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The Importance Of Birds In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

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The Awakening by Kate Chopin is a novel about a mother, known as Edna, in the Victorian era who explores who she is and how she is unhappy with her life in high-class society. The novel ends with her admitting defeat and drowning in the ocean at a resort. Furthermore, throughout the novel, there are many signs of symbolism that the author conveys in order to properly illustrate Edna and her emotions. Chopin uses the moon, sea, and birds in order to do so. One symbol Chopin maintains is the moon. Throughout the novel, the moon is shown consistently to represent Edna and her gradual understanding of herself. Like Edna, the moon is always changing, the moon goes through many phases; interchanging between full brightness and complete darkness. …show more content…

In the book, birds represent Edna and the women within Victorian society. At the start of the book, two birds are shown trapped in a loud and panicked state as Leonce sits calmly reading the newspaper. However, Leonce becomes annoyed by the birds and moves to a quieter area, free from the noise. The birds represent Edna due to her feeling trapped and unable to make choices on her own while Leonce is able to do as he pleases, simply moving away from the things that displease him while being able to act and enjoy his life as he wishes. Meanwhile, Edna is trapped by the social conformities she is forced to endure and is even viewed by Leonce as a form of property; much like the birds at the beginning. Birds are also symbolized in Edna's conversation with Mademoiselle Reisz when Reisz states to Edna, "The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings" (pg. 83). Implying the freedom that birds symbolize and the capabilities of Edna if she maintains her composure and confidence, and how Edna will be able to fly above the expectations of the people around her. Finally, at the end of the novel, "A bird with a broken wing was beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water" (pg. 115). This image foreshadows Edna's soon escape from society, not from flying, but from drowning in the ocean in front of

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This is shown when the birds kill the school teacher, Annie, who is full of jealousy. Or when the birds attack the house where Mrs.Brenner, a possessive and jealous mother, lives. It is unknown if audiences should find a deep meaning in this, but it is a great movie no matter

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Just outside, Robert at the place of freedom accompanies Edna. Unlike her wealthy living in the past, she lives into what is known to as “... the little ‘pigeon-house’” (144). Pigeons are often characterized as free careless creatures and nothing too extraordinary. But for that reason, it relates to Edna’s situation because she wants to feel what it’s like to be careless and above all live in an average home.

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Throughout the story, the narrator feels powerless about his situation, and he envies birds for their ability to fly and be free. The protagonist says, "I told Mom my theory of why we like birds –– of how birds are a miracle because they prove to us there is a finer, simpler state of being which we may strive to attain.” The protagonist of the story uses birds as a metaphor for freedom, escape, and finding nobility in what he views as a harsh world. The protagonist is saying that birds are a symbol of hope and freedom and that they represent a simpler way of life that we should strive to achieve. The narrator expresses his desire to become a bird, as he says, “just make me a bird - that’s all I ever wanted - a white graceful bird free of shame and taint and fear of loneliness.”

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The freeing sense of a bird’s flight and the vast expanse of the ocean’s opportunity are both liberating concepts for someone who feels trapped. Edna Pontellier in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening over time starts to feel trapped in her marriage and the social standards that come along with being a mother during the late 1800s. She starts to gain more freedom and independence as she searches for love with other men, particularly Robert Lebrun. Along with this journey for love and freedom, symbols of flight and water are presented to represent her evolution as a woman.

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Bird: symbolize freedom and independence in the novel, the awakening. Birds are able to roam free and do as they please rather than being subjected to society 's standards and help down rather than flying. The bird with a broken wing flying above before Enda swam into the ocean and drowned represented her current state. She could not continue to fight even though she remain strong in the beginning. The caged parrot in the beginning of the novel represented how women were caged by society during those times and were removed if they caused some sort of recuse.

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Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening opens with a scene of two birds, emphasizing that the motif of birds later within the novel will play an important part with setting the constant metaphor they bring. Throughout the whole novel the motif of birds is a metaphor for the Victorian women during that period -- caged birds serve as reminders of Edna’s entrapment and the entrapment of Victorian women in general. Edna makes many attempts to escape her cage (husband, children, and society), but her efforts only take her into other cages, such as the pigeon house. Edna views this new home as a sign of her independence, but the pigeon house represents her inability to remove herself from her former life, due to the move being just “two steps away” (122).

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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!

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Close Reading: The Awakening Chapter I-XIII In the story, the birds symbolize women and flight represents freedom. The birds are in a cage which inhibits their flight; this can be compared to women in captivity lacking freedom. What’s important to point out is that the bird, specifically the one mentioned in the passage, speaks a language that only other birds can understand.

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Edna has become like this bird; her heart is broken and her soul is discouraged as she realizes she will never fully discover love and life. The bird’s failure to fly symbolizes Edna’s suicide because both of them are on a solitary flight to

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Edna feels no joy being a mother and knows that will never change. The other loyal women in her life often tell her how lucky she is to have her husband and to live the luxurious lifestyle. However, Edna feels trapped, similar to her pet “Parrot, which hung in a cage outside the door…whistling his fluty notes out upon the breeze with maddening persistence” (Chopin 1). Edna and the bird, although, two different species have more in common than they think. The caged bird stands as a symbol on her entrapment as many women felt during the time.

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The broken birdcage and the dead bird the women discover represent the silencing of women in a patriarchal society, and their successful attempt to hide their discoveries signifies the solidarity of women. As Mrs. Peters looks in the cupboards for paper and string, she states, “(looking in the cupboard) Why, here’s a bird-cage, (holds it up) Did she have a bird, Mrs. Hale?” (Glaspell 6).

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Birds were always involved with any moment of significance, and they helped readers see what characters struggle with. The night of Edna’s awakening, an owl was depicted sitting in a tree. At a piano performance, where Edna awakens more, a parrot is mentioned in the text. All of these bird motifs pushed and stressed a specific theme. To distance oneself from expectation and societal norms one will sacrifice.

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