The novel explores the theme of marital infidelity from the perspective of a wife. The book was widely banned, and it fell out of print for several decades, then was republished in the 1970s. It now is considered a classic of feminist fiction. Chopin reacted to the negative events happening to her by commenting ironically:I never dreamt of Mrs. Pontellier making such a mess of things and working out her own damnation as she did. If I had had the slightest intimation of such a thing I would have excluded her from the company. But when I found out what she was up to, the play was half over and it was then too late.
