The Role Of Women In The Awakening

In the novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin portrays an image where someone shifts from one phase to another one. We find the protagonist go through a shift from patriarchy to feminist resistance. As this story continues to unfold, Edna goes through feminist resistance where she doesn’t want to still rely on her husband anymore and want to live by her own rules. Edna Pontellier’s “awakening” takes place in Grand Isle and New Orleans during the late 1800s. It is an important factor of the book because during this time period women were fighting for their rights. Usually before this time, women would only stay home and follow the orders of their husbands. Women during this time period needed to stay home and care for the house and the children. They always had to live for their children almost are like a slave to their husband. Women would be often seen as a property and not an actual human being. In this novel, we find restrains at the beginning and later see the shift to wanting freedom of expression.

As the novel begins we are shown Edna’s life before her escape from society’s standards. At the beginning we are shown that Edna is valued by society because of her physical appearance and is portrayed as a housewife married to a wealthy husband. On only the seventh page of the novel we are shown the lack of individuality women had during this time period. We are first introduced to Edna and Edna’s husband, Leonce. Leonce creates the income for the family as well as viewing his wife more of a possession rather than a partner. Leonce notices Edna is sunburned when she has come back from swimming and views her as “a valuable piece of property which has suffered some damage” (7).

Additionally, Chopin shows how women were stereotyped as a mother-woman and etc. Many women in the last 1800s and early 1900s were viewed as a mother-woman, a person who’s job is to only to worship their husbands and carry children and idolize them. Many women during that time, did not like the stereotypes that the society put on them. In this quote, “In short, Mrs. Pontellier was not a mother-woman. The mother-women seemed to prevail that summer at Grand Isle. It was easy to know them, fluttering about with extended, protecting wings when any harm, real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood. They were women who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels.” (Chopin 19), shows how women were stereotyped in their society. This shows what Edna thinks. She does not want to be a typical woman in the society and follow the rules

Edna portrays her role as a feminist in many ways. She tells Madame Ratignolle "she would never sacrifice herself for her children, or for anyone. . . . I would give up the essential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself" (Chopin 47). This exemplifies Edna's theory that if she gives up her soul, the very base of her womanhood and what she stands for in life, then her existence and her point in the world is over, and she may drift away into the abyss of commonality. "Kate Chopin has given Edna an inner sight. Edna begins on a search of what is to be, not of what it is necessarily to be female, but simply to be," Jennifer Ward compares. Edna believes in herself as a strong individual and moves forward to attaining her sexuality and opinions, strongly enforcing the beliefs of feminism to intimately discovering one's mind and body. Although there are many different definitions of feminism, it is conclusive that feminism is about the labors of women to define themselves as passionate counterparts to men, and not merely faithful dogs padding loyally on the heels of their masters.

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.

Though it was uncommon during the 1800’s, some women didn’t want to assume the traditional role of a typical Victorian lady. Such is the case in Kate Chopin 's The Awakening; she introduces us to Edna Pontellier a mother and wife during the said era. Throughout the story, we follow Edna 's journey of self-discovery and self-expression through emotions, art, and sex thanks to the help of people she meets along the way. Chopin decides to end the book with Edna’s suicide in an attempt to convey a sense of liberation from her repressed life, but was the reasoning behind her suicide what everyone else thinks? Consequently, this said journey took me along for the ride, and I had no complaints. As Edna figured out who she was, I felt as if I was

Edna Pontellier is a woman of great needs. Although she has a husband who cares for her and two children, she is very unhappy. She plays her roles as a mother and wife often, but still keeps doing things unmarried, barren women should do: enjoy the company of other men, ignore her children's cries, dress unladylike for the times. The story is set in the late 1800's, when women were to be in the kitchen preparing a meal for their family, giving birth to more children to help with daily chores, or sitting quietly at home, teaching the children while the husband was at work. Edna Pontellier was a woman not of her time. At only 28, she would have rather been out gallivanting with different men, traveling with them, and painting

