The role of a woman in the history of the United States and in the Soviet countries has changed, perhaps, equally dramatically, but it was still under different historical and cultural circumstances. In fact, in the United States the active invoke of oeuvre in the theme of women's equality began earlier than in the countries of the Soviet territory. Thus, between 1883 and 1900, in America around hundreds novels were dedicated to a new, independent and individual type of woman. In the light of this, Kate Chopin is a vivid representative of feminism in American culture and her novel The Awakening (1899) penetrated into the very essence of women's self-awareness of that time. In the center of the novel is Mrs. Pontellier, who has always lived …show more content…
Belief of the 19th century Victorian society, that unrestrained sex was a danger of the social order and sexual desires of women were increasingly regarded as inappropriate and unnatural (Fluck 1982: 152-154).
The ideal Victorian woman was to be a loving, submissive, undemanding wife, a gentle and patient mother, a devout Christian. Her manners and speech should have been distinguished by her good behavior and modesty. Furthermore, the support of wives has been always important for men in everyday life. It could make a crucial difference if a wife was not supportive: “nothing makes a man look more ridiculous in the eyes of the world than a social helpless wife” (Wouters
2005: 15).
In accordance with these ideas, the main protagonist of The Awakening is a typical woman of that time. Edna Pontellier has everything in order to be happy – a successful husband – “a man of forty, of medium height and rather slender build” (Chopin 1899: 2), two cute kids – “sturdy little fellows of four and five” (Chopin 1899: 3) and beautiful house at Grand Isle. Being a careful mother and an attentive wife is everything that was needed from Edna. However, the changes in
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However, at the same time, because of her atypically status as a childless and single woman, leads Mrs. Raiz to an aloofness in society (see
Clark 2008: 336-337). In the light of this, Edna is a „woman in the middle or in motion” (qtd. in
Fluck 1982: 151), namely the woman who exists on a continuum between traditional and feminist values: “the thought and behavior of women who were still attached to the older values while they were experimenting with the new has sometimes seemed paradoxical, but they were simply exhibiting the ambivalence which is common when values are in the process of change” (qtd. in Fluck 1982:
151).
To this conclusion pushes us the title of the novel that could be interpreted as some evolution of consciousness and awareness of the true predestination of a particular woman that can truly make her happy. The subject of the awakening seems to exist between two different worlds without belonging to any of them while surviving through the process of transition from something abstract to something more real. Chopin`s heroine is rather metaphorical as the name “Pontellier” means a “bridge maker”.
5 | O l g a K r o k h m a l 2.2 The Cinema of the