The Awakening Gender Roles Essay

Ask yourself how women are treated in today’s society. Now let’s go back in time. Kate Chopin’s novel “The Awakening” explores the journey of a woman named Edna Pontellier, as she tries to find her identity in a society where women are limited by the expectations of their gender. The novel was published in 1899 and was considered controversial because of its themes of female sexuality, infidelity, and the subversion of traditional gender roles. Chopin uses Edna’s experiences to comment on the restrictive gender roles and societal expectations of women in the late 19th century.

Chopin used Edna’s character to challenge societal expectations of women in her time. The opening scene of The Awakening takes place on an island off the coast of Grand

This is evident in the way that her husband, Leonce Pontellier, treats her. He is more concerned about how Edna’s behavior affects his reputation than her own happiness. When Edna returns from the beach with a sunburn, Leonce is more upset about the way it will affect his image than her discomfort. He says to her, “you are burnt beyond recognition”(Chopin, 1899). This shows how little Leonce cares about Edna’s pain and discomfort and how much he is concerned about his own reputation. Edna’s sense of self is further diminished by the way society treats her. She is expected to act as a passive and submissive wife and mother. She becomes very curious about her self-identity and searches for it throughout the novel. As the novel progresses, Edna begins to realize that she is not satisfied with the life she is living. She starts to question the purpose of her existence, and her dissatisfaction with her life becomes more apparent. “I suppose this is what you would call unwomanly, but I have got into a habit of expressing myself. It doesn’t matter to me, and you may think me unwomanly if you like”(Chopin, 1889). Chopin uses Edna’s journey to show the search for self-identity and the desire for freedom from societal expectations and friendship with Edna. Mademoiselle Reisz is a representation of what Edna could have become had she been born a man. She is unmarried and childless and devotes her life to her passion for music. Mademoiselle Reisz is seen as an outsider in society because of her refusal to conform to traditional gender roles. However, she is also a source of inspiration for Edna, who is drawn to her independence and artistic passion. Mademoiselle Reisz encourages Edna to embrace her own creativity and desires and helps her to realize that she has the potential to be more than just a wife and