When undergoing socially oppressive conditions, many individuals are hesitant to invoke changes in their lifestyle. Kate Chopin’s The Awakening exemplifies how an individual rejects societal restrictions through Edna Pontellier, a nineteenth century woman who is in a passionless marriage with her Creole husband. Being a part of an upper-middle class family, she vacations in Grand Isle, but primarily lives in New Orleans, Louisiana. Edna initially submits to the Creole expectations that limit her freedom, but realizes her current status in life is not enough for her and begins to implement changes in her lifestyle. She pursues independence in various ways and defies the typical housewife role she has been playing for her entire life.
It is common for people in everyday society to conform to society’s expectations while also questioning their true desires. In the novel, The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, the main protagonist Edna Pontellier is said to possess, "That outward existence which conforms, the inward life that questions." In other words, Edna outwardly conforms while questioning inwardly. Kate Chopin, uses this tension between outward conformity and inward questioning to build the meaning of the novel by examining Edna’s role as a wife, mother, and as nontraditional woman in the traditional Victorian period. Edna outwardly conforms to society’s expectations by marriage.
Influences of Kate Chopin and the Awakening There are many works of literature that critics have disregarded as inappropriate in their own time; this kind of awakened writing is precisely how Chopin writes in The Awakening. The Awakening is now seen as an insightful and moving piece. It is empowering to the everyday woman and played an essential role in the early feminist movement. Influenced by other’s ideas Kate Chopin uses social norms, and religion to create an awakened character in need of a transformation, all of which is intensified through her use of stimulating diction. Kate Chopin was born Katherine O’Flaherty to Thomas O’Flaherty and Eliza Faris on February 8, 1851, in St. Louis, Missouri.
In the wise words of Sir Isaac Newton,”For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction,” which applies to physics, but could also apply to philosophy. Many people fear outrageous decisions because they cause a reaction that is unfavorable. This is especially true in the modern day politics, in deciding choices that would be good for the society. One considerable change that would benefit the society would be a lesser emphasis on laboring, but this shift could cause some unthought of results. The biggest fear that people have when discussing the future of employment would be the anxiety that robots will dominate the workforce and humans will no longer be necessary.
Individuals all around the world today face obstacles that challenge their strength and integrity. Someone’s ability to persevere through obstacles ultimately builds their moral character. Moreover, an individual’s capability to turn themselves into the person they have always desired to be can be life-changing. Human beings can discover who they genuinely are in a variety of ways. In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, the main character Edna Pontellier awakens in life with bravery and a sense of exploration, which, in due course, alters her perspective on life and grants her independence.
“Nessun dorma! Nessun dorma! Tu pure, o Principessa, nella tua fredda stanza, guardi le stelle che tremano…” (Puccini Lines 1-5).” These famous opening lyrics from the great opera Turandot made by Giacomo Puccini speak to all of us in some way, shape or form.
The Awakening is a novel written by Kate Chopin that follows a woman named Edna Pontellier on her journey to self-awareness. Edna lived a comfortable lifestyle with her husband and two children in Louisiana during the 19th century. Despite obtaining all aspects to a perfect life, Edna became dissatisfied after meeting Robert Lebrun in Grand Isle. Robert sparked a desire for unlawful lust as well as a yearning for independence in a society full of conformed standards. Edna was unable to handle the pressures associated with achieving personal freedom which ultimately led to her death.
Chopin represents Edna’s journey of her awakening through the symbol of birds. Within the first paragraph of the novel the mention of Madame Lebrun's "green and yellow parrot, which hung in a cage” is presented to the reader (Chopin 1). The parrot lacks communication with the world and is only able to voice few words: “ The parrot could speak a little Spanish, and also a language which nobody understood" (Chopin1). It warns its listeners crying “Allez vous-en! Allez vous-en!
Author Kate Chopin of The Awakening theorizes “That outward existence which conforms, the inward life that questions.” Margaret Atwood ponders upon this ideal in her bildungsroman Cat’s Eye, in which protagonist Elaine Risley of a unique upbringing encounters life at a traditional school, in which her intrinsic values are tested by her so-called peers Cordelia, Grace, and Carol. The social conformity Elaine was forced to undergo caused her to lose herself in the process, creating the plot for the novel. Elaine’s changes in social construct, internal struggle of morality, and lack of supervision created the depressed state she portrayed throughout the novel. Had this deterioration of the self not been included in Cat’s Eye, the work would dismiss
In Chopin's, “The Awakening '', a novel which questions the institution of marriage and views the idea as constricting, can often be seen as controversial. The novel depicts a young mother's struggle to achieve sexual and personal emancipation in the brutal environment of the postwar American South. A novel that had been before, castigated as appalling and immoral, was often applauded for its blunt honesty, especially in portraying the frequently stringed lives of women (Evans). Chopin herself had seen how marriage ended in her life many times and the outcomes of it. Chopin lost her father at a young age, left being raised by her working mother and grandmother who was a storyteller.
In the late 1800s, nearly all women were viewed as subservient, inferior, second class females that lived their lives in a patriarchal and chauvinist society. Women often had no voice, identity, or independence during that time period. Moreover, women dealt with the horrors of social norms and the gender opposition of societal norms. The primary focus and obligation for a woman to obtain during the 1800s was to serve her husband and to obey to anything he said. Since women were not getting the equality, freedom, or independence that they desired, Kate Chopin, an independent-minded female American novelist of the late 1800s expressed the horrors, oppressions, sadness, and oppositions that women of that time period went through.
Close Reading of “The Storm” by Kate Chopin Authors use symbols to represent ideas, emotions or state of minds. In The Storm by Kate Chopin, the storm itself is the major symbol within the text. The storm is a form of foreshadowing for events will occur during and after the storm. It also symbolizes a building and release of tension, and a change in atmosphere. The storm functions as foreshadowing because of the characters own interpretation of the storm, which is then reflected in the events that follow.
Self Discovery Imagine living in a society constantly having strong feelings of not belonging and self-hatred. Then getting married, settling down, and having children… just to find unhappiness, and confusion. This is Edna Ponteiller’s life from The Awakening by Kate Chopin. Edna lives in an extremely high class, classic, New Orleans creole society in the Victorian Era. She has a husband, Leonce, and children at home, but slowly she begins to choose herself over her family and begins to go on her own self-discovery fueled journeys, meeting new people along the way.
Kate Chopin’s The Awakening is a piece of fiction written in the nineteenth century. The protagonist Edna is a controversial character, Edna rebels against many nineteenth - century traditions, but her close friend Adele was a perfect example in terms of a role of a woman, mother and wife at that time. Chopin uses contrast characters to highlight the difference between Adele and Edna. Although they are both married women in the nineteenth century, they also exhibit many different views about what a mother role should be.
In Chopin’s The Awakening, symbols are extremely prevalent as a form of conveying a message or driving a point. The use of a symbol allows for individual interpretation which is important for this novel seeing as different understandings of Edna Pontellier’s actions do occur. More specifically, the symbol concerning the ocean and Edna learning to swim within it is significant for readers. This symbol is one which signifies momentous occasions for Edna such as improvements to her lifestyle or major self-realizations.
