The Locket 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.

Flannery O’Connor’s work opens up wide doors and gives direct access to the true heart

Over the course of time the male species has always been the gender to attain the more favorable conditions. Numerous cultures heed to the belief that the man is the provider and head of his family. This machismo nature can condition the mind to believe that a man should feel superior to a woman. The continuous cycle of male superiority flows down from father to son subconsciously. Do to this unceasing sequence of behavior women fall subject to repression and control at the hands of mentally undeveloped men. Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, illustrated this particular topic in a way that not only appealed to the readers’ sense of pathos but, the readers’ likeliness to be able to relate to the aforementioned as well. Chopin stylistically renders the struggle of the protagonist Edna Pontellier, a strong willed woman who finds herself imprisoned to the concept of trans-temporal existence, as she seeks refuge to her true being, Edna experiments relationships with multiple men that unintentionally repress her existence. Between Leonce Pontellier, Robert Lebrun, Alcee Arobin and The Colonel effect of Edna’s life they catalyze her awakening and ultimately lead her suicide.

At the conclusion of The Locket Edmond told Octavie that he didn't lose the locket but that it was stolen from him. I found the ending confusing but after reading it over I found the ending predictable. The conclusion of the locket was predictable because of three major details. The locket being stolen was predictable because the lockets description, Edmond's messmates, and Edmond's battles as a Confederate soldier. The locket was stolen for its overall value.

In the short story The Locket, it is believed that the author Chaplains writing style has kept the readers guessing throughout the story. Many would agree that the ending of the story was a shocker and few expected that conclusion. They would agree that the father-in-law proceeding with the funeral arrangements supporting the assumption the deceased person in the coffin was Edmund because he had the locket around his neck played into the authors plot twist. People would also say that the end of the story was intriguing, especially when Octavia opened the letter from the priest, returning her locket to her expressing his sorrow of the death of her husband Edmund. Only to find out at the very end Edmund was not dead and he was waiting for her at the door.

In the beginning Edmond was a highly ranked soldier and was untouchable throughout the entire war. When one of the other soldiers found out that his way of staying alive might be because of his locket they stole it and wore it so that he wouldn’t die.

Women would never dream of disobeying their husbands because it had been ingrained in their brains that the act of defiance was punishable due to it being a force of rebellion. However, not every eccentric act is undoubtedly wrong. Some actions may be for the betterment of an individual that is struggling to find themselves in a sea of societal regulations. In the controversial book The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Edna Pontellier loses sight of her moral responsibility, to be an obedient and loyal wife as well as a caring mother, when she starts to symbolically view her life as a nonpartisan women would.

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 Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, the main character, Edna Pontellier, has three distinct personality traits that define her throughout the book. One of her most perceptible traits is her irresponsibility, especially in how she cares for her children and husband. Related to this peculiarity, is her capacity to behave childish, particularly in terms of how she allows her emotions to sweep her away as well as her inability to think about the potential consequences. Her most prominent personality trait—the one that forms the backbone of the conflict, is Edna’s eagerness to defy society and the roles given to women. These traits are consistent throughout the novel and while the character does change by the end, these aspects never disappear. The main conflict in The Awakening is a woman’s need to have the right to act herself and live independently instead of how society 's set up what a woman should and should not do. This disagreement is amplified throughout the book as the narrator shows Edna’s “awakening” or her process of realization that she does not fit into the societies expectations. This occurs in a series of events in which Edna moves farther away from societal norms.

Courage…dedication…persistency…fearlessness…these are the words that may abruptly come knocking into an individual’s mind, when we hear the compelling word heroic. Over the course of the novel, The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, I’ve come to discover that these adjectives do not fairly denote who a hero truly is. Can you ever consider an outcast a hero?... living within the norms and ideas of society that may reject his/her own philosophy, an outcast that may just be eagerly fighting, both physically and mentally to convey what others cannot see. It’s time we realized that a hero can be derive from distinctive ideas or norms build within society, but the characteristic that one must contained to truly be derived or look upon as a hero… is love… the love that empowers one to fight for the belief that many others may just be oblivious to. This same love stimulated Edna’s awakening to a reality she knew she did not belong, a realm that she fought to escape by understanding who she is and who she needs to be inside the social hierarchy of the 1890’s.

The locket was supposed to protect Edmond, so I did not expect his death. Also the image of the solider dying was shocking: “His hands were clutching the sward on either side and his finger nails were stuffed with earth and bits of grass that he had gathered in his despairing grasp upon life... Around his neck hung a gold chain and locket. The priest, bending over him, unclasped the chain and removed it from the dead soldier's neck.” This quote made me think that Edmond’s talisman did not work for him. Furthermore, it would not made me think that somebody else could be wearing the

The ending from the Locket caught me by surprise. It was unexpected because the story begins while in combat as Ned is reading the letter. While reading the letter he was remembering the way that Octavie was dressed and how she took off the locket and gave to him so that he would be or feel safe while in combat. Personally I thought that this was their last good-bye and they were now being separated for good. The Locket is a short story about a young couple and true love for one another.

Realism emerged in American culture as a direct reject against romanticism during the late 19th century. Authors begin to structuralize their works to mirror the simplistic reality of everyday life. As an artist during this era, the principal achievement to develop realistic works is to faithfully capture the essence of the life that surrounds him or her accurately. Writers sought to portray life as beautifully or tragically as it real was, without straying from the absolute truth. In doing so, authors vulnerable allowed readers into the lights of real characters and social problems not often exposed candidly. Kate Chopin is honorably amongst this group of authors. Her works divinely portrayed the culture of New Orleans and the lives of Louisiana 's Creole and Cajun residents. Chopin openly express her views on sex, marriage, and the injustices of women during the time. Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, best exemplifies the contextual achievement of realism through the rejection of conformity, the exploration of love, and the weight of social opinion on individual choices.

“The Awakening” was an interesting novel that investigated topics on self expression and identity in typical Victorian day society. The author, Kate Chopin revealed this idea through the perspective of the main character Edna Pontellier, a traditional married woman who is awoken to her senses of who she was as an individual. The plot centers on Edna, who steps out of the normal expectations for women in society. She meets characters that develop her awoken state like Robert, encourage her like Mademoiselle Reisz or pull her back into society like Adele Ratignolle. Anyhow, the story tragically ends with Edna committing suicide by drowning herself at sea. She takes steps to express her identity,

Kate Chopin is viewed as a woman ahead of her time, who explored themes that were unconventional to her era such as freedom and individuality, sexuality, and the role of women in society. In the novel “The Awakening,” published in 1899, Chopin uses protagonist Edna Pontellier to confront the social conventions that women faced in the Victorian Era, and the strict rules by the Creole society that limited women to the primary role of wife and mother. Chopin uses symbolism to express these ideas, and emotions as Edna awakens to a world of new possibilities. In this analysis, we will examine two primary symbols of the story, being birds and houses that Kate Chopin masterfully uses to illustrate Edna’s confinement and her journey toward liberation and independence.