A Literary Review Of Kate Chopin's The Awakening

Literary Review of The Awakening by Kate Chopin

When I chose this novel, I knew what I was in for Kate Chopin is infamous for shedding an unwelcome light on the domestic lives of women during her time period. A woman cheating on her husband and abandoning her children was rarely heard of happening, and a rare subject of conversation during these times. Edna Pontellier acknowledges her awakening and her urge to break from the submissive habitual life she was imposed on by society, which is one of the books major themes.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin opens with the main character Edna Portlier vacationing with her family on the Grand Isle. The Grand Isle was a popular vacation spot for the wealthy It is clear that Mr. and Mrs. Portlier and

Tragically, she’s only a mere weakling in the end. I adore the imagery of women as birds, however, I believe it is an accurate portrayal of the disconnection that women have with society in this time period. Just the image of the bird in the cage is unsettling, it’s out of place, confined when it should be allowed to roam free. The only escape for a caged bird is death. A woman defying tradition and prejudice, as Mademoiselle Reisz said, is unwelcome and must clearly have really strong wings to fly away. All stories like these have Thelma and Louise type endings. These women awake up in a society that they are no longer welcome to be a part of as they women they have become. Instead of living in a society that will never accept them, and they would have to be untrue to their geniune selves, suicide of course is the only option. Creole women during this period were supposed to be the height of womanhood, expected to I am familiar with more submissive maternal figures. However, I discovered that Adele is not the stereotypical, woman from the 1800’s that I am so accustomed to as a reader. Upon befriending Edna, Adele becomes her gateway drug to her “awakening” through her interaction with her. Edna becomes

I can understand why this book is considered so important in the development of the feminist canon. Equally, I know why it was so widely rejected during Chopin’s era. After reading this novel entirely, I feel disappointed to state that Kate Chopin is just an okay writer. The themes of her stories that I have read and this book just really solidifies her main cause in life; To be a voice to the woman like her characters who she read about. However, when I said before the measures of how she went about proving a point was tactless. Edna, in my opinion, spazzed out and when through what I would like to compare to a combination of an adolescent temper tantrum along co siding with puberty. Kate Chopin addressed issues like women being a prisoner of marriage, society, social graces, and motherhood. However, the women she wrote were cowards. Enda in particular, never quite makes those basic mental baby steps towards a lifestyle of independence. She was spoiled, and coddled, and did not have the courage to become a self sufficient individual. She would have much rather suffered her very selfish death than lead a life where she was not “free”. Society won in this case, however, at least Edna’s death was not a cautionary tale or punishment. It was just the only