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The Awakening Setting Analysis

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Analyzing the Literary Work Study of Kate Chopin’s The Awakening
Setting and Its Significance
In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, the novel creates environments that contributes to the immense contrast between leisure and responsibilities with the settings. Grand Isle creates an “intimate and relaxed atmosphere” where the guests are free to be on the beach, swimming, and conversing with other guests without the stress of fulfilling duties (Novels for Students). The Grand Isle is populated by Creoles thus making Edna the pariah of the creole society because she is only married to a Creole man, Léonce. However, Edna becomes close companions with Robert Lebrun who helps her adventure and enjoy Grand Isle to the fullest either by swimming, going on …show more content…

This neutral perspective from Kate Chopin allows the reader to interpret Edna’s actions on their own terms. Chopin shows no sign of judgement towards Edna and her actions or those who surround her and their actions. Although the novel doesn’t show a “positive alternative” to the cult of domesticity displayed, Chopin doesn’t endorse the conventional role either (Hytönen). This is significant in the manner that it exemplifies women in the 1800’s wanted to break free of societal norms however they couldn’t imagine an existing, or even close to existing, world where they could freely express themselves without fearing criticism and condemnation during that time. Hytönen introduces Nancy Walker in his article whom notices that The Awakening doesn’t “promote women’s liberation or equality” because everyone else, except Edna and Mme. Reisz, accept and take pride in their housewife positions (88). Meanwhile Walker’s observation is true, in a sense, the setup presents the beginning of women being “awakened” one by one to the unequal treatment and manipulations they were obliged to by society. The third person point of view is important for the sake of permitting the reader to become aware of the reasons why Edna acts as she does, sexist prejudice. It exhibits both sides of this issue in the Victorian era: the “correct”

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After spending time with some of the residents, Edna realizes “a characteristic which distinguished them and which impressed Mrs. Pontellier most forcibly was their entire absence of prudery.” While on the island, Edna witnesses a freedom of expression she had never experienced before. The intimate relationships Enda develops on the island, for instance her friendships with Madame Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz, help her come to many personal realizations that spark change within her. The relaxed atmosphere of Grand Isle fosters Edna’s awakening and offers her lots of leisure time to reflect on her life. This directly contrasts with the hectic domestic life that Edna and Leonce have back at their home on Esplanade Street in New Orleans. This house and lifestyle perfectly fits society’s expectations for what married life should be like.

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For example, when the couple returns from Grand Isle, Edna begins to act on her own and refuses to show hospitality towards her guests and it begins to exasperate Mr. Pontellier. As the novel progresses, it is evident that the relationship between Mr. Pontellier and Edna is purely superficial; it lacks sentiment and is only picture perfect for society. Because Edna is portrayed as an object of her husband, it fits the the fact that marriages in the nineteenth century viewed women as an “object of others [rather than] the free subject of their own fates”

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