Essay On The Awakening

The Awakening, by Kate Chopin Essay examples
Illogical, submissive, and sensual are some of the words used to describe the view of women during
the nineteenth century. In the novel The Awakening, Kate Chopin tells the controversial story of a
woman, Edna Pontellier, and her spiritual growing. Throughout the story, Edna constantly battles
between her heart's desires and society's standard. The novel shows how two women's lives
influence Edna throughout the novel. Mademoiselle Reisz and Madame Ratignolle are both in their
own way strong, motherly influences in Edna's life. Mademoiselle Reisz is Edna the mother who
wants Edna to pursue her heart's desires. Madame Ratignolle however, is the type of mother to
Edna who wants Edna to do what is socially right. The way the two live...show more content...
As Edna becomes her own person, she also becomes a better artist. Being an artist comes with
responsibility in the novel. Prior to her awakening, she does not consider herself as an artist. The
novel states, "Mrs. Pontellier had brought her sketching materials, which she sometimes she
dabbled. She liked the dabbling" (13). After she awakens however, her artistic abilities increase
and she begins to sell her artwork. Ironically, Edna and Mademoiselle Reisz have similar
characteristics. Mademoiselle Reisz is Edna's spiritual mother in a way, and the two have a love
hate relationship. Mademoiselle Reisz is a key factor in Edna's awakening, and she encourages
her as she goes towards her heart's desires. She knows that Edna does not want to answer to her
husband or always watch after her children, and the best way to do so is to be like Mademoiselle
Reisz.
Another reason Mademoiselle Reisz is significant to Edna is because she is the only one who
knows about and Robert and Edna's love. Mademoiselle explains Robert's love for Edna, " It is
because he loves you, poor fool, and is trying to forget you, since you are not free to listen to him
or belong to him " (95). Edna's love for Robert is the reason why she quickly becomes uninvolved
with her family and the life she is socially supposed to have. She does what she wants with disregard
to anything her husband has to say.
Get more content on HelpWriting.net

Essay on Oppression of Women in "The Awakening"
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.
Chopin opens her novel with the a parrot in a cage repeating the same phrase over and over. The
parrot is pretty to look at, but when the bird speaks it is very annoying. This is the way women
were potrayed in the late 19th century restricted to very limited space in society, ––– "hung in a cage
outside the door" pretty to look at, but annoying because...show more content...
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. "He was already acquainted with [most of the paper] and he glanced restlessly over the
editorials ––– which he had not had time to read before [leaving] New Orleans the day before"
(516). Here is reading the paper when he hasn't seen his family all week. Also, he is restless ready to
get back away from the pretty, incessantly chattering birds that he owns that irritate and annoy him.
The passage goes on to describe the surrounding scenery, Madame Lebrun, and the

Essay on The Awakening
Kate Chopin's novel, The Awakening, explores the boundaries that kept women from expressing
themselves and ever being their true self. The main figure, Edna Pontellier, becomes a very
influential figure in feminism through her valiant attempt to live an "awakened" life that she never
had the chance to previously. However, the societal norms of the day, coupled with the surrounding
characters around Edna, lead to her decision to commit suicide, which does not parallel the strength
that Edna strove for throughout the entire book. It is for these reasons that, although Edna became a
strong woman throughout the book, her final decision to commit suicide was unwarranted and took
away all that she worked towards in the blink of an eye....show more content...
If it was not a mother's place to look after the children, whose was it?" (7). The biggest roadblock
in Edna's quest for liberty, however, was that no other woman had ever even attempted to gain
these rights that Edna was striving towards. There was no feminist group in that patriarchal
society, and that meant that Edna's struggle would have to be fought by herself. The importance
of this detail becomes very evident when Edna began to doubt her capabilities and what she
could actually change in a male dominated society. The setbacks of these societal norms played a
devastating role preventing any success coming out of Edna's agonizing efforts. However, even
with the failure of Edna's efforts for autonomy, she appreciates that she woke up from the
submissive being she pretended to be and expressed this thought when she said, "It is better to
wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all one's life," (184). With
this feeling of success within herself, one has to wonder why she would eventually choose to throw
it all away with the decision to commit suicide.
Society wasn't the only factor that put an end to Edna's hopes and dreams of feminism. Throughout
the novel it became clear that the individuals who were accustomed to a patriarchal society wanted
to keep it that way. Edna's husband was one of those people who held her back. By placing the duty
of collecting

