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Gender Roles In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

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The difference between genders is obvious throughout the novel "The Awakening". Men and Women both have different expectations that are considered social norms within their genders, but their worlds are overlapped through the pressure of social convention. The pressure that both genders feel is mutual, and the way they interact enforces their belief to follow social convention. Both Men and Women are effected by societies expectations of how they should act individually and with each other. The women's world can change depending on who is being observed in the novel. There are two sides of the women's world, The "mother-women" and the Independent women. The majority of women follow societies expectations of being a wife …show more content…

This first comes to our attention when Leonce notices Enda's sunburned skin and says, " 'You are burnt beyond recognition, ' he added, looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of property which had suffered some damage" (Chopin 24). This shows that Leonce is upset that Edna would be so careless to damage her skin because it does not make her look like his perfect property. Leonce loves Edna but it is not always clear to Edna that she is anymore than just his show case to society. This communication problem could stem from the issue of society saying that men should not express emotion. Without Leonce's emotion and passion for his wife, he is slowly losing her interest. Leonce spends most of his time at work or at the Kliens Hotel leaving Edna alone to realize that he does not make her happy. Leonce starts to face different obstacles by trying to control Edna as she begins to find herself. Edna is straying from her motherly and wifely duties which causes Leonce to become frustrated. Leonce finds out the Edna skipped her visitation day with the other mother-wives and becomes extremely upset with her. "Why, my dear, I should think you'd understand by this time that people don't do such things; we've got to observe les convenances if we ever expects to get on the keep up with the procession" (Chopin 72). Leonce is extremely worried that he is going to lose business because Edna is not attending her meetings with the other women. If he cannot maintain business he will not be able to make enough money to maintain their

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Edna arrives to meet Madame Ratignolle sorting laundry clothes that Chopin calls “her occupation” (Chopin 55). After leaving the Ratignolle home, she is disenchanted with “The little glimpse of domestic harmony which had been offered her” (Chopin 56). Edna pities Madame Ratignolle because she feels that she will never to do all that she wants to do because

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Edna is married to Leoncé Pontellier, who she married to get away from her family and be free. She states, at one point in the novel, that she likes how Leoncé is obsessed with her but that she doesn't really love him the way she should and the way Leoncé loves her. Furthermore, Leoncé cares about his

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The author uses a comparison and contrast between Madame Ratignolle and Edna Pontellier to show how these two ladies are different from one another. Chopin emphasizes how feminine Madame Ratignolle is to demonstrate how Edna seems to be an outcast from the Creole society. Chopin chooses to incorporate the appearance of the two ladies to support the fact that Edna feels like she does not fit in, especially when Leonce refers to Madame Ratignolle in some parts of the novel. How Conventionality is Being Challenged “She was blindly following whatever impulse moved her, as if she had placed herself in alien hands for direction, and freed her soul of responsibility.”

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Leonce the husband was very unhappy when he saw the sun burn on her because he did not want his wife looking like like she didn't belong. Kate Chopin uses Adele as an example to show how Creole wifes' should act towards their families since Edna clearly does not treat her family how the normal Creole wife is supposed to. These two women are very different in a lot of ways because Adele constantly worries thinks about her kids and is a what a “Creole wife” should be. Edna never really

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825 Words | 4 Pages

Edna fully understands that society would brand her as a terrible woman, but she does not view herself as a bad person. There is an external and internal difference that Edna hopes to one day reconcile. Chopin, instead of creating tension within Edna, created tension within the society and Edna with her newfound independence does not mind how society classifies her. Decisively, it can be concluded that the tension between outward conformity and inward questioning builds the meaning of the novel by examining Edna’s role as a wife, mother, and as nontraditional woman in the traditional Victorian period.

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Edna even says herself, “I would give up the unessential…my money…my life for my children, but not myself.” For her life, Edna realized that means her marriage and physical life. As far as her marriage, Edna was never truly happy with her marriage with Leonce. Furthermore, Edna states she truly cares for her children, but sometimes her search for herself may conflict with this. This then further discourages readers even more due to the fact that this gives insight to her actions, and somewhat justifies them.

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Lèonce Pontellier shows a lack of interest and enthusiasm for Edna and her hobbies. When Lèonce say’s ‘“What folly! To bathe at such an hour in such heat. ”’(Chopin 2) you are able to see Lèonce has a degree of frustration built up for his wife, Edna.

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I’m not going to be forced into doing things. I don’t want to go abroad. I want to be let alone. Nobody has any right-except children, perhaps”(Chopin 116). Edna’s usage of the word “perhaps” represents her hesitation and details how inner edna wants something that outer edna is not inclined to do.

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Throughout the novel Edna imagined this perfect life with Robert filled with impetuous passion. Though Robert loved Edna, he decided to leave for Mexico to avoid a morally wrong relationship with her. Even after returning to Louisiana, Robert abandons Edna a second time only leaving a note stating “I love you. Good-by—because I love you” (Chopin 198). The reality of Edna’s relationship with Robert would never meet her expectations due to her legal connection to Leonce.

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We are biologically born as males and females, but society determines us men and women based of gender roles. The myth of gender is that there are differences between the two sexes, which causes one sex to be inferior to another. Also, that there are certain gender behaviors that both sexes have to show in order to be categorized as either sex. Men are supposed to show masculinity and dominance. Women are defined to be a caretaker for the family and show femininity.

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Women are expected to stay home and take care of the family, but men are expected to go out and show off their masculinity. Women are also expected to act responsibly and stay loyal to their husband, while men are expected to do and take whatever they want from whoever they

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While there he expressed his worries of Edna and of her behavior. He informed the doctor of how their relationship was and some of the changes she has made. When Leonce finished, Dr. Mandelet raises some questions about her family history, and of the people she had been around. They together came to the conclusion that it was just a phase that she would eventually get over. As the reader, I believe that Leonce taking it as far as to go to a doctor because his wife was showing some independence in her life shows how uncommon it was in that

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Chopin acknowledges the fact that women should do a certain thing and if they don’t do that certain thing than they will be punished by being yelled at, as shown in the quote, “He reproached his wife with her inattention, her habitual neglect of the children. If it was not a mother’s place to look after children, whose on earth was it? He himself had his hands full with his brokerage business” (Chopin page 6). Chopin illustrates an example of Edna (the women character in the book) getting scorned at because she was not able to do a “natural” capacity. In “The Story of An Hour” also by Chopin, Chopin conveys the emotion going through this women (main character, the women, that was not named) when she was notified of her husband 's death, but these emotions had to be concealed because it would be deemed unnatural and the women knew she would get punished.

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1124 Words | 5 Pages

Edna lives in a very male dominated society. Any orders given by the husband wouldn’t dare to be challenged by the wife. Edna has given Leonce that same sort of respect until “her will had blazed up, stubborn and resistant” (Chopin 31). She reaches a point where her influences are pulling her to resist Leonce and follow her own inhibition. Edna’s emotions stir in response to Leonce and she “wondered if her husband had ever spoken to her like that before, and if she had submitted to his command” (Chopin 31).

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Men have said that they are superior to women, but women have always thought that both genders were equal and deserve to be treated as such. Male and female gender roles have changed with time, adding to history. Gender roles are patterns that pertain to a certain sex, in specific cultures (Issit, 1). Today, gender roles change constantly due to both men and women facing everyday tasks, which challenges their feminism and masculinity (Issit, 1).

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