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Equal Rights And Social Issues In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

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For over 50 years before the publishing of the novel, The Awakening, the United States had been undergoing intense struggle over the issues of equal rights and social ideologies due to which women had been experiencing emancipation and mobilization from the fetters of socioeconomics. The Awakening, written by Kate Chopin and published in the year 1899 is about the story of a married woman, Edna Pontellier, who has a husband two children. She falls in love with a resort owner’s son when she goes on a vacation to Grand Isle in Louisiana. The story revolves around Edna, whose desire to identify her true-self defies the social conventions as they sweep her away in her journey of discovery. Set on the resort of Grand Isle, the setting is perfect scenery for a story revolving around personal discovery and sexual fascination. The family of the Pontelliers is similar to that …show more content…

On one occasion, Edna and Robert return from the beach, laughing on private jokes, however, Mr. Pontellier shows little or no interest in their conversation as he is much confident in the loyalty of his wife. Furthermore, Mr. Pontellier never thought about Robert as a rival as he had been a family friend for years. He considers Robet as a stray dog, which one could tolerate until the dog remains amusing. The heart of the Awakening is as timeless as the institution of marriage. Although the husband and wife of the story share the same bed, they inhabit distinct lives. While it feels for the readers that the story involves two best friends, a man and a woman who lean against each other’s shoulders, laughing, skating on ice and being in an innocent relationship, it is only in the later part of the book that they get to know the desire of each other. In the initial pages of the book, the readers feel that the situation is utterly familiar as shown in most of the romantic

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