The Awakening Essay
In The Awakening, which was written by Kate Chopin, the boundaries and limitations placed on
Edna Pontellier by society will guide her struggle for freedom and her ultimate demise. Her
husband Leonce Pontellier, the women of the creole society, and the Grand Isle made it clear that
Edna is stuck in a male ran society. Despite these individuals, Edna has a human desire to be
independent and is successfully able to free herself from having to conform to society. The sea,
Robert Lebrun, and Mademoiselle Reisz serve as Edna's outlets from conforming to society. "Edna's
journey for personal independence involves finding words to descover herself. She commits suicide
rather than sacrificing her independent, individual existence as social conventions demand of her"
(153).
There are constant boundaries and limitations given to Edna that create Ednas desire for personal
freedom. Edna is a young wife who married into the creole society and mother in a high–class
society. The story shows the life of a girl...show more content...
Pontellier should consider his wife to be. He was completely selfish in his desires. His personal
gains were always his top priority. Since he was trapped by his business all the other home duties
were assigned to Edna "He thought it very discouraging that his wife, who was the sole object of
his existence, evinced so little interest in the things which concerned him and valued so little his
conversation" Leonce never wore his heart on his sleeve, never asked her how she felt, what she
wanted, yet he expects her to remain completely fascinated in him. If Edna doesn't cooperate with
Mr. Pontellier's duties it could ruin the image of his built–up ego. If the community was aware of
how Edna was feeling it would be looked down upon. The community would shame her if they
knew she did not take care of her children. Her being the opposite of a "normal" wife would most
definitely ruin Mr. Pontellier's

To this present day, women throughout America would be drastically different and would withhold
fewer rights if it were not for women in the nineteenth and twentieth century like the characters
Madame Ratignolle, Edna Pontellier, and Mademoiselle Reisz in the novel The Awakening, by Kate
Chopin. They shaped America into a place where freedom and equality for women is possible.
Although the three women were different, they all contributed to different aspects of the feminist
movement. Each character represents a distinct type of woman that strongly relates to the
progressive stages of the great feminist movement in America.
The female character, Madame Ratignolle, simply represents a "true woman," who is everything that
the society...show more content...
She saw how Madame was so motherly and domestic, which made her analyze her own
personality and past and become someone new. Instead of liking to visit the Ratignolle's, she
despised it because of the way Adèle acted in her household. Edna could not stand to see
anyone this way, which gave her power to change her life. This led her to her next passionate
relationship with a woman: Mademoiselle Reisz.
Mademoiselle Reisz characterizes a "new woman" and a rebellious kind of woman, who
contradicts society's demands. She is merely the opposite of Madame Ratignolle, the character
that represented a "true woman." Mademoiselle has radical beliefs, like many women did in the
feminist movement of America. She did not act according to the social code, but instead, she
lived alone with no husband and no children. Her looks were perceived as "unattractive" and
"unpleasant" to others (Chopin 106). Edna simply loved the way Mademoiselle could play the
piano and she couldn't help but cry every single time because it seemed to have, in a way, elevated
her inner soul. Mademoiselle introduced Edna for the first time to a new world of womanhood and
influenced her to become an artist. Edna felt that there was no commitment to art like there was to
society. She certainly had the talent and drive to become successful selling her portraits and
drawings, but her husband consequently belittles her work and discourages her from doing so.

