gives a passionate
kiss to Nathalie. The girl turns to him and before she warns him of
Brantain's presence, he gives her a passionate kiss. Brantain feels
that he is cheated by Nathalie. Then, Brantain stands and leaves the restaurant
saying "goodbye".
Nathalie
shows her anger toward Harvy for not knocking on the door. But Harvy provides a
reasonable excuse. He says that he and her brother have come to search for her
in the restaurant. Her brother has gone upstairs and he has come there hoping
to find her.
After
this incident, she starts searching Brantain. As she meets him, she makes him
trust her explanation about Harvy and her relationship. She says that Harvy and
her brother are friends, so she considers Harvy as her own brother. Now
Brantain believes her words and they decide to get married.
At
their wedding, Brantain even allows Harvy to kiss his bride
because he does not want to interrupt Harvy and Nathalie's relationship. Harvy
goes to visit Nathalie and says that Brantain has sent him to kiss her.
Knowing the truth, Nathalie becomes happy. Her lips look hungry to kiss him. At
this time, Nathalie is like a chess player who has arranged all pieces
successfully so that she is about to win.
It
means that she has arranged in one place to Brantain in other, she handles
successfully with her boyfriend . Accidentally, Harvy changed his mood and did
not want to kiss Nathalie. He did not want to come in the middle of Nathalie
and Bratain. He said to her that he had stopped kissing any women and kissing
women was so dangerous. However, she was happy getting a rich and wealthy
husband, Brantain.
The
Kiss [Question Answer]
What
is the connotation of "deep shadows" in the first paragraph?
Ans:
The connotation of deep shadows is the right atmosphere to make secrets and
illicit affairs.
Why
does Brantain not mind sitting in the shadows?
Ans:
Brantain does not mind sitting in the shadows because he could talk to the girl
freely and make an illegal love affair with her.
What
is the relationship between Brantain and Nathalie in the story The Kiss?
Ans:
The relationship between Brantain and Nathalie is the unfaithful lover and
beloved. Brantain being ugly, loves Natalie's charming body, and to quench his
sexual desire, gets married to her. Nathalie too for wealth, deserts her
boyfriend, Harvy.
What
type of woman is Nathalie? Do you suppose she will remain faithful to Brantain
in the future?
Ans:
For Nathalie, money is the certificate to getting married. She seems to be slut
to be rich. I think that she does not love anybody from the heart but her love
is only for money and wealth. At any cost, she wants to be wealthy. I do not
think that she will remain faithful to Brantain in the future because she only
loves Brantain's wealth.
If
she loved him truly, on her wedding day, she would not have bright eyes to kiss
Harvy. Somehow, she seems to be a true girlfriend of Harvy because, at her
wedding, she feels happy to kiss him. It indicates that after marriage too, she
would make an illegal affair with a handsome man like Harvy, or a wealthy man
like Brantain.
Retell
the story “The Kiss” as a personal narrative recounted by Mr. Harvy. Imagine
him in his club, telling this tale to a small circle of intimate friends. You
will have to develop his character and motivation a bit to do this, but try to
keep your additions in harmony with the material in Chopin's version of this
story.
Ans:
My friend, sharing a deceitful love story that I faced myself. Once I was in
love with a money-minded girl, Nathalie. She left me because I did not have
sufficient money to get married and settle with her. Before she visited with an
ugly but rich man, Brantain, we were true lovers. We would visit a hotel and
stay in a cozy room taking the entertainment of fire.
One
day, I did not find her until late evening. So, I and her brother went to
search for her. I did not knock on the door where she and I would visit. As I
entered the room where she was and kissed her. Later I knew that she was on a
date with a man. For her obligation, I pretend that I was like her brother.
Later she pretended of forgiving me and behaved as if I was outside. I knew her
problem and accepted to be her brother. Later I knew that she was going to get
married to that wealthy man.
I
wish her happier life and went to the wedding ceremony. Her husband was
innocent so he told me to kiss her but I thought she would soon be a married
woman. So for me, it was a danger to kiss her. I knew she loved me so that she
wished me to kiss her. But I thought to forget her physically & mentally.
What is the tone of the story ‘The Kiss’? How the tone supports the theme of the story?
Ans:
The tone of the story is both joyful and melancholic. The theme of the story is
both comic and tragic. For Harvy, his love ends tragically while Brantain's
love with Nathalie ends comically.
How
does the writer reveal Nathalie's nature and character by describing her first
appearance in the story The Kiss?
Ans:
The writer describes her as very 'handsome', with a certain fine, rich
coloring, healthy, etc. Such description indicates that she is a flirting girl
and wants to attract a rich man with her beauty.
Is
the title of the story appropriate? Give reasons. Also, give a new title that
you think may be more appropriate.
Ans:
In my opinion, the title of the story. "The Kiss", is not suitable
because there is no kiss at the last of the story. The suitable title might be
"unfaithful love" because there is no real love between Brantain and
Nathalie, Nathalie, and Harvy.
Discuss
Nathalie's character.
Ans: Nathalie is a flirting and coquette girl. She exchanges love for money. She thinks money is the center of happiness. For her, love, kindness, affection is secondary while wealth is primary. She wants to kill two birds with an arrow. Neither she can forget Harvy nor she can forget Brantain's wealth. It means that she wants to get pleasure with Harvy's young body and also wants to capture the wealth of an ugly man, Brantain. Anyway, she seeks the support of material prosperity to comfort her entire life.