The Awakening By Kate Chopin

In The Awakening, Kate Chopin ends the novel in a vastly different way than most authors would have at that time with her main character, Edna Pontellier, committing suicide by drowning herself. If one were to isolate this ending without any context whatsoever, it would feel tragic and depressing; however, the events leading up to her death actually explains to the readers her spiritual reassessment and moral reconciliation, both of which being themes significant to the book as a whole.

At the beginning of Kate Chopin’s short story, “The Story of an Hour” the young, yet physically frail protagonist, Mrs. Mallard, is tactfully informed of her husband’s recent demise. Immediately after receiving the grim news, she makes it perfectly clear how she feels about the circumstances. Mrs. Mallard “…wept at once, with sudden, wild abandonment, in her sister’s arms” and subsequently isolated herself inside of the privacy of her bedroom. Reflecting on the events alone, she displays a welling of despair; however Mrs. Mallard notices that, unlike her husband, the world outside of her bedroom window appears vivid and alive. When cogitating about her external observations, and dissolving her finite trepidation, Mrs. Mallard comes an epiphany:

In the essay, “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin, many reactions are created by the author. Chopin uses many tricks to make her work interesting and attention-grabbing. The essay makes the reader think and react with emotions about many of the events occurring, Overall, the essay is intriguing, but the essay can become confusing in some parts. For the most part, Chopin’s essay is appealing for the readers.

In Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” allows one to explore many ironic instances throughout the story, the main one in which a woman unpredictably feels free after her husband’s assumed death. Chopin uses Mrs. Mallard’s bizarre story to illustrate the struggles of reaching personal freedom and trying to be true to yourself to reach self-assertion while being a part of something else, like a marriage. In “The Story of an Hour” the main character, Mrs. Mallard, celebrates the death of her husband, yet Chopin uses several ironic situations and certain symbols to criticize the behavior of Mrs. Mallard during the time of her “loving” husband’s assumed death.

“Here, as in “The Story of an Hour” Kate Chopin is instead concerned with the heroine’s authenticity of being and her freedom to regain and ensure that authenticity” (Podlasli-Labrenz 69). Chopin’s writing style in “The Story of an Hour”, shows the the benefits of being an independent woman. As the story is told about Mr. Mallard’s death, Mrs. Mallard’s reaction really emphasizes Chopin’s views as a writer. “Louise's joy, it may be argued, is her thought of being single, not the realization that her husband is alive” (Mayer 95). Although Chopin writes continuously abut her femininity, that is what made her successful.

In the novel, The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, we see how much of an importance the men in Edna’s life serve as a purpose to her awakening. Chopin is known to write stories about women who are unsatisfied with their lives while living in a life that is dominated by men. Other than Edna, the main men characters are typical men of the late 19th century era. Chopin shows how these three men are diverse from one another. The Creole men are Léonce Pontellier, Edna’s husband, Robert, Edna’s mystery man number one, and Alcee, mystery man number two. Léonce, Edna’s husband, is a businessman who has no time for his family let alone his wife. Alcee comes off as carefree and does not seem to care what society thinks of him. Robert is Edna’s main mystery man who she loves but Robert doesn’t love her back. Throughout the novel, these men make Edna question herself, which lead her to her awakening. These men show how men in the late 19th century behaved. In a male dominated world, women were not allowed to do much except for be good wives and mothers to their families. Edna learned the hard way as to what it meant to be the wife of a Creole man in the Victorian era. Men expected too much of women because appearances meant everything and no man would want to have a wife who is out of line and not well behaved in public. In studying these three men in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, we see how different yet alike these men are to one another.

Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening depicts sexual affairs, inner struggles, and the conquest of motherhood that most women face today. The conquest of motherhood involves the battle between being a supportive wife and selfless mother. The story revolves around the characters’ dialogue and appearances described beautifully throughout the novel by Kate Chopin. The story is a familiar one that, sadly, most women can relate to: A woman is married without knowing what true love is. Her husband treats her kindly and respectfully; however, views her as a possession more-so than a human being. The husband, caring more about his duties, job, and money, leaves his wife struggling with her domestic responsibilities such as raising a family, being a good mother and wife. Characterization contributes to Edna’s struggles because each character described by Chopin affects the way Edna lives her life. Robert has a passionate effect on her and gives her that temporary confidence and “fire” that she needed in her life. Her husband’s description by Chopin reflects just how neglected and lonely Edna felt. The other Creole women that are explained by Chopin also shows the readers what the “perfect mother or wife” should be. Chopin’s mechanism of using characterization throughout the novel does not reflect the character’s personalities and motifs. However, Kate Chopin uses direct and indirect characterization as the anchor of the novel that supplies the reader with the benefit

The story of an hour by Kate Chopin introduces us to Mrs. Mallard as she reacts to her husband’s death. In this short story, Chopin portrays the complexity of Mrs. Mallard’s emotions as she is saddened yet joyful of her loss. Kate Chopin’s “The Story of an Hour” argues that an individual discover their self-identity only after being freed from confinement. The story also argues that freedom is a very powerful force that affects mental or emotional state of a person. The story finally argues that only through death can one be finally freed.

