The Importance Of Birds In The Awakening

In Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening, the title is emphasized by many literary devices such as symbolism, plot development, and characterization. There are many examples of symbolism in the novel, mainly birds which are representative of women in the society. The title is also supported by the development of the story and how Edna, as a person, changes through the entirety of the work.
Throughout the novel, there are many references to birds which are symbolic as they represent women, especially Edna Pontellier. The very first sentence when the story unfolds is a description of a bird in a cage speaking “a language which nobody understood” (11). This parallels women in the time period as they are trapped by society and forced into roles

When Edna goes to see Mademoiselle Reisz, the old woman feels Edna’s shoulder blades to see if her wings were strong, telling her “the bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth” (116) Similar to how a bird would have to be strong in order to soar over obstacles, so must Edna be strong if she is to escape the oppressive tradition of the male-dominated society. Another instance of bird symbolism is when Edna is at the beach in the final chapter. The author’s description of a bird with a broken wing “beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down the

As the novel begins, we see Edna as a wife and a mother who is not necessarily unhappy in her life, it is just that she is indifferent as is illustrated by Chopin when she writes “there were days … when it did not seem worthwhile to be glad or sorry, to be dead or alive” (82). Edna feels disconnected from life and watches it go by day by day as if seeing it from the view of a spectator. “An indescribable oppression, which seemed to generate in some unfamiliar part of her consciousness, filled her whole being with a vague anguish” (18) as Edna realizes that this is not a life that she was meant to live. She is reproached by her husband for not meeting his expectations for her as a wife and mother. Edna is discontent with her subordinate role and wishes for her release from the patriarchal system which has ingrained itself in every aspect of her life. On vacation on Grand Isle, Edna finds herself spending a majority of her time with a young man named Robert. He causes her to experience situations and feelings that she hadn’t before. Edna becomes more aware of herself as well as her individuality and her potential as a person. This is established on page 29, where it is written that Edna “was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being, and to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and about her.” Near the end of the novel, Edna feels alive for the