Theme Of Naturalism In F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Awakening

As Abraham Lincoln once said, " Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves." The people who do not allow others to have their rights, do not deserve the rights they are withholding. This applies during the American Renaissance. This time period was filled with women's rights speakers, black's rights speakers, and authors who right on the topic of society's responsibility for the homeless and poor. Frederick Douglass argues for black's rights, Herman Melville discusses how the homeless are treated in society, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton fights for the equality of men and women. The author and speakers all focus on the issue of moral struggle and social justice and fight for what they believe is right.

The way the Declaration of Independence was wrote meant only about 15 percent of Americans gained full citizenship. In an article published in a 1973 issue of Maryland Historical Magazine, Linda Grant Depauw wrote that the American Revolution was about gaining and protecting the freedoms of white property-owning men – no other races, genders, ages, or social status. The other 80 percent of negroes, servants, women, and minors therefore had no “inalienable rights” from the Declaration. Besides not having rights, these individuals were unable to vote because they were not of the specified race, gender, or social status. During this time, Howard Zinn shows evidence of wealth equaling power since only property owning, white-males were entitled to inalienable rights and the right to participate in governmental affairs.

The ending of Kate Chopin’s The Awakening is both controversial and thought provoking. Many see Edna Pontellier’s suicide as the final stage of her “awakening”, and the only way that she will ever be able to truly be free. Edna’s suicide, however, is nothing more than her final attempt to escape from her life. Edna Pontellier’s life has become too much for her to handle, and by committing suicide she is simply escaping the oppression she feels from her marriage, the suppression she feels from her children, and the failure of her relationship with Robert.

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

Injustice is a prevailing theme in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl by Harriet Tubman, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass, Spider Woman 's Web by Susan Hazen-Hammond and Great Speeches by Native Americans by Bob Blaisdell; the diligence of several characters have made it possible for them to preserve and overcome injustices. America has not always been a land of the free for colored people; white settlers destroyed the meaning of freedom when they robbed the land from the indigenous people. Freedom was also destroyed when slaves in America were not treated as full human beings. Despite of many obstacles the oppressed faced, their thirst for freedom and determination helped them in reaching their goals.

The Declaration of Independence gave us the famous words: “we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” James Russell Lowell was a staunch believer that this famous phrase referred to all men, including slaves. Lowell held the opinion that it was the inborn right of all men to be free and that God created all human beings with the same natural rights. The poems “The Present Crisis,” “On the Capture of Fugitive Slaves Near Washington,” and “Ode Recited At the Harvard Commemoration” combined moral and religious beliefs and arguments to make a political statement about the abolition of slavery.

Abolitionism In 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted and reads,” We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal”. The simplicity in this line would seem to be easily understood unfortunately, it still seemed to trouble many. There remained injustice for African American people, which were enslaved in the Southern states. As a result, this caused controversy and frustration for African Americans because everyone should be treated equal. Through African-American history, there are many prominent eras that have advanced the race in order to gain equality.

Spurred by the injustices of British treatment, colonists declared their independence from England in a document which stated that “all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.” These basic principles were not followed throughout American history. “All men” meant white men with property, not the general population. African Americans, brought on slave ships to work in the fields of their white masters, did not share the human rights mentioned in the Declaration of Independence. They were forced to fight for their rights, both during and after the bondage of slavery. African American women were further disadvantaged in that women also could not vote, own property, or and had to work even

Edna Pontellier as a character is an Interesting topic amongst scholars who have read The Awakening by Kate Chopin. The topic of her suicide is the focal point of such discussion. Weather it was an act of heroism, or the downfall of an already pitiful woman. While it may be easy to characterize suicide as a “coward's” death it's not good to be so hasty. Looking at Edna as a character one can see a woman who is clearly more progressive than the time she was in. Edna had always been on a different wavelength than her peers. One that means she was different, unpredictable, and outcast. However this isn't the case, Edna should be praised for her courage and heroism towards the

The Awakening by Kate Chopin was written at the end of the nineteenth century in a time where freedom was granted based off of a bias: only white males could truly experience independence. Hoping to provide

“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” This statement was holded truth unless the person was a woman or an ethnicity that was not white or European. During the 19th century the question of these unalienable rights had sparked an uprise in those two communities. Why were these unalienable rights not being fulfilled? This along with previous events had lead to a movement for equal rights among women and colored.

In Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, the constant boundaries and restrictions placed on Edna Pontellier by society will lead to her struggle for freedom and her ultimate suicide. Her husband Leonce Pontellier, the current women of society, and the Grand Isle make it evident that Edna is trapped in a patriarchal society. Despite these people, Edna has a need to be free and she is able to escape from the society that she despises. The sea, Robert Lebrun, and Mademoiselle Reisz serve as Edna’s outlets from conformity. “Edna's journey for personal independence involves finding the words to express herself. She commits suicide rather than sacrificing her independent,

Freedom- In the novella, Edna questioned herself often about her independence and her ability to act on her own. Often times she felt bound to her husband and her obligations in their society. For instance, the one instance where Mrs. Pontellier showed a desire to be free was when Edna moved out from her house and into the pigeon house. Chopin says, " Whatever was her own in the house, everything which she had acquired aside from her husband's bounty, she caused to be transported to her house..."(Chopin.29). Edna went to her house with haste and did not even give the word to her husband until it was after the fact of the matter. Another instance where Mrs. Pontellier expressed a desire for freedom was when Chopin gave a description of the garden

In the novel The Awakening, Kate Chopin (2005) uses deep symbolism to show how the main character, Edna Pontellier, discovers her own independence in the society in which she lived. Edna was a traditional mother and wife seeking freedom and independence throughout her adult life. Chopin portrays Edna as being a rebel against her own life. The story takes place in the 1960s when women were to follow certain rules made by the society they lived in. Chopin also foreshadows the things that occur in Edna’s life through nature and death itself. Based on the many ways Chopin uses symbolic meanings through the novel, we can see the events of Edna’s life as one that rebels against society. Throughout this novel, Chopin proves that Edna’s actions

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.