Essay about The Awakening
The Awakening
The novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, was written in the late nineteenth century in St.
Louis after her husband Oscar died of a severe illness. Her book appeared in 1899, after she was
idolized by many novels written by Darwin and Sarah Orne Jewett. Her first attempts at writing
were just brief sketches for a local newspaper that was only short descriptions of her life in
Louisiana. However, Chopin's interests had always run along more risky lines, as reflected in her
diaries, letters, and fictions. Her most common subject was female subjugation and freedom. When
The Awakening appeared, Chopin was severely criticized for depicting a sexualized and
independent–thinking woman who questioned...show more content...
In other words, naturalism; which is a literary movement during the turn of the century. In Chopin's
writing, Edna is the main focus of the novel, and her motivations are strongly influenced by her
environment, frequently in negative ways. She behaves in a certain way because of her
environment and the way it has an affect directly on how she viewed the world, herself, and other
people. She tries to convey the grim reality of life, often with crime, poverty, and moral vice.
Naturalism can easily be the effect on Edna because of the art and the way the ocean has an effect
on Edna's life. The main question on her life is, can Edna do it? Life's paradoxes are so huge, and
Edna's experiences are so limited, that the question fuels the book tremendously.
The last major theme of this novel was the awakening of sexuality. Edna, during the course of the
story, comes to a physical awakening as well. Tragically it is not through someone she loves, and it
devastates her. When sexual awakening comes with the object of her desire, Robert, is "short lived".
The intensity of the feeling is there, and Edna lives to strive it. Edna desires passion, attraction, and
excitement in her relationships with men, and a level of mutual understanding in her relationships
with women. Neither of these desires for connection is met and is completely obvious throughout the
novel. Edna's desires, once she "awakens" to them,

The Awakening Essay
In discussing Kate Chopin's novel, The Awakening, critic Susan Rosowski categorizes the novel
under the heading of "the novel of awakening" and differentiates it from the bildungsroman, the
apprentice novel, in which the usually male protagonist "learn the nature of the world, discover its
meaning and pattern, and acquire a philosophy of life and 'the art of living'" (Bloom 43). In the novel
of awakening, the female protagonist similarly learns about the world, but for the heroine, the
world is defined in terms of love and marriage, and "the art of living" comes with a realization that
such art is difficult or impossible; the price for the art is often tragic endings. Rosowski calls this
female awakening "an awakening to...show more content...
The remedy to the light source problem, I think, is to base the discussion on a few basic Buddhist
philosophical concepts, rather than on Buddhism's ethical precepts, a few of which Edna
Pontellier has certainly violated. Commenting on sexual intercourse in general, the Buddha is
recorded to have said, "A wise man should avoid unchastity as if were a pit of burning cinders.
One who is not able to live in a state of celibacy should, at least, not break the purity of another
man's wife" (Saddhatissa 88). However, on the philosophical level, especially in analyzing the
realizations that eventually lead Edna to her final swim, the novel can be read as a person's quest for
nirvana, the final release from the cycle of reincarnations as a result of the extinction of ignorance
and cessation of suffering. Nirvana comes at the end to a successful exploration of the meaning of
life that examines three Buddhist concepts: impermanence/change (anitya), suffering
/unsatisfactoriness (duhkha), and non–self/nonessentiality (anatman) (Bercholz 84). These three
concepts are referred to in Buddhist texts as the "three marks of existence," the three facts of life.
Proper acknowledgment of these three facts depends on a solid understanding of two fundamental
Buddhist concepts: attachment/craving (trishna) and ignorance (avidya). Although the end of Edna
Pontellier's exploration leads her to death, seen in the Buddhist light, her fate can be read
symbolically

The Great Awakening Research Paper
The main outcome of the Awakening was a resistance in contrast to spiritual law which leaked into
different zones of colonial life. In spite of the fact that a religious development, the Awakening had
ramifications in social and political circles also. Traditions of thoughtfulness and obligingness, the
overseeing standards of life in the colonies, were put aside for a more difficult stage. The Great
Awakening is generally partitioned into four times of American history. The initially happened while
America was still a part of the English settlements. Such religious masterminds as Jonathan Edwards
and George Whitfield urged a scholarly method to scripture. Amid this period, the houses of worship
in the colonies were still particularly fixing

The Awakening By Kate Chopin Essay
Jacqueline Machado
LAP topic 3
AP literature Per 3
The awakening by Kate Chopin
Women are seen as weak, dependent, and as housewives. Feeling suffocated and pressured to
uphold the standard of society women live in fear. As they cannot suppress the way society has
portrayed them. Men are seen as dominant or superior over women and are in control of them.
They didn't have a voice because men would overlook them. Women alone could not be single
otherwise would be perceived as unusual. Many are afraid of the reality of not being withheld
within a dominant figure. In the book The Awakening by Kate Chopin, There are multiple men that
come into Edna's life trying to either control or repress her existence. Leonce–her husband,
Robert–her lover, and the Coronel–her father. In some sort of way they belittle her physically,
emotionally or mentally. They all have left a scar on her in the way that she feels the need to start to
rebel. In order for her to experience life and feel free as a woman in her state of mind she needs to
feel different and unique and not rudimentary like every other woman has accepted to be in her
time period. Edna seeks independence and will overcome any obstacle and she will commit an act
that no other rebellious or non–rebellious woman would ever think to do and the meaning behind her
act is very powerful to feminism. There are few woman that are left that know the beauty behind not
being restricted and being free from the ideals of what

