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Women during the 1800s
Women during the 1800s
Women during the 1800s
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family and from pursuing her own interests. Unhappy with her conditions, Edna rebels against them, however this results in her not being accepted in society. Thus, Edna deliberately sacrifices her freedom in a way which Edna’s value of free nonconformity. The sacrifice goes hand-in-hand with the meaning of the work as a whole that there is no place in society for those who do not conform to its expectations. A misogynistic and sexist time, the Victorian Era envisage and encloses women into a certain image that they are meant to be devoted, subordinate and more-or-less obsessed with their husband and family.
“She grew daring and reckless, overestimating her strength. She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before” (47). In The Awakening, the narrator, Kate Chopin writes the eye opening story of Edna Pontellier. One summer, Edna, her husband, Leonce, and her kids go to a resort in Grand Isle for vacation. There Edna made several friends who change her life.
“If you love something you must set it free, and if it returns then it was meant to be”. This quote is fewer or more words demonstrates the beauty in releasing something for the greater good, which is exactly what took place in the story “The Awakening”. In the story “The Awakening” by Kate Chopin the author uses symbols and motifs through her main character, Edna, to illuminate her feelings and define her actions. In “The Awakening” the author uses her main character Edna to illuminate independence and coming to her personal realization or “an awakening”, through the use of motifs.
Hulan (Hayley) Munkhtuya The concept of perspective is a complex mixture between opinion, interpretation, and past experience. It varies greatly between individuals in modern times, yet the variance is made apparent when comparing past to present. The novel written by Kate Chopin, "The Awakening", follows the story of a young woman by the name of Edna Pontellier. It is a journey of escaping the conformity of society and realizing individuality. The novel was written in the Victorian Era, between 1897 and 1899; set in the year 1899 at Grand Isle, Louisiana.
Influences of Kate Chopin and the Awakening There are many works of literature that critics have disregarded as inappropriate in their own time; this kind of awakened writing is precisely how Chopin writes in The Awakening. The Awakening is now seen as an insightful and moving piece. It is empowering to the everyday woman and played an essential role in the early feminist movement. Influenced by other’s ideas Kate Chopin uses social norms, and religion to create an awakened character in need of a transformation, all of which is intensified through her use of stimulating diction. Kate Chopin was born Katherine O’Flaherty to Thomas O’Flaherty and Eliza Faris on February 8, 1851, in St. Louis, Missouri.
In the wise words of Sir Isaac Newton,”For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,” which applies to physics, but could also apply to philosophy. Many people fear outrageous decisions because they cause a reaction that is unfavorable. This is especially true in the modern day politics, in deciding choices that would be good for the society. One considerable change that would benefit the society would be a lesser emphasis on laboring, but this shift could cause some unthought of results. The biggest fear that people have when discussing the future of employment would be the anxiety that robots will dominate the workforce and humans will no longer be necessary.
Keir Nason AP English Literature and Composition Mrs. Schroeder January 3, 2018 Politics and literature are far from strange bedfellows. Social commentary and allegory have been tools in the literary toolbox since Ancient Greece, with Plato’s Allegory of The Cave being one of the earliest forms of the device. Science fiction is an entire genre that, at least to a degree, is based upon the premise of looking at the problems of today through the eyes of tomorrow. Oftentime, authors seek to tackle the issues of their time within their writing, and Kate Chopin was no different when she published her final work The Awakening in 1899. At the time of The Awakening’s release, many works strived to address the rights of women, with the Suffragette
Awakening In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve experienced a sudden moment of realization, they become aware of themselves and their surroundings. This “awareness” led to their demise and created a door for sin. Likewise, the main character in the novel “The Awakening” experiences a sudden moment of awareness. Like many women of her time, she tried to follow the tracks laid out for her, trying to please the eyes of the people.
The Awakening is a novel written by Kate Chopin that follows a woman named Edna Pontellier on her journey to self-awareness. Edna lived a comfortable lifestyle with her husband and two children in Louisiana during the 19th century. Despite obtaining all aspects to a perfect life, Edna became dissatisfied after meeting Robert Lebrun in Grand Isle. Robert sparked a desire for unlawful lust as well as a yearning for independence in a society full of conformed standards. Edna was unable to handle the pressures associated with achieving personal freedom which ultimately led to her death.
In the late 1800s, nearly all women were viewed as subservient, inferior, second class females that lived their lives in a patriarchal and chauvinist society. Women often had no voice, identity, or independence during that time period. Moreover, women dealt with the horrors of social norms and the gender opposition of societal norms. The primary focus and obligation for a woman to obtain during the 1800s was to serve her husband and to obey to anything he said. Since women were not getting the equality, freedom, or independence that they desired, Kate Chopin, an independent-minded female American novelist of the late 1800s expressed the horrors, oppressions, sadness, and oppositions that women of that time period went through.
Monumental strides have been made when looking at the treatment of women in today's society, compared to the treatment of women in the early 20th century. In today's society, a woman can survive on her own, with no companion to assist in her sustainability. However, in New Orleans creole culture circa 1899, women were not given any opportunity to express any form of individualism. The objectification of women in the early 20th century is exemplified by the women in Kate Chopin’s feminist novel The Awakening.
In the 19th century, a group of people launched the suffrage movement, and they cared about women’s political rights, their property and their body liberty. Born in that age, Kate Chopin was aware of the importance of setting an example for those who were taken in by the reality and poor women to be an inspiration. So we call her a forerunner of the feminist author for every effort she put in advocating women’s sexuality, their self-identity and women’s own strength. When people were ashamed of talking about sexuality, Kate Chopin stood out and call for women’s sexual autonomy.
In Kate Chopin 's novel The Awakening and the short story “The Story of An Hour” feminist beliefs overshadow the value in moral and societal expectations during the turn of the century. Due to Louise Mallard and Edna Pontellier Victorian life style they both see separating from their husband as the beginning of their freedom. Being free from that culture allows them to invest in their personal interest instead of being limited to what 's expected of them. Chopin 's sacrifices her own dignity for the ideal of society’s expectations. Chopin 's sad, mysterious tone seems to support how in their era, there was a significant lack of women 's rights and freedom of expression.
For example, “I always feel so sorry for women who don’t like to walk; they miss so much.many rare little glimpses of life; and we women learn so little of life on the whole” (Chopin 165). This emphasizes the richness and complexity of life and how women who are held back and have little to no experience miss out on feelings of freedom and independence. Though it was initially criticized when first released, Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, has persisted as a significant work in American literature. Its exploration of themes such as individualism and feminism resonates with all women from the nineteenth century to the modern day. Understanding the relevance and controversies of The Awakening illustrates the struggles faced by women in past areas, which serves as a reminder to advocate for gender equality.
Kate Chopin uses self experiences of feminism that she faced to create her novel “The Awakening”. "she experienced a revival in the latter part of the twentieth century because of her concerns with women 's issues, especially their freedom from societal (particularly masculine) mandates” (Timko). Kate Chopin was recognized more in the later part of the twentieth century because of concerns she had with the women 's issues for their freedom and the social aspect of their male partners. With the concerns that Chopin had for the freedom of the women and the social part of their relationship with men and had decided to show her concerns through the novel. especially her concern with women 's issues.