Individualism In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

The story, The Awakening, is about Edna Pontellier’s internal conflict between her desire for independence and her need to remain a high-class member of society. When away on summer vacation Edna has the realization that she has control of her own life and begins to focus on her self and not what others think. During her awakening, Edna is faced with much resilience from her husband and friends and instead of becoming someone she is not, Edna Pontellier ends her own life as she sees it is her only option. The author, Kate Chopin, uses many characters to exemplify the conflicting ideals emerging in Edna; particularly Madame Ratignolle acts as a foil to Edna’s newfound persona, instead symbolizing the conservation of a traditional

When it is revealed that she has “heart trouble”, her sister uses extreme caution when breaking the news about the death of Mrs. Mallard’s husband. Chopin makes use of certain things in the short story where things can be taken literally and figuratively. Mrs. Mallard’s heart condition can be looked at literally and figuratively because Chopin incorporates it as both a physical and symbolic problem. Mrs. Mallard did have mixed feeling about her marriage and the lack of freedom that she had. When Mrs. Mallard realizes that she has this

One of the most important themes of the The Awakening is the struggle for identity and freedom. Edna Pontellier, a wealthy women living in late 19th-century New Orleans, attempts to pursue independence from her marriage and motherhood. The novel takes place in two different locations: Grande Isle, on the coast of Louisiana, and New Orleans. Each of these two distinct settings reflect a particular part of Edna’s journey and advance her character in various ways. While staying on Grande Isle, Edna experiences the Creole culture dominant there, which allows her to spend time alone around Robert Lebrun even though she is a married woman. The Creole culture is a shock to Edna: “A characteristic which distinguished [the Creoles] and which

To what extent does Edna Pontellier, in Kate Chopin's The Awakening, mark a departure from the female characters of earlier nineteenth-century American novels

In the story about Edna Pontellier a major theme is her omitted self discovery. In the story we can see how Chopin uses style, tone and content to make the reader understand how it was for a person challenging many of the beliefs of the society at the beginning of the twentieth century.

Chopin's The Awakening is full of symbolism.  Rather than hit the reader on the head with blunt literalism, Chopin uses symbols to relay subtle ideas.  Within each narrative segment, Chopin provides a symbol that the reader must fully understand in order to appreciate the novel as a whole.  I will attempt to dissect some of the major symbols and give possible explanations as to their importance within the text.

A saying that everyone most likely heard at one point or time in their life is, “You never know what you have until it’s gone”. In Kate Chopin's novel The Awakening Edna never knew what she had had until it was too late, she was drowning and was going to die. After Edna's First awakening, when she actually went swimming for the first time, she became more aware and more independent. With her new view on life, things became harder for her. Does Edna’s accidental suicide illuminate that independence isn't always what's best for you and that gaining her independence was either a success or a failure.

Kate Chopin's The Awakening is truly a novel that stands out from the rest. From the moment it was published, it has been caused women to examine their beliefs. The fact that The Awakening was shunned when first published, yet now taught in classrooms across the country is proof that The Awakening is full of rebellious and controversial ideas.

The chapter begins with a parrot--who is owned by the resort’s proprietor, Madame Lebrun--on a porch shouting at Leonce Pontellier to “Get out!” Leonce, who is trying to read the newspaper, distances himself from the bird so he can continue his reading in peace and quiet. He situates himself in a rocking chair on the porch of his own cottage and watches his two sons (ages five and four) play croquet with some other people. After he lights a cigar and continues to watch them, he catches sight of Edna Pontellier, his wife, and Robert Lebrun approaching from the beach underneath a sunshade. They sit on the porch steps with obviously sunburnt skin. Leonce scolds Edna for allowing herself to get burned. He then hands her her wedding ring that she apparently gave him for safekeeping. Edna and Robert attempt to tell Leonce a funny story about what happened at the beach but Leonce finds it boring. He tells them that he is going to go to Klein’s hotel and asks Robert if he wants to tag along. Robert declines so he can stay with Edna and Leonce leaves.

For as long as we can remember, the ideologies that society has set into motion regarding women on how to oppress them, has always been a constant issue. Years of control that women have had to face by being told how to act, what to do, how they should feel, and who they are in society, has always been a constant theme in women’s life. Society had oppressed women for so long, that they were afraid to do something completely different from what was portrayed as being right. Slowly, women started to find their voice, and were able to finally understand that their lives didn’t revolve around what their husbands or any other men in their lives needed and wanted. In the novel The Awakening by Kate Chopin, we see how the main character Edna Pontellier is slowly but surely able to overcome these barriers that were put into place by society, especially by three men in her life, Leonce Pontellier, Robert Lebrun, and her father the Colonel. Each man tried to either control or repress Edna, to stop her from exploring stuff that no woman would’ve never dared have tried back in the 1800s. These three men might have been different as to who they were in society, but they all shared that common goal to undermine Edna.

In Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, forms of liberty are very prominent and show themes such as rebellion, independence, and freedom. In the novel feminism as well as stereotypes also help back up these themes, as they were especially effective during the time period during which the novel was published. The themes, tried to persuade a change in women’s civil 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

Freedom- In the novella, Edna questioned herself often about her independence and her ability to act on her own. Often times she felt bound to her husband and her obligations in their society. For instance, the one instance where Mrs. Pontellier showed a desire to be free was when Edna moved out from her house and into the pigeon house. Chopin says, " Whatever was her own in the house, everything which she had acquired aside from her husband's bounty, she caused to be transported to her house..."(Chopin.29). Edna went to her house with haste and did not even give the word to her husband until it was after the fact of the matter. Another instance where Mrs. Pontellier expressed a desire for freedom was when Chopin gave a description of the garden

With the mass expansion and popularity of social media, and celebrities, people have become less individual. This is how culture can be observed today, but internally every person is unique, with their own ways of thought and their own opinions. Kate Chopin, the author of The Awakening, creates the character Edna. Edna exibits an outward life that conforms with society,l and an inward life that questions if a “normal” life is worth living. This ideology is is hazardous to anyone who lives it and it must be avoided at all costs. Successful people often do not internalize their thoughts, When thinking of historically successful people the ones remembered are almost always those who outwardly displayed they controversial feelings and made a change. Holding in questions and feeling while outwardly displaying normality is one of the first signs of a mental illness and can lead down a dangerous road.

In the early 18th century, women’s role in society was very minimal and insignificant. Their best bet was to get married to a wealthy man and create a family. However, some women were forced into marriages, or even coerced into them. These women learned to cope with their husbands while others were not cognizant of the unjust treatment . In this age, women who acted out against their husbands seen as odd. The Awakening captures the events of a woman breaking free from society’s iron grip and discovering her true self. In The Awakening Kate Chopin utilizes the symbols of birds, the sea, and houses to help develop the theme of awakening. Birds are symbolic of women and their place in society. The sea is symbolic of

In class, literariness was defined as a piece of writing that “has excellence of form and expressed a universal interest.” This means that the writing, as a whole, has to pertain to the everyday circumstances of ordinary people, and it must do so through a meaningful narrative. The “universal interests” are synonymous with the basic needs of a human; Anthony Robbins, an American author, philanthropist, and life coach, defines the basic human needs with six terms: contribution, certainty, growth, variety, significance, and love. Throughout Kate Chopin’s novella The Awakening, the main protagonist, Edna, experiences -- albeit at differing levels -- all six of the basic needs. Thus, The Awakening qualifies as a piece of literary work because