ipl-logo

Kate Chopin's The Awakening

1474 Words6 Pages

The Awakening The Awakening was written during the Victorian period. Women were not allowed to be independent. There were many strict behavioral and other conventions that one must adhere to, mainly women. Men in that time were known as powerful and independent where as women where known as weak and dependent. In the early 1800’s, women were not able be as free as they are today. A Victorian woman personal life center around her home, husband, and children. Women were meant to accept this position in the home, and be satisfied, but Edna was not satisfied. She always seemed out of the around other women. She was a wife and mother, but not the typical Victorian wife and mother. She wanted something else. She did not like her role. She …show more content…

Kate Chopin was an American writer known for her stories about the inner lives of sensitive, daring woman. The Awakening was widely condemned. Critics called it morbid, vulgar, and disagreeable, but after the 1950’s, it was rediscovered and praised for its truthful depictions of women’s lives. She was a mother of six. She lost her father early and was raised in an all-female household so she had a strong sense of female independence. In the book, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Edna is caught between her desires for independence and freedom and the constraining notions of Victorian society talks about Edna Pontellier and how she was not happy in her marriage. It was evident how unsettled Edna feels about her life. As a reader, you can interpret this by her thoughts and actions. In The Awakening, Edna finds the courage to make changes in her life. Throughout the novel, Kate Chopin uses symbols like birds and the ocean and throughout the novel, you can interpret these and see a timeline of Edna’s changes as she finds her …show more content…

Things that she never experienced, once she experienced them, it was hard for not to want those things. She knew it was wrong but once she was awakened that way, it was hard for her not to seek and want it. Edna’s affairs with the three men awakened her

Show More
Related
430 Words | 2 Pages

In the story, “The Awakening,” by Kate Chopin, the main character, Edna Pontellier truly goes through an “awakening”, or self-discovery throughout the story. It is quite interesting how at a glance, Edna is seen as an elegant and devoted wife and mother, but in reality, she was not satisfied with both her marriage and her current lifestyle, and yearned to be an independent woman. It is clear that this story is ideal to teach in American Literature for several reasons. First and foremost, the story was a psychological journey rather than a physical one. For this reason, a reader must analyze and make sense of the thoughts and feelings that Edna shared throughout the book to come to conclusions about how she has gone through an “awakening.”

Read More
770 Words | 4 Pages

Brendan Moxley Mrs. Barton AP Lang & Comp/p.6 28 October 2014 The Awakening Essay Throughout her novel The Awakening, Kate Chopin utilizes clear, picturesque diction to create a independent tone, bold extended metaphors, and varied syntax in order to express the necessity for women to discover and act as themselves at their own discretion despite society’s limiting standards. Chopin employs eloquent, depictive diction in order to create an unconstrained tone, to illustrate the setting, and to further emphasize that women should not be bound by society.

Read More
757 Words | 4 Pages

The Awakening Essay Edna Pontellier in The Awakening strives to find her individuality and personal freedom. However, Edna lives in a time when women are expected to live their lives as wives and mothers, not as people with their own volition. When she begins to awaken from her state of submission she finds herself and strays outside the realm of social acceptance in doing so. She does not obey her husband’s will without question, she is not a mother-woman who devotes herself solely to her children. She would rather be wandering the city or painting than taking callers and keeping up the house.

Read More
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.

Read More
889 Words | 4 Pages

As people grow old they tend to realize the mistakes they have made in life and try to make up for them. These realizations are mostly internal; however, there could be some external manifestations. The Awakening, by Kate Chopin shows how Edna has a realization that having a family is not what she wanted in life. Chopin is able to create a feeling of suspense and excitement through this event by illustrating Edna’s inner thoughts, including her past, the way she starts to act towards others and demonstrating the steps she takes towards freeing herself up. A reflection of Edna's past is described in the novel in order to represent how she wants to go back to her old self.

Read More
467 Words | 2 Pages

Her ability to swim starts in chapter 10, and ironically Edna’s happiness then eventually leads to her bismal ending in chapter 39. Another interesting example is Edna’s relationships with Arobin and Robert, where Edna chooses to act rebellious and choose her own terms for two affair-like relationships. Either case, Edna felt “as if a mist had been lifted from her eyes, enabling her to took upon and comprehend the significance of life, that monster made up of beauty and brutality” (Chopin 84). Her relationships tore her emotions apart, but in the process angered and falsely strengthened her; this is an example of the “masking” of her characteristics. In reality, Robert and Arobin

Read More
248 Words | 1 Pages

One sign of symbolism that has show is, The Awakening, which is the rebirth of Edna as an artist. Furthermore, Edna’s memories  showed figures of regression toward the artistic side. Presumably, some of the three main characters, helped Edna’s artistic birthing and development. Edna has been obtaining mastery over herself and things she would like to do with herself or others. She had been growing tired of things that she usually did like going to church.

