Theme Of Feminism In The Awakening

The story, The Awakening, is about Edna Pontellier’s internal conflict between her desire for independence and her need to remain a high-class member of society. When away on summer vacation Edna has the realization that she has control of her own life and begins to focus on her self and not what others think. During her awakening, Edna is faced with much resilience from her husband and friends and instead of becoming someone she is not, Edna Pontellier ends her own life as she sees it is her only option. The author, Kate Chopin, uses many characters to exemplify the conflicting ideals emerging in Edna; particularly Madame Ratignolle acts as a foil to Edna’s newfound persona, instead symbolizing the conservation of a traditional

Edna Pontellier's suicide is the unfortunate pit falling of this otherwise feminist piece of literature. Her action, in fact, completely discredits the classification of feminism. Regardless of her ability to withdraw from her husband, venture out on her own, and buy her own home, Edna lacks a very

Whether coerced or through self realizations, there were many awakenings in the book. The first was that Edna was not the traditional mother like Adèle, the second was that she enjoyed doing things for herself instead of for her children and husband. This second awakening is shown when Edna takes time to talk

Edna’s awakening was the beginning to her suicide. As Edna realized her capacity to be honest with herself, the old Edna began to die. Edna slowly started to realize she did not want to be like other women, whom “idolized their children, worshiped their

The Awakening’s protagonist is Edna Pontellier; She is a twenty-eight years old mother of two. Consequently, her appearance is slight that of what a mother should look like, she possesses "quick and bright" eyes, which compliment her thick, wavy, yellowish brown hair" (9); While Edna 's physique is "poise and movement" (27). Despite this, Edna does not want to assume the role of a mother; Edna wants to be free from social assumptions of what a lady and even mother should be during the 1800’s. Independence is her goal, and she is not letting anything, or anyone gets in her way. This is why she has an affair with Robert Lebrun. Edna is symbolized in the story through multiple birds, which in the end tell a story in and of itself

Throughout history, there have been certain gender roles established for both males and females. For ages, many held the belief that women must fit a certain mold— good wife, housekeeper, caretaker, etc.,— solely based on the notion that "that 's what women are supposed to do". These societal standards that women are held to are prevalent in all kinds of literature, ranging from works from biblical times to the late nineteenth century. Through her novel, The Awakening, Kate Chopin shows a contrast between the characters of Mademoiselle Reisz and Adèle Ratignolle versus that of Mary Magdalene and Mary the Mother of God as seen in the bible. This contrast pits the image of

The Awakening written by Kate Chopin in 1899, is one of the first Feminist works in American literature. The novel recounts the story of a woman called Edna Pontellier and her strife to find the meaning of life, true happiness, and independence. This leads her to take many decisions women of her time found repulsive and forbidden. The setting of the novel plays a crucial role in the development of the story, since it takes place at the end of the 19th century, a critical time for women, since they were seen as inferior to men and had little to no rights. Thomas Carlyle in "On Heroes, Hero-Worship, and the Heroic in History" says "the different sphere constitutes the grand origin of such distinction; that the Hero can be Poet, Prophet, King,

Have you ever wondered what the lifestyles of Nineteenth Century women were like? Were they independent, career women or were they typical housewives that cooked, clean, watched the children, and catered to their husbands. Did the women of this era express themselves freely or did they just do what society expected of them? Kate Chopin was a female author who wrote several stories and two novels about women. One of her renowned works of art is The Awakening. This novel created great controversy and received negative criticism from literary critics due to Chopin's portrayal of women by Edna throughout the book.

Kate Chopin's The Awakening and Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper capture, in their respective works, two women who have turned down these expected roles, and, consequently, suffer because of it. The husbands of these women, entirely because they stand to represent patriarchal society, are a great deal to blame for the "condition" of their wives. In the first scene of The Awakening, after being scolded by her husband about not being a good mother, Edna responds by crying, and later with defiance, refusing to come in to sleep, according to her husband's wishes. This behaviour, as well as the journey into the sea at the end of the novel suggests that she has become awakened to the oppressive nature of her husband, and that of the institution of marriage in general. The very act of Edna's struggle, her resistance, suggests her awareness that there is a way of speaking and thinking that will accurately reflect her desires, her worldview and her 'self'. She muses on the gap between what she feels and what society decrees must be:

The Awakening begins in the vacation spot of Grand Isle. At first we believe that Grand Isle is a utopia, wealthy families relaxing at oceanside, but it is here where Edna first begins to realize her unhappiness. The first sign of dissatisfaction is when Edna allows herself to feel that her marriage is unsatisfying, yet she must agree with the other women that Leonce Pontellier is the perfect husband. Edna asks herself that if she has a good husband

As shown through the events of The Awakening, Victorian society was preoccupied with the ideal of a mother-woman. Mother-women, such as Madame Ratignolle, disregarded their own individuality, and lived for nothing other than providing for their husbands and children. Edna Pontellier does not conform to this notion, and is thought of by many, her own husband included, as a poor mother. Regardless of the countless changes to the idea of motherhood and the societal role of women through the years, Edna continues to be a poor mother.

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.

   Centuries ago, in France, Gustave Flaubert wrote Madame Bovary. In 1899, Kate Chopin wrote The Awakening. The years cannot separate the books, and the definite similarities that the two show. Madame Bovary is the story of a woman who is not content with her life, and searches for ways to get away from the torture she lives everyday. The Awakening, much like Bovary, features a woman who is unhappy with her life, and wishes to find new adventures. The two books bear very strong similarities to each other, and the plots are almost exactly the same, though there are some subtle differences.

Though it was not common during the 1800’s, some women did not want to assume the traditional role of a typical Victorian lady. In Kate Chopin's The Awakening, this is just the case; 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 to try 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 with her every step of the way. Even though at points I did not understand some of the decisions she chose to make, I stood by her till the end. The Awakening is no doubt a story of independence and a coming of age, where instead of becoming an adult she is becoming Edna the person she has been longing to be, told through symbolism, imagery, and personification. But contrary to what some may believe this is not a feminist.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin follows a common theme of literature during the early 1900s authors wrote about women’s suffrage. She uses Edna in the novel to show how women were viewed in this particular time period. Peggy Skaggs alludes that Chopin’s life experiences have affected her writing: “Her life and experiences as a women apparently affirmed the truths she expressed about Feminism and her development as a literary artist