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That mystic garland which the spring did twine
Of scented lilac and the new-blown rose,
Faster than chains will hold my soul to thine
Thro' joy, and grief, thro' life-unto its close.
("To the Friend of My Youth: To Kitty")
REPEATING THE SYMBOLIC FLOWERS THAT APPEAR IN "LILACS," KATE Chopin composed her last poem in 1900, commemorating the fiftieth birthday of Kitty Garesché (Chopin, Private 298). Two Catherines, Kate and Kitty, met at the Sacred Heart Academy in St. Louis and grew up together, climbing trees, sleeping over at each other's home, immersing themselves in books they both loved, having their First Communion together, and sharing their "heart secrets" (299). When they were thirteen the friendship was abruptly interrupted by the Civil War; Kitty's father was banished from St. Louis because he refused to take the Union oath of allegiance and Kitty, taken in by her aunt, continued her education in New York. They were reunited after five years, only to part again in less than two years: Kitty to life in a convent and Kate to life with Oscar in New Orleans. As the poem shows, the separation did not end their friendship, but there is no doubt that Kitty's decision drastically changed the course and quality of their friendship. Kate must have borne the weight of this experience all through her life; she dwelled on the lives of women inside and outside of the convent in this work and in "Two Portraits."
No one would gainsay the impact Kitty and her choice had on Kate Chopin the writer, but critical interpretations of "Lilacs" itself have differed significantly. Since the early days of Kate Chopin scholarship in the 1970s, critics' assessments as to the reason for Adrienne Farival's banishment from the convent have been divided. For Per Seyersted, it is because "Mme. Farival has lovers" (Kate 111) and the convent punishes her for it. Thomas Bonner, Jr., on the other hand, finds "a growing carnality" in the relationship between Adrienne and Agathe and contends that she is ostracized because the Mother Superior notices "the change in Sister Agathe" (283). The difference lies not only in the causal person/s but also in critics' perceptions as to whether "Lilacs" is a heterosexual or a homosexual story.