By giving her children a sense of independance early which may enable them for success later on. While other children of the times may have a pseudo unhealthy reliance on a mother, much like Robert's brother Victor who still lives at home. Another more risky thing she did was make a statement that most women even now wouldn't agree with. Edna states: “I would give up the unessential; I would give up my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself.”(Chopin 47) This statement holds quite a lot of weight in the way we can view edna. Some may call her selfish for a lack of an undying love for her children. But I view it as brutal honesty. The fact that edna is coming to this conclusion and fighting the ever pushing stream of society really shows how she is trying to fight. Giving up one's self is a very dangerous thing to do. For once you give too much you can lose who you are. But too little and people can lose sight of what you can be/who you are. As a mother edna realizes this and decides to make herself known in a different way than as a mother-woman.

Edna is expected to take care of her children, two sons, whom she has become negligent to, as implied by her husband when he had told her to check on them, as one had a fever. “He reproached his wife with her inattention, her habitual neglect of the children. “If it was not a mother’s place to look after children, whose on earth was it?” is believed to be a stereotype where all women are expected to take care of their children, as they were the ones who had given birth to them and must take care of them. Edna does not want to take care of her children, so she habitually neglects them and does what she wants, as she is not interested in the children. She goes against the stereotype by doing what she desires, instead of having to focus on her children since it was a woman’s job to “play a motherly role.” While both Edna and the unnamed woman oppose the ideas of an oppressive society, others also continue to attempt to dispose of such ideas and

Edna realizes that the patriarchal society is quick to condemn particularly a freedom-seeking woman who neglects her children since she is “intended by nature” to take care of them (Dyer 126). She is "uneven and impulsive" in her affections for her children. When they leave to visit their grandmother, she is relieved because she is not suited to the responsibilities of motherhood. Edna’s mind was at rest concerning the present material needs of her children:

Kate Chopin's novel The Awakening in the opening chapter provides the argument for women's entrapment in roles that society has forced upon them. Chopin was not just trying to write an entertaining story but trying to convey arguments against these social injustices. Women are like these birds trapped in these cages unable to free themselves from these imposed roles by society.

named Edna becoming independent and finding herself in a time when women had little to no

Along with living up to this towering expectation they were presumed to “live their lives largely homebound, taking care of the cooking, cleaning, and child rearing,” (Sallus) which restricted a woman of this time’s value to what she could do and how she could serve others. Edna says her children’s absence was a relief in a sense because “It seemed to free her of a responsibility which she had blindly assumed and for which Fate had not fitted her.” (Chopin 25). This reveals that Edna feels as though she does not fit the role of the mother, nor does she want to. Edna later argues to Madame Ratignolle, the epitome of a motherwoman, that she would give up the unessential for her children, for instance money or even her own life, but she would never sacrifice herself. Madame Ratignolle demonstrates the values of a woman in their society when she replies with: “... but a woman who would give her life for her children could do no more than that--your Bible tells you so. I'm sure I couldn't do more than that.” (Chopin 64). This shows that Edna differs from the women in her society because she places herself above her family and focuses on her own happiness rather than tending to her children and husband’s every last need or want.

““How many years have I slept?” she inquired. “The whole island seems changed. A new race of beings must have sprung up, leaving only you and me as past relics.””(Chopin 67). The turn of the century was on the horizon, coinciding with those who seek change, rising with the dawn of the new era. One movement to emerge was that of feminism; the challenging of equity and social expectations for women. Kate Chopin’s revolutionary novel The Awakening serves as a catalyst for much of the 20th century’s critique on the place of women in society, particularly pertaining to expression, equality, and Chopin's juxtaposition of men and women.

Like any women during her era, Edna Pontellier appeared as though she had it all, children, wealth, and most importantly a husband. Little did anyone know she disliked her life so much so that she went out of her way to try and change it. Additionally, these garments fitted into the ideal women of her time; a women’s purpose was to have children, have a husband and do housework, if you didn’t you were looked upon as an outcast and were seen as unsociable. Women were expected to have children even if they didn’t want to. Edna’s society was defined on the idea that if you didn’t have a family, something was out of order. Though Edna fulfilled in her society’s eyes her role, she was miserable. She was seen and considered as a possession, one that needed to follow the rules of society,