In Kate Chopin’s novel, “The Awakening”, she introduces the reader to the life of Edna Pontellier, a woman with an independent nature, searching for her true identity in a society that expects women to be nothing more than just devoted housewives and nurturing mothers. In Edna’s journey of self-discovery, one must recognize the impact that other characters have had on her as well. Two characters that have had the biggest impact on Edna were Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz. Even though these two women are very different, both of them greatly influence Edna’s decisions about her life. The ideas that both women presented to Edna

Kate Chopin’s The Story of an Hour is a brilliant short story of irony and emotion. The story demonstrates conflicts that take us through the character’s emotions as she finds out about the death of her husband. Without the well written series of conflicts and events this story, the reader would not understand the depth of Mrs. Mallard’s inner conflict and the resolution at the end of the story. The conflict allows us to follow the emotions and unfold the irony of the situation in “The Story of an Hour.”

In Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening a wife and a mother of two, Edna Pontellier, discovers her desires as a woman to live life to the fullest extent and to find her true self. Eventually, her discovery leads to friction between friends, family, and the dominant values of society. Through Chopin's use of Author’s craft and literary elements, the readers have a clear comprehension as to what the author is conveying.

When it comes to the word sacrifice, people tend to interpret it in many different ways. Thich Nhat Hanh, a Vietnamese monk who focuses on the peace movement of people, once said, “People sacrifice the present for the future. But life is available only in the present.” In the story, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Edna Pontellier sacrifices her own life during the present, which means she surrendered her future by doing so, according to Thich Nhat Hanh. Some may ask, why would a blessed and fortunate young woman give up her privileged life? Societal pressure, self-identity, and freedom were just some of the obstacles Edna was trying to overcome throughout her life, the common factor of all these obstacles being Edna’s sacrifice, lead by her self-awakening. As the story continues, Edna eventually grows to appreciate and better understand this awakening, which teaches her to cherish her own life and strive to attain what she wants from it. Unfortunately, she found her escape from the wrongs in her life by suicide. On the contrary, her sacrifice of her self-awakening proves that she is human and has some of the same thoughts, feelings, and values as everyone else does.

In the Victoria Era, women were fighting to break free of a society that suppresses a free spirit. In Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening, Edna is the main protagonist of the story that has become awakened and now realizes the type of society that she lives in. Her husband, Leonce Pontellier, disagrees with her behavior; Robert Lebrun- Edna’s lover- has a complex relationship with her, and Victor Lebrun and his mother Madame Lebrun are Edna’s friends that are observant of her changes throughout the novel. Not to forget Alcee Arobin, a man she is having sexual relations with, and Mademoiselle Reisz who is a mother figure to her. Edna’s children- Etienne and Raoul cause her to second think a lot of choices in her life and Madame Adele Ratignolle, another close friend to Edna, provides to her opinions and advice. Edna’s unfulfilled life as a mother and wife urges Edna to release herself from the norm that is society. Now that she sees the domestication that a woman is expected of, Edna cannot return to the life she used to live. Marriage is unsatisfactory to Edna, and becomes something she hates, and something she learns she does not need.

Kate Chopin’s impressive literary piece, The Story of an Hour, encompasses the story of an hour of life, an hour of freedom. We must seize the day and live our lives to the fullest without any constraints. This very rich and complete short story carries a lot of meaning and touches a readers feelings as well as mind. Throughout this piece much symbolism is brought about, which only helps us to understand the meaning and success of Kate Chopin’s work. Kate allows her reader to think and allows us to understand the meaning of her story with the different uses of symbols such as heart troubles, the armchair, the open window, springtime, and the calm face and goddess of victory. We eventually realize little by little that Mrs. Mallard

Kate Chopin provides her reader with an enormous amount of information in just a few short pages through her short story, “The Story of an Hour.” The protagonist, Louise Mallard, realizes the many faults in romantic relationships and marriages in her epiphany. “Great care [is] taken to break to her as gently as possible the news of her husband’s death” (Chopin 168). Little do Josephine and Richards know, the news will have a profoundly positive effect on Louise rather than a negative one. “When she abandoned herself,” Mrs. Mallard opened her mind to a new way of life. The word usage shows that the protagonist experienced a significant change. This life wouldn’t be compromised by her partner’s will, which will enable her to live for