Edna Pontellier's Identity

Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, introduces a “solitary soul” who fights for her identity in a society where statuses are defined and given. Edna Pontellier’s path to her awakened self is not a program, but rather a process that unfortunately results in death. Although societal influences limit the boundary for her feminine position, her inner struggle for freedom prompts her actions to appear impulsively sporadic and self-destructive in the midst of domesticity. Once she sampled the thrill and

creating a new identity for a variety of reasons such as choice or necessity to enhance the plot, develop the themes of the work, develop the characters, and multiple other crucial elements to a novel. In The Awakening by Kate Chopin, the main character Enda Pontellier displays a dual identity of an independent woman and an acceptable housewife trained by society which creates inner conflict and develops the theme that inner happiness and peace needs to come from yourself and not society. Edna Pontellier

was a child. Influences, from Adele Ratignolle and a few others, have made her want to be more social. This causes Mrs. Pontellier to fall into an identity crisis because she is trying to change herself and is unsuccessful. Mrs. Pontellier also finds herself not happy with her marriage for the first time and does not know how to change it. Mrs. Edna Pontellier has more masculine features than feminine. Her hair and eyes are yellow-brown. Mrs. Pontellier is married to Mr. Leonce Pontellier. Unfortunately

In analyzing the character development of Edna Pontellier as a character, she becomes a radical woman of this literary age. Through her development, Mrs. Pontellier exhibits characteristics that would not be deemed as acceptable behavior from a married woman of the late 1800’s as American society is beginning to see a shift into the Industrial Revolution. Throughout Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, Edna Pontellier undergoes several episodes of bipolar behavior through her activities and her family

to have the strength to overcome what is ideal upon the society in order to develop one’s own identity. This employs how the cage for the birds also serves for the purpose of the entrapment that the women are in. The symbolization of birds also acts as reminder to the readers of how women are still entrapped by the society though one was able to achieve their own independence, similarly to Edna Pontellier’s situation. Furthermore, Chopin implements the usage of birds to further add how women similarly

every story is so successful. In Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening”, Edna Pontellier finds herself fighting this very battle that, although begins with a positive outlook, ultimately ends in her demise. Throughout “The Awakening”, Edna is immersed in a constant clash with society over the significance of the difference between her life and her self. To Edna, the question of whether or not she would die for her children is somewhat simple. Edna attempts to explain this concept to her good friend, Adele Ratignolle

neutral point of view. The male dominated French-Louisiana society provides a challenge for the main character, Edna Pontellier to adapt to. Through the character of Edna Pontellier, we the audience, see both an emotional and physical awakening. After awakening, Edna tries to combat the societal structures of motherhood which define her as the wife of motherhood and force her identity as the wife of Leoncé and the mother of Raoul and Etienne instead of her own self-defined individual. Chopin’s concentration

stories and two novels about women. One of her renowned works of art is The Awakening. This novel created great controversy and received negative criticism from literary critics due to Chopin's portrayal of women by Edna throughout the book. The Awakening is a novel about a woman, Edna Pontellier, who is a confused soul. She is a typical housewife that is looking to

Immersion into the frame of mind of Edna Pontellier, in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, is a fascinating experience, one with many conflicting internal and external influences. Like a marionette, Edna acts as a slave to her perceived social constraints in the beginning of The Awakening, a poignant contrast to her emotionally fueled, self-destructive choices towards the end. In the opening chapters of Edna’s story, she is described from an external viewpoint. Readers do not especially see the interworking

controversy and received negative criticism from literary critics due to Chopin's portrayal of women by Edna throughout the book. The Awakening is a novel about a woman, Edna Pontellier, who is a confused soul. She is a typical housewife that is looking to

1899, the story of Edna Pontellier’s sensual awakening and abandonment of her family was just as unconventional as Chopin herself. It was met with harsh criticism and surrounded by controversy. Sensitive to the pushback, Chopin retreated into the background, publishing few more

expected of women. Edna is the opposite of the ideal mother and wife. She does many things that would be frowned upon in the late nineteenth century. Throughout the novel Edna is seen fighting societal standards. She struggles to have an identity of her own instead of being known as Leonce Pontellier’s wife and Raul and Etienne Pontellier’s mother. In the end Edna chooses to end her life instead of being defined by men for the rest of her life. In the beginning it seems like Edna feels compelled to

ambiguous character is a woman in the 1800s named Edna Pontellier. Edna Pontellier from Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening” can be perceived as morally ambiguous due to her affiliations with other men, role defying actions, and search for herself. Due to Edna being romantically involved with Robert Lebrun, a man she met on the Grand Isle, she can be perceived as morally ambiguous. On page 107, Edna and Robert renounce their love for one another. Without context, Edna and Robert’s love for one another may be acceptable

seemingly completely disconnected culture, Janie experiences in her Southern life stifling, patriarchal pressures similar to those which Edna felt some thirty years earlier in Victorian-era New Orleans. While still in her teenage years, Janie is forced into a loveless marriage in the name of protecting her in ways she would not be able to independently. Like Edna who stays with Mr. Pontellier despite her hesitations about their relationship and her insincere reasons for marrying him, Janie lingers

rights no matter the controversy of the time. First and foremost, when talking about feminism, there has to be some sort of rebellion in order for any part of feminism to cause change in equality. Rebellion is seen right from the start of the book when Edna Pontellier, our protagonist, embellishes herself in an exotic and provocative outfit, an outfit of which was not ideal at all for