Critical Views of The Awakening
The Awakening, written by Kate Chopin, is full of ideas and understanding about human nature. In
Chopin's time, writing a story with such great attention to sensual details in both men and women
caused skepticism among readers and critics. However, many critics have different views with
deeper thought given to The Awakening. Symbolism, the interpretation ofEdna's suicide, and
awakenings play important roles in the analysis of all critics.
Symbolism in The Awakening is interpreted inmany ways. It is important to understand the meaning
of each explanation of symbolism given by every critic to fully appreciate the novel. Art, for
example, becomes a symbol of both freedom and...show more content...
However, Edna's suicide leaves many readers unsatisfied and disappointed. Almost everyone has
their own interpretation of the ending. Edna's suicide represents her final attempt to fully
escape.(Rosowski 46) She escapes her children, her lovers, and most important, time and change
(Rosowski 47). As she swims out to sea and death, Edna's mind returns to her childhood dreams of
limitlessness. In this sense, the sea symbolizes her dreams to have her youth back because "it had
no beginning and no end."(Rosowski 58). Edna imagines herself walking through the Kentucky
meadows that she remembered from many years ago. Edna died, but in a way she had created her
own limitless awakening.
As the title of the novel reveals, awakenings are the most important as well as the most emotional
parts of the story. Edna slowly awakens to her true self. She begins "daily casting aside that
fictitious self which we assume like a garment with which to appear before the world." She
creates her own awakenings with dreams and paintings (Gilbert 104). It is as if she tried to begin
again, making a life that she could control and to become a new woman and be herself rather than
what she was expected to be. Edna's awakenings were all a part of her defining her own
self(Rosowski 44). She feared to have the conventional life that so many women had become
trapped in. As she awakens, Edna becomes less and less traditional by stripping

Criticism of The Awakening
Reading through all of the different criticism of Kate Chopin's The Awakening has brought about
ideas and revelations that I had never considered during my initial reading of the novel. When I first
read the text, I viewed it as a great work of art to be revered. However, as I read through all of the
passages, I began to examine Chopin's work more critically and to see the weaknesses and strengths
of her novel. Reading through others' interpretations of her novel has also brought forth new
concepts to look at again.
In "An American Madame Bovary," Cyrille Arnavon argues that "there seems to be insufficient
justification for Edna's 'romantic' suicide, and this is the main weakness of this fine...show more
content...
However, in her suicide, Edna is giving herself to her children, to Robert, to everyone but herself.
Another interesting aspect of the novel is irony, which seems to play a significant role throughout
the story. Although we read about Edna's awakening, she seems to be sleeping during most of it. As
George Arms notes, "When she first openly seeks out Robert and takes him––again amusingly––to
Sunday morning mass, she is drowsy at the service . . ." (200). Edna sleeps the day away at a
nearby house. Then, as Arms also points out, Edna is awakened "to an erotic life not through
Robert, whom she truly loves, but through Alcee, whom she uses merely as a convenience" (200).
But when Robert returns, she informs him that he had been the one to awaken her. So who was it
really? Then there is the irony found in the use of her children, whom she "has little intimacy, and
her husband accuses her of neglecting them." (201). Yet she would die for her children according to
her own words.
Edna's great desire to be with Robert and have her dreams fulfilled are a possibility when Robert
comes to her. She tells him "nothing else in the world is of any consequence" (238). Yet she
leaves him to be with Adele. As Cynthia Griffin Wolff explains, "To have stayed with Robert would
have meant consummation, finally, the joining of her dreamlike passion to a flesh and blood lover;
to leave was to risk that opportunity" (239). Was it that Edna was afraid to stay and

