The Awakening By Edna Is A Symbol Of Hope For Women

Throughout history, women have been expected to fit into a rigid gender stereotype. Women in the early 1900s would be expected to care for children, be able to do household duties and obey everything their husbands instructed. Those women that did not fit the stereotype were looked down upon by members of society and were often alienated. Edna, the protagonist of the novel, had to battle her inner conflict of not wanting to conform to society's standards throughout the novel. Over, and over again, she was reminded of the fact that she was different and that society did not approve of her way of thinking. In the novel The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, the author uses the characters and their actions in society to express the oppression and expectations society had towards women.

During the late nineteenth century, the time of protagonist Edna Pontellier, a woman's place in society was confined to worshipping her children and submitting to her husband. Kate Chopin's novel, The Awakening, encompasses the frustrations and the triumphs in a woman's life as she attempts to cope with these strict cultural demands. Defying the stereotype of a "mother-woman," Edna battles the pressures of 1899 that command her to be a subdued and devoted housewife. Although Edna's ultimate suicide is a waste of her struggles against an oppressive society, The Awakening supports and encourages feminism as a way for women to obtain sexual freedom, financial independence, and individual identity.

Women have virtually the same rights as men. However, the fault needing to be recognized in today’s society is the way that women are treated. Even in simple areas, such as jobs, women are put on the back burner. A woman is able to become a CEO of a company, nonetheless, she will struggle twice as hard as a man would. Even as an employee, women are statistically paid less than men are.

This itself differentiates Edna from the female population, because she would not accept the idea of being someone who she wasn’t, just so that she could fit a certain image for the public.

Social expectations have haunted people across the timeline, however, have changed as life has progressed. Today, women specifically may be labeled by their body size or the way they speak, being cast out of society and even being subjected to physical and/or emotional abuse. On the contrary, in the nineteenth century women faced harsh discrimination by white men that objectified them and forced them to submit to their husbands and tend to their every need. Today, women would never face to live in such an animalistic way, however many found themselves fulfilling the role without protest and enjoying the simplicity of such a life back in the 1800s. Edna Pontellier, however, refused to be one of these obedient women, deciding to instead

The oppressive way of society which is educated, elevates men from different generations to restraint women from doing the contrare of their expectations. It is inaccurate for a woman to go against their natural expectations as a mom, daughter, wife, and in general as a woman in the late 1800 's. The character Edna in the book The Awakening by Kate Chopin, has various men in her life which include her husband Leonce Pontellier, her lover Robert, and her father the Colonel who all attempted to repress her which caused her ambivalence in her existence and rebel against the gender barriers.

The story the awakening was an opportunity for the author to openly disagree with what a majority of women during her time blindly accepted. But as we read the story we can see trough several different scenarios, Edna revealed just how hard it was for a lady to try to do her own thing without being judge or hold down. Even though the book did not turn out the way some readers expected it showed us that after being "awakened" Edna would never accept her role more than and insignificant unhappy woman. The story teaches us great valuable lessons and make us think about the choices we make in the daily bases twice before committing them.

Women are seen as weak, dependent, and as housewives. Feeling suffocated and pressured to uphold the standard of society women live in fear. As they cannot suppress the way society has portrayed them. Men are seen as dominant or superior over women and are in control of them. They didn’t have a voice because men would overlook them. Women alone could not be single otherwise would be perceived as unusual. Many are afraid of the reality of not being withheld within a dominant figure. In the book The Awakening by Kate Chopin, There are multiple men that come into Edna’s life trying to either control or repress her existence. Leonce-her husband, Robert-her lover, and the Coronel-her father. In some sort of way they belittle her physically, emotionally or mentally. They all have left a scar on her in the way that she feels the need to start to rebel. In order for her to experience life and feel free as a woman in her state of mind she needs to feel different and unique and not rudimentary like every other woman has accepted to be in her time period. Edna seeks independence and will overcome any obstacle and she will commit an act that no other rebellious or non-rebellious woman would ever think to do and the meaning behind her act is very powerful to feminism.

The role of women in traditional societies was to tend to the house and the children. Women in those societies had no say in anything or in most cases men took away their voices. Now in our society women are able to speak out and do as they please. Men in those society’s wanted money, power, food on the table and for their women/wives to just be quiet and to sit back and be pretty. Although these women were from different backgrounds they were both dominated by the men and their family members. Leonce Pontellier (Edna’s Husband) dominated Edna by being a “good” husband and showering her with gifts and valuables. “Mrs. Pontellier was always very generous with the contents of such a box, she was quite used to receiving them when away from home…And the ladies selecting with dainty and discriminating fingers and a little greedily, all declared that Mr. Pontellier was the best husband in the world. Mrs. Pontelier was forced to admit that she knew of none better.” (Chopin.18-19) The fact that she’s

when the roles of Victorian women were expected to be limited to childbearing and a housewife. Their life was suppose to be centered around their husband and their children. They would submit themselves to their husband and was in charge of the domestic duties. So the women’s and men’s role were not viewed with the same status since women’s rights are given to their spouse after marriage. Thus in The Awakening, Edna’s actions are viewed as uncanny and erroneous because women were not viewed as equals but as housewives.

Social expectations have affected people throughout the years, however, they have changed as time has progressed. Today, women specifically may be labeled by their body size or the way they speak, being cast out of society and even being subjected to physical and/or emotional abuse. In the nineteenth century, women faced harsh discrimination by white men that objectified them and forced them to submit to their husbands and tend to their every need. Today, more women would not subject themselves to this sort of traditionalism, however, many found themselves fulfilling the role without protest and enjoying the simplicity of such a life back in the 1800s. Edna Pontellier refused to be one of these obedient women, deciding to instead follow a path of discovery that allowed her to find herself by being independent of her husband and of society. In The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Edna Pontellier expresses a woman who refuses to bow down to societal expectations, rather freeing herself from those chains and becoming the embodiment of her true identity. Chopin is able to illustrate this theme through an exquisite use of symbolism, sensory imagery, and juxtaposition.

Edna, from “The Awakening,” was far more outgoing compared to Jane; even from the very start, Edna paid no mind to her husband, Mr. Pontellier. Edna dared to have an affair (though it wasn’t as successful as she wanted it to be), and had forgotten her very own children an ample of times. Edna waved off Mr. Pontellier’s requests countless times and continued to do what she believed was right. American views in the 20th century saw that the characteristics that Edna possesses are ones that a lady should not be proud of for she would be representing a man and not a lady. Edna was courageous in every way possible; she decided to

In her critical analysis of The Awakening, Jennifer B. Gray believes that “Edna’s awakening allows her to resist the various “interpellations” of the dominant patriarchal ideology and experiment with both alternative and oppositional roles” (Gray 53-73).

In The Awakening, Edna is constantly looking for the approval and attention of someone. Although she has a husband and kids of her own to console her in her solitude, she strives for the attention of someone else. It seems that although she wants the attention of others, she represses the idea of a man to tell her what to do. The idea of a man taking control of her life would be the reason for the transformation that she undergoes. Throughout the novel, there are varies examples of the men that want to dominate the way Edna lives her life. Edna would be a reminder of the depiction of gender roles that women face. While the men in her life try to suppress the identity that she is discovering, she finds herself straying away from the person they want her to be.

Throughout the years women have made great effort to become equal to men. This effort has led to great advances in the movement, but not all of the problems are solved yet. One of the main problems as of right now is the unequal treatment of men and women in the work place. Women are not equal to men in the workplace because of unequal pay, a lack of women in managerial positions, and sexual harassment in the work place.