Clothing In The Awakening

During the Victorian Era, women are looked down upon on, and the idea of this is being expressed in many ways in daily life. Their clothing were tide and inconvenient to restricting them to fulfill daily tasks. The main character Edna wore different clothes from other mother women to resemble herself rather than doing what others expects from her. Kate Chopin, one of the greatest American writers who believed in Naturalism, implies her perspective of the restrictions for women and the societal expectations that placed on women into her writings. The idea of the desire of freedom but inability to control it, and eventually yield in front of the societal expectations. In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, the main character Edna chose to confront

Pontellier’s absences, Edna’s striking clothing and discontented attitude towards her relationship with her husband that’s demonstrated through the engage ring illustrates Edna’s progression on revealing her liberty and her control in the public. When Mr. Pontellier left after dining with Edna, Edna presents her anger and dissatisfaction on her husband’s attitude through her action by “flung” the engagement “ring” on the “carpet” (52). The use of diction on ring gives it symbolic meaning beyond its literal meaning. During the Victorian era, men shows off their ownership by putting a ring on women’s hand to examine their control over women. The fact that Edna flung it onto the carpet suggests her desire to escape from this absolute dominance from Mr. Pontellier and regain her liberty, but due to the protection from the carpet, Edna causes no damage to the ring making this action contradictory. Edna’s lack of control and obedience from societal forces which is reflected through the ring causing her to realize the obstacles and limitations of the society that placed upon her. After Robert went to Mexico, Enda finds her relief from communicating to Mademoiselle Reisz which she “removes” her “gloves” (79) after she arrives at Reize’s house. Removes and gloves are being used as diction due to the significance of hands, which is symbolizing control and aging. Gloves often time is used to protect hands, but at the same time, conceals them. As Edna removes her gloves and

The clothing symbolizes the desire that Edna is looking up to and eventually revealing her whole body and give up her life for her children also resemble the cruelness and how unfair for women during Victorian Era. Labor is a natural process that every woman needs to experience, and the result is children. This process is human nature and is irresistible, and the fact that Edna gave up her life in front of human nature relates the idea of Naturalism believe that nature is the law and forces that rule the world, and Edna herself cannot change the natural