Essay On The Great Awakening Movement
The effects of many events have contributed to the movement for American independence.
Specifically, the Great Awakening and the French and Indian War contributed in different ways. The
Great Awakening, a religious movement, helped promote change in the churches of America, while
the French and Indian War united the colonies on a critical issue for the first time. Both the Great
Awakening and the French and Indian War united the American people and took great steps towards
American independence.
The Great Awakening came about in the eighteenth century whenreligion was less fervent. The
Puritan Church was declining due to elaborate sermons and compromising efforts to lessen
membership requirements. In result, in the 1730s and 1740s, there was a religious revival...show
more content...
During the Seven Years War in 1763, both the French and British wanted to extend their territories in
North America. But, there were fur traders doing business with Native Americans, and other English
settlers already living their. The French believed that they had exclusive rights to the land, since
their explorers had been their first. Therefore, the British government assembled an intercolonial
congress in Albany, New York. The Albany Plan of Union's immediate purpose was to keep the
Native American chiefs loyal to the British in spreading the war, but the long–term purpose was to
achieve greater colonial unity, which would maintain defense against France. The Albany Plan of
Union is one of the first important proposals in American history. The colonists began to see
themselves as a separate entity from Great Britain. This presented the colonies as a collective, whole,
united nation under one government. This contributed to the movement towards American
independence because the colonies were seen as a united nation that could bind together against foes,
rather than thirteen separate

The Awakening Essay
The Awakening is a story full of symbolism and imagery that can have many different meanings to
the many who have read it. I have read several different theories on Kate Chopin's meaning and
though some are vastly different, they all seem to make sense. It has been said that Kate Chopin
might have been ambiguous just for this reason. At some point, almost everyone struggles with
knowing or not knowing their purpose in life, and therefore it seems, that on some level, most who
read the story about Edna Pontellier can relate to her in some way. I believe that those who have
theorized about this story, have done so based upon their own struggles with the same issue. To me,
life is all about self discovery and what one does upon their self...show more content...
It's as if she's been in her cage so long, that once she is released, the results are almost too much to
bear. Edna's awakening begins with the ocean and I feel that the way Kate Chopin describes the
ocean in the beginning of the and throughout the story makes the ocean seem like a seducer or
seductress, enticing Edna and awakening her imagination, creativity, spirituality and sexuality.
For example, when Edna begins to feel to anguish of her oppression "the everlasting voice of the
sea, that was not uplifted at that soft hour broke like a mournful lullaby upon the night." she
begins to cry a flood of tears, which to me makes her seem like a lost and lonely child. I say child
because Edna's emotional, spiritual, and even sexual growth has been stunted or gone untapped.
However, later on as Edna begins to make real connections with other people such as Madame
Ratingnolle and Robert, she begins to pay closer attention to the ocean, and again there is another
incident in which the ocean's seductive character emerges: "the voice of the sea is seductive; never
ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of
solitude; to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation."
If one takes a close look at that passage itself, it almost sums up the entire story. As the ocean "never
ceases" to seduce

The Awakening
Analytical Essay THE AWAKENING Throughout Kate Chopin's, The Awakening, numerous
scenes of birth and renewal are depicted. Various symbols placed throughout the book show Edna
Pontellier's awakenings. For instance, many references are made to oceans and water. It is in the
water that Edna has her first rebirth, but it is also the place where she chooses to die. Water
symbolizes life, which is the reason that Edna's renewal takes place there, but it also symbolizes
darkness and death. Birds, which are featured frequently in the story, symbolize Edna, and in many
cases they foreshadow what's to become of her, or they show her renewal of life. The imagery of
birds throughout the book is used to symbolize freedom, which is...show more content...
Birds are also major symbolic images in the story. Flight, which is associated with birds, acts as a
stand–in for awakening. The ability to spread your wings and fly is a symbolic theme that occurs
often in the novel. Mademoiselle Reisz tells Edna "the bird that would soar above the level
plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings" (138). She uses birds to forecast Edna's
future and evaluate Edna's strength. In order to soar like a bird, Edna must be strong, but
Mademoiselle Reisz realizes that Edna is weak. Reisz says, "it is a sad spectacle to see the
weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth" (138). Mademoiselle Reisz
understands that Edna is not like herself and cannot fight society. Later, when Edna realizes the
hopelessness of her situation, