Gender Norms In Antigone And The Awakening, By Kate Chopin

In many classical novels, short stories, and scripts, there is an overarching theme of creating work that displays typical “gender norms.” In these great works, the woman is typically seen conforming to her societal role of the inferior mother and wife. At the same time, men are generally superior to their wives and hold significant amounts of power in their families. However, in many of these stories, characters are seen breaking free from these gender stereotypes and breaking down the typical gender roles of both men and women. Examples of this are seen in both Antigone, by Sophocles, and The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, through their main characters, Antigone and Edna Pontellier. Women in older-fashioned society are often characterized by their

Both women have a more “modern-day” view based on gender expectations, while their society holds a more “old-fashioned” view. Women must be the perfect wife, daughters, and mothers to fit societal standards. Women could not rebel against standards in society and the unrealistic ideals they created because conformity was required for women to be accepted by society; if this requirement were not met, then they would be shamed and punished by their society. Antigone, however, defied conformity by rebelling against her uncle Creon, the king of Thebes. She broke a law that he had made not to bury the body of her brother. Ismene, the sister of Antigone, states, “But think of the danger! Think of what Creon will do! (Prologue 34),” to which Antigone responds, “Creon is not strong enough to stand in my way. (Prologue 35)” By doing so, she tore down the rules of conformity and broke through her role of inferiority to her uncle. In Edna’s case, she was forced into the role of wife and mother and had all the expectations to be perfectly placed on her by others in society. Ultimately, she does not uphold these expectations and, though he was in no way a