The Awakening Study Guide

Edna’s children are different from other children, if one of her boys fell “…he was not apt to rush crying to his mother’s arms for comfort; he would more likely pick himself up, wipe the water out of his eyes and the sand out of his mouth, and go on playing”. Edna is not a typical Creole “mother-woman” who “idolized her children (and) worshipped her husband” (8) and at times that results in her husband’s claims that she neglects her children. Edna’s children leave her attached to her husband, and even if she is somehow able to escape the relationship with her husband she will never be able to escape her children. She realizes this and whether consciously or not, doesn’t care for her children the way this is expected of a woman in her time period. When Adele Ratignolle reminds her to, “Think of the children!…Oh think of the children! Remember them!” Edna finally realizes her decisions affect her and her children. Instead of accepting her responsibility as a mother Edna decides to give up, and does so by committing suicide.

Marriage did not bring fulfillment or satisfaction to Edna’s life, nor did being a mother. “She would sometimes gather them passionately to her heart; she would sometimes forget them.” (Chopin, ch. 7) When her children were away with their grandmother, they were not missed by their mother. “Their absence was a sort of relief, though she did not admit this, even to herself. It seemed to free her of a responsibility which she had blindly assumed and for which Fate had not fitted her.” (Chopin, ch. 7) What mother forgets her children and does not miss them when they are gone? Edna was searching for meaning in her life, she wanted happiness.

The setting Edna is in directly affects her temperament and awakening: Grand Isle provides her with a sense of freedom; New Orleans, restriction; the “pigeon house”, relief from social constraints. While at Grand Isle, Edna feels more freedom than she does at her conventional home in New Orleans. Instead of “Mrs. Pontellier… remaining in

Through the story Edna becomes more and more uneasy about not being able to do and have what she really wants. This can be shown from the beginning when she lets her children play by themselves and doesn’t miss her husband when he is away from home. Edna tried to be a good mother by becoming friends with an old fashioned woman, Madame Adèle Ratignolle, who devoted her life to her husband and children. However, when Edna was not around Madame Adèle Ratignolle, she forgot how to be like Adèle Ratignolle and instead busied herself with what was considered to be her “childish ways”. She would try to make herself as happy as possible; she was not her happiest with her husband and kids. When Edna discovered her passion for art, she embraced it and neglected her family even more so than before.

In many Caribbean islands, men are seen as the powerful one. Being from Jamaica, it is not a doubt that Grace experienced this as growing up beside her experience with Bill. CITATION FOR CARRIBEAN Grace brings in her traditions from both her Jamaican descent and American experience as part of the way she decides to raise Moore and his siblings

Sacrifices can define one’s character; the definition can either be the highest dignity or the lowest degradation of the value of one’s life. In The Awakening, Kate Chopin implicitly conveys the sacrifice Edna Pontellier makes in the life which provides insight of her character and attributions to her “awakening.” She sacrificed her past of a lively and youthful life and compressed it to a domestic and reserved lifestyle of housewife picturesque. However, she meets multiple acquaintances who help her express her dreams and true identity. Mrs. Pontellier’s sacrifice established her awakening to be defiant and drift away from the societal role of an obedient mother, as well as, highlighting the difference between society’s expectations of

When Papi returned from the island saying “I am given up, Mami! It is no hope for the island. I will become un domincan-york”, from then on the lives of the girls had changed forever (Alvarez 107). It was very interesting to see how after that things started going wrong quickly. The young girls began exploring into their new American culture, and every step they would take toward American ways would make Mami or Papi upset. For example in Sandi’s experimentation with Tampax was appalling to Mami, who then soon sent them away to all-girls boarding schools. The parents would want nothing more than for the girls to marry “homeland boys, since everyone knew that once a girl married an American, those grandbabies came out jabbering in English and thinking of the Island as a place to go get a suntan” (109). They believed that a lighter skin color would help the children fit in better in the United States, but it also meant further alienation from the Dominican Republic. In the section that is titled The Rudy Elmenhurst Story, Yolanda reflects that after Rudy says to her “I’m not going to fucking rape you!” that her father would have never stood for that language, specially if its in the presence of one of his daughters (96). It is very apparent that there are immense differences between

Although Aunt Hager believes some white people are good, Sister Johnson, a neighbor, can't stand any white people and tells her story of being forcibly removed from what the white's called Crowville in Vicksburg, Mississippi. She tells the story of how African Americans lived in the town and how they were making

He walks away from the main house toward his own cottage since he could not concentrate on reading because of the noise --- " The parrot and the mocking bird --- had the privilege of --- [making] all the noise they wished" (516). The typical male attitude that women were entertaining to look at and possess, but were irritating creatures because they chattered incessantly. That Mr. Pontellier like most males --- "had the privilege of quitting their society when [birds or women] ceased to be entertaining" (516). Mr. Pontellier goes back to the same boring task --- "once more [applying] himself to the task of reading the newspaper" (516). That men were able to apply themselves to the same menial and meaningless task over and over. Men were self-absorbed, concerned only with work, and obtaining possession not maintaining relationships with their families.

They had been slave owners up until the Abolition of Slavery Act 1833 and since had lost all of their wealth. They are referred to by the Islanders as “white nigger” because they are so heavily disrespected for their former profession and as they regain wealth they become openly despised by the society around them. Rochester as an Englishman also marginalizes Antoinette due to her Creole nationality. He eroticises her for being an Islander whilst also resenting her for the use of different customs. Antoinette, therefore, has a lack of racial identity; she is not English and yet her family history and her privilege as a white woman means that she can in no way be racially identifiable with the black people in Jamaica either. Lee Erwin describes this paradox through the scene in which Antoinette’s first house is burned down and she runs to Tia, a black girl her own age, to “be like her”. Antoinette is rebuffed by violence from Tia leading to her seeing Tia “as if I saw myself. Like in a looking glass". Erwin argues that “even as she claims to be seeing "herself," she is simultaneously seeing the other, that which only defines the self by its separation from it, in this case literally by means of a cut. History here, in the person of a former slave's daughter, is figured as refusing Antoinette” the daughter of a slave

He stopped in the middle of the woods, panting. As he looked up, the sky was getting brighter by the minute. He continued to run, but as he did he changed. His eyes were a piercing red like the blood he hungered for. His agility grew and soon all you could see was a blur. His usual thick-set build became unbelievably ripped, but as improvements came the part of that everyone knew and loved faded. The need for self-preservation kicked in. The loving, caring part became a detached, lonely, and hungry soul just in one long howl.

Edna was born in a time where a women’s sole purpose was to get married, have children and please their husband. This is exemplified when Edna’s husband, Leonce , comes home and instead of

The Doctor: When the doctor hears of Kino finding the pearl, he immediately says that Kino’s son is his patient. And then immediately thinks about the luxury he could have. He cares about the money, not his patients and that represents greed.

In “Two Grandmothers,” a young Jamaican girl compares and contrasts the very different worlds of her two grandmothers. One of her grandmothers called Grandmother Del is poor but wealthy due to the love of her community, while Grandmother Elaine is very well off living in the city, however she suffers from loneliness on a daily basis. Everything is then divided into various dichotomies symbolising the

“Samantha, get up it is time for an island escape!” her mother shouted from downstairs on that hot summer morning. Samantha jumped out of bed, and rushed in excitement to get prepared for her trip to the Bahamas. This was Samantha’s first time leaving Georgia, thus she