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Edna Pointellier In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

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Benjamin Ramirez Period 3 02-27-18 “The awakening essay “ In the novel “ the awakening “ By Kate Chopin The main character Edna Pointellier is driven by an internal struggle that she tries to defy throughout the whole narration of the story ,Edna pointellier was a huge help to the women’s rights movement the title itself helps us realize the true intentions of the novel it’s a very relatable and interpersonal novel . The novel is very internal story throughout the whole book you come to find that Edna’s actions contribute to her self identity and it drives the plot into various directions you don’t see coming especially from a very civilized and high class woman like Edna herself ,she indeed does tend to get extremely rebellious …show more content…

She silently reached out to him, and he, understanding, took the rings from his vest pocket and dropped them into her open palm. She slipped them upon her fingers. “ the quote from chapter one shows that Edna has come to terms with her marriage which she has only done to stray away from her hyper religious father and Edna in the beginning of this novel shows very little interest in what she wants but more of what is socially acceptable and going furthermore into the novel Edna starts slowing gaining her identity through her thoughts and actions versus how the story is being narrated a prime embodiment of this is shown when the author states in chapter 7 paragraph 1 “Even as a child she had lived her own small life all within herself. At a very early period she had apprehended instinctively the dual life that outward existence which conforms, the inward life which questions” furthermore expressing that Edna has two side within her , outer Edna tends to behave in accordance to society’s principles while inner Edna strays away from that and look for freedom even though in this time and era it was completely impossible for a woman to not get judge for deciding to be independent such as Mademoiselle Reisz whom is frowned upon society due to her life choice of being independent

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In the novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Edna is forced to face two different obligations in life, one to follow her passions and be an individual, and the other to be practical and follow the dictations of society. Through Edna’s struggle of passion versus practicality, it becomes clear that being an individual is better than conforming to society. It is better to be an outlier. Edna’s passions often get in the way of her duties in society, causing

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It is common for people in everyday society to conform to society’s expectations while also questioning their true desires. In the novel, The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, the main protagonist Edna Pontellier is said to possess, "That outward existence which conforms, the inward life that questions." In other words, Edna outwardly conforms while questioning inwardly. Kate Chopin, uses this tension between outward conformity and inward questioning to build the meaning of the novel by examining Edna’s role as a wife, mother, and as nontraditional woman in the traditional Victorian period. Edna outwardly conforms to society’s expectations by marriage.

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Edna’s characterization throughout The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, describes Edna as someone with burning passion who desires to improve not only her life, but the lives of future generations. However Edna’s actions make her often seem weak to the oppressive people around her; sometimes, and in this case unfortunately, good ideas and beliefs are stopped cold by one’s surrounding influences. Edna’s feminist attitude, though formidable, is no match for the individuals who accept the current society’s customs. I find Edna to be a weak person from a general standpoint. However the story masks this obviousness fact by illustrating some of Edna’s questionable actions.

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The novel’s author, Kate Chopin, declares in chapter 4 of the short story, “Mrs. Pontellier was not a mother-woman.” From what is stated in the straightforward quote, readers are promptly able to comprehend the verity that Edna Pontellier is not a conventional character that believes she should stay at home, serve as an object to her husband, take care of her children, and practically accomplish nothing else in her life. Instead of these erroneous stereotypes, Edna believes she contains an alluring and intellectual identify that is worthy of being acknowledged by others apart from her futile husband, Léonce Pontellier. The central conflict The Awakening focuses on is Edna Pontellier’s rebellious actions, such as initiating an affair, in order to become emancipated from the obligatory domestic norms women face as merely being subdued by men as a mother and wife.

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The focus of Chopin 's The Awakening is Edna 's conflict between her expected roles in society and her wants and desires. In this book Edna endeavors for self fulfillment, becomes seemingly impertinent, and ultimately feels cornered by the society in which she lives. Edna 's individualistic wants at first seem healthy, but quickly become out of hand as her thoughts become more chaotic. In her awakening, Edna is consumed by selfish desire. The aftermath of this desire leads her to feel as if she has been entrapped by society, ultimately leading to her destruction.

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The Journey of Edna Pontellier in The Awakening The suffragist Susan B Anthony describes “Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less.” showing womens restrictions in the 19th century. Demonstrating how men had rights such as the right to vote and the right to own property, contrary to women not having any of those rights. In Kate Chopin's realism novel The Awakening she uses motifs to show her main character Edna and her discovery of independence from society in contrast to her restraint on life.

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Going back into a history of society, it’s evident that everyone, women especially, are supposed to act and react to the events going on around them based on certain social scripts, or cues created by society that inform one how to act based on the situation. In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, the protagonist, Edna Pontellier, has an ongoing struggle between how she is expected to act, and how she wishes she could act. The reader sees this struggle throughout the book, and how the outward expression and inner workings of her mind create conflict and tension, showing that a woman (or anyone in society) is often conflicted because of the norms of society. With a book written in 1899, Chopin’s main character shows that society sets standards that might make it possible for everyone to fit.

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During the late nineteenth century, the time of the protagonist Edna Pontellier, a woman’s place in history was mostly confined to her children and her husband, with there being little of herself to enjoy. Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, embodies the triumphs and frustrations in a woman’s life as she struggles with handling strict societal demands. Defying the roles of a typical “mother-woman,” Edna battles with the pressures of her time that demand she be a devoted and controlled housewife. One of the first overtly feminist novels, The Awakening criticizes gender and social roles in ways that have now heavily influenced what we call feminism. One of the first ways that Chopin battles the nineteenth century Victorian era is with

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In Kate Chopin's,The Awakening it has been the talk of many critics due to Choplin's conversational topic about women's freedom. Woman in the Victorian era are powerless and have little say so in what they choose to do. Throughout the novel Edna faces struggles with her independence and the persecutions woman faced in this society. There are many symbolisms that help show the struggles that Edna faced and how she overcame it.

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This neutral perspective from Kate Chopin allows the reader to interpret Edna’s actions on their own terms. Chopin shows no sign of judgement towards Edna and her actions or those who surround her and their actions. Although the novel doesn’t show a “positive alternative” to the cult of domesticity displayed, Chopin doesn’t endorse the conventional role either (Hytönen). This is significant in the manner that it exemplifies women in the 1800’s wanted to break free of societal norms however they couldn’t imagine an existing, or even close to existing, world where they could freely express themselves without fearing criticism and condemnation during that time. Hytönen introduces Nancy Walker in his article whom notices that The Awakening doesn’t “promote women’s liberation or equality” because everyone else, except Edna and Mme.

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Although contemporary society distinguishes feminism and the freedom to express one's identity as more modern topics, a nineteenth-century author by the name of Kate Chopin addresses similar ideas through the main character, Edna Pontellier, in her novel, The Awakening. Throughout the plot, Edna experiences a progressive “awakening” in which she develops an enlightened knowledge regarding her own desires and interests, even though the conventions of the Victorian society of that era clearly oppose her behavior. From Grand Isle to New Orleans, Edna meets and befriends several people that all contribute to her journey of awakening, but, in the very end, it seems as though she has never been more isolated. In a final attempt to escape the confines

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Within the novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Madame Ratignolle’s character possesses traits that emphasize, by contrast the characteristics and behavior of Edna Pontellier. Despite being close friends within the novel, Adele and Edna have contrasting views and behaviors that illuminate the theme of female freedom and the tradition of female submission and male domination. Madame Ratignolle and Edna Pontellier are close friends, but their views toward raising children differ fundamentally. Madame Ratignolle would sacrifice her identity to devote herself entirely to her children, household, and husband, whereas Edna would not. Besides their views towards raising children, how they raise their children also differs.

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The central conflict in The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, is not a physical confrontation, although it surely finds expression through physical interaction with others. In actuality, the most crucial conflict is the metaphysical turmoil churning within Edna Pontellier as she manages two competing foci- first, the “outward existence which conforms,” and second, the “inward life which questions.” Indeed, the transformation of Edna from a timid housewife into a philandering independent may be entirely attributed to this clash, which upheaves the stable, yet unfulfilling foundations of her domestic life and drastically alters the entire mindset of the protagonist. Stated in full, the conflict between Edna Pontellier’s desire to conform and longing

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