Read More
1432 Words | 6 Pages

The Awakening is a book written by Kate Chopin and it is quite a journey. Being just over a hundred pages in length, this novel gives an adequate picture of the protagonist Edna Pontellier, who consistently challenges the roles that society has placed on her. In her own words, she says “I would give my life for my children, but I wouldn’t give myself ” (45). This not only foreshadows her ultimate fate, but it also shows the readers that Edna is not willing to suppress her passions and desires for anybody. It appears that Chopin is making the argument in her book that Edna’s form of resistance, while admirable, comes at a price.

Read More
499 Words | 2 Pages

Edna was not only portrayed as lacking in motherly skills, but also in her marital relationship. She flirted with other men, shirking her “responsibilities” at home to go out and do what she wanted to do, eventually committing adultery. This attitude would be immoral during the setting, because Edna seemed to be neglecting her “womanly duties,” as well as cheating on her husband.

Read More
633 Words | 3 Pages

The Awakening by Kate Chopin is a novel set in the late 1800’s that dealt with women’s struggle against societies expectations. The protagonist, Edna Pontellier, deals with several conflicts throughout the novel, the most significant being Edna versus society. Society expects her to be a stay at home mother and perfect wife, which were two things she didn’t necessarily want to be. Throughout the novel, she deals with societal conflicts such as her marriage and family, her career aspirations and self-guilt. Edna’s main conflict is against society itself.

Read More
2005 Words | 9 Pages

In conclusion, "The Awakening" offers a compelling exploration of gender strategies and critiques. Through Edna's journey, the novel challenges traditional gender roles and expectations, highlighting the limitations placed on women in society. It questions the idea that women should solely prioritize their roles as wives and mothers, and she chose to instead advocate for her individuality and self-fulfillment. Edna's pursuit of personal freedom and her refusal to conform to societal standards serve as a critique of the oppressive gender constructs of the time. The story invites us to reflect on the relationships in the 1900’s - 2000’s and how things have changed and the

Read More
515 Words | 3 Pages

The Awakening written by Kate Chopin, incorporates several significant events regarding the mental and psychological changes in the characters, as well as in the setting. Edna’s process of self discovery in the Awakening takes place in a series of three significant stages that eventually leads to Edna’s death. Before Edna began to discover herself, she is caught between her desires to explore herself and and the realities of the Victorian era image for women. This is around the time where Edna’s conciseness changed and her mental began to alter. It is not until the first stage in her awakening, that the combination of music and the at sea baptism that she found herself drifting into a much deeper self awareness and awaking?

Read More
2051 Words | 9 Pages

A truly family centered woman was rare because many women had no other option, but to marry in order to live a stable life. Kate Chopin uses the women in her works to portray this sense of helplessness for women especially those suffering from mental illnesses because of society’s pressure. She uses Edna and Louise who are both very unhappy with their marriages to reflect these women. There are multiple instances in the works in which these ladies describe a sense of lack of control in their lives. Edna is unhappily married, but wants to be an independent woman who works for herself and owns her own home.

Read More
606 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout The Awakening Kate Chopin contradicts the socially acceptable role that women are supposed to play in society. For the nineteenth century Chopin had very radical feminist views and her writing was considered very progressive at the time. While today we may not see it that way Chopin ventured into virtually unexplored literary modus operandi. Chopin addresses the underlying generalizations of women in religious, social, and cultural aspects through Edna the main character of the novella, as she uses her to break down traditional gender roles for women at this time while simultaneously propagating early feminist ideology. Edna was a rarity for the time.

Read More
1335 Words | 6 Pages

Belief of the 19th century Victorian society, that unrestrained sex was a danger of the social order and sexual desires of women were increasingly regarded as inappropriate and unnatural (Fluck 1982: 152-154). The ideal Victorian woman was to be a loving, submissive, undemanding wife, a gentle and patient mother, a devout Christian. Her manners and speech should have been distinguished by her good behavior and modesty. Furthermore, the support of wives has been always important for men in everyday life.

Read More

More about Kate Chopin's The Awakening

Open Document