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Gender Roles In The Awakening

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The Awakening: Gender Roles
“The Awakening,” written by Kate Chopin, is one of the most influential novel regarding gender roles in the era of its publication, which was 1899. During the time of publication, an era of rapid changes that were being made in regards to women rights; states were starting to adopt women suffrage and women were beginning to take a more active role in society as more opportunities presented themselves towards them (Woman Suffrage Timeline). Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening” faced the current movement, was influential in helping reform the movements and helped push forward the ideology that women were not men’s property. Hence, it is one of the most important pieces in concerns of the women revolution, the novel defying the laws of society at the time. …show more content…

Furthermore, the novel portrays Edna’s dissatisfaction with her life as women were not allowed to pursue their sexual or psychological drives. However, as Edna grew intolerant of her life, she decides to do as she pleases. Thus, “The Awakening” was an eye-opener in that it challenged the society’s structure where men were the dominant figure.
During the time period, men also held discriminatory views on women, as seen through the actions and dialogue of Edna’s husband, Léonce Pontellier. The gender norms for the novel is clear to see through several characters: Edna Pontellier, Léonce Pontellier, Mademoiselle Reisz, and Adèle Ratignolle. By utilizing these characters, Chopin shows the society’s perceptions on what males and females should act in accordance to fit in and not be ostracized or harshly treated for being

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