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Critical analysis of Kate Chopin's Awakening
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In regards to marriage in China, the man and his family held all the power in the relationship. Marriages were typically arranged wholly without the woman’s consent or interests for a husband in mind. Sometimes a matchmaker joined the two families, but if not, it was generally set up by greedy men looking to get rich- rather than meet a woman to love. If the groom’s family was not satisfied with the dowry the
Edna Pontellier in the novel, The Awakening, is a self-driven woman determined to become independent and free whilst undergoing a significant change in behavior throughout the novel. She attempts to withstand societal expectations by doing certain things that were not socially acceptable during this time period. While doing so, she experiences many different struggles during her awakening. These struggles that Edna undergoes may be described as internal as well as external. In the awakening, there is a constant conflict between inner and outer Edna.
Kate Chopin’s The Awakening is a progressive novel which defines the individual struggles faced during a transitional period in American history and culture. The Awakening showcases the fallacies regarding the confinement and traditionalistic repression that women during the 19th century were subject to by showcasing the complex struggles and unrest that the main character, Edna, faces with daily. It is evident that during this time period women had the choice to either fit the mold of the mother figure, in which women were expected to wholeheartedly give themselves up to satisfy the needs of their husband and children, or be shunned by the patriarchal society. Throughout the novel, Edna begins to deviate from the traditional lifestyle that was slowly deteriorating her, and experiments with personal indulgence and freedom from the tethers of motherhood. The wonders of self-fulfillment, infatuation, and art are sensuous to her, but soon
In nearly every person's life, there is an ongoing struggle between the satisfaction of fulfilling one's requirements set by society and the burning desire to live a life independent of restrictions, obstacles, and confinements. While many claim for this to be a temporary struggle, one that is attached to a specific stage of life, specifically adolescence, that is not the case. This internal struggle is one that begins in the early stages of childhood and can extend into adulthood. However, for some, especially in more restrictive societies, this struggle may not even commence until adulthood. In The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, many argue that Mrs. Pontellier's suicide is symbolic of her urge to break free of societal norms and her failure to
"I find the question of whether gender differences are biologically determined or socially constructed to be deeply disturbing"- Carol Gilligan. In The Awakening, Kate Chopin depicts a woman who struggles with her identity. The book begins with Edna, a submissive wife and mother, on vacation in Grand Isle. As the book progresses Edna becomes increasingly disenchanted with her roles as a mother, wife, and socialite. After receiving a devastating letter from a former lover, Edna commits a final act of autonomy by taking her own life.
The Awakening is a novel written by Kate Chopin that follows a woman named Edna Pontellier on her journey to self-awareness. Edna lived a comfortable lifestyle with her husband and two children in Louisiana during the 19th century. Despite obtaining all aspects to a perfect life, Edna became dissatisfied after meeting Robert Lebrun in Grand Isle. Robert sparked a desire for unlawful lust as well as a yearning for independence in a society full of conformed standards. Edna was unable to handle the pressures associated with achieving personal freedom which ultimately led to her death.
Gender inequalities are apparent through much of history. These disparities result from static thinking and preconceived notions. One such notion is a female’s natural predisposition to the role she must play. Sherry B. Ortner theorizes in Is Female to Male as Nature is to Culture, these roles are created because women are perceived as symbolically with nature due to the fact that she gives birth; while men are more associated with culture, which is exceeds primitive thoughts and involved with higher thinking expressed through art and religion. Ortner explains that culture is considered superior as it is man’s way of subduing nature.
In the late 1800s, nearly all women were viewed as subservient, inferior, second class females that lived their lives in a patriarchal and chauvinist society. Women often had no voice, identity, or independence during that time period. Moreover, women dealt with the horrors of social norms and the gender opposition of societal norms. The primary focus and obligation for a woman to obtain during the 1800s was to serve her husband and to obey to anything he said. Since women were not getting the equality, freedom, or independence that they desired, Kate Chopin, an independent-minded female American novelist of the late 1800s expressed the horrors, oppressions, sadness, and oppositions that women of that time period went through.
Monumental strides have been made when looking at the treatment of women in today's society, compared to the treatment of women in the early 20th century. In today's society, a woman can survive on her own, with no companion to assist in her sustainability. However, in New Orleans creole culture circa 1899, women were not given any opportunity to express any form of individualism. The objectification of women in the early 20th century is exemplified by the women in Kate Chopin’s feminist novel The Awakening.
In the 19th century, a group of people launched the suffrage movement, and they cared about women’s political rights, their property and their body liberty. Born in that age, Kate Chopin was aware of the importance of setting an example for those who were taken in by the reality and poor women to be an inspiration. So we call her a forerunner of the feminist author for every effort she put in advocating women’s sexuality, their self-identity and women’s own strength. When people were ashamed of talking about sexuality, Kate Chopin stood out and call for women’s sexual autonomy.
The way Kate Chopin sets the region and setting as something important to the plot is because back in the day like in the 1800s . People didn't have has much responsibilities and struggles as we do today in society . I realized that Kate Chopin had 8 sons by the time she was 28 years old . Back in the day , things where a lot cheaper then things today . Today in society we had to work for a lot of things and to also pay bills and so on .
The novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, shows the way people view women and the roles that they were expected to fill by society. Edna Pontellier is a traditional married woman who does not know what she is capable of until she puts her strength to the test. “A feeling of exculpation overtook her, as if some power of significant import had been given her to control the working of her body and soul” (Chopin 31). Women did not know what they are capable of. The patriarchal society they live in degrades them, so they did not know that they possessed the potential to be just as powerful as men are.
Henry James in Daisy Miller: A Study and Kate Chopin in The Awakening present two strong female protagonists, Daisy and Edna respectively. Both authors exhibit realist elements throughout to truly bring their characters to life. Henry James paints a picture of the difference between American and European ideals within the story primarily through the eyes of two Americans in Europe, Daisy and Winterbourne. James uses both common American vernacular speech and formal English to enhance the binary between the new and the old. The character, Daisy is spontaneous and seemingly carefree to represent the new world of America, whereas another character, Winterbourne, is rational and assimilated to European culture to represent the old ideals of Europe.
Feminist analysis of The Storm The rise of the Women’s Movement during 1890’s encouraged many to grant all human beings the same fundamental rights despite one's gender. Traditionally, sexual passion, in a woman's aspect of life, was considered inappropriate and wrong in societal views. Yet, Chopin boldly addresses sexual desire in a woman with a strong feminist tone in The Storm, empowering female sexuality.
Literary analysis is the use of textual clues in a work of literature in order to find what an author means and is trying to represent within a text. “The Awakening” by Kate Chopin is about a New Orleans wife trying to hold her beliefs in who she wants to become against what society wants her to be. The book was written in a time where women were homemakers and were treated as possessions rather than as an individual who has feelings, interests, wants, and needs. In “The Awakening,” Kate Chopin is using realism in order to represent women for how they really are and how they are treated in order to bring social change to women’s rights. Kate Chopin uses realism to represent women in the Awakening by showing how they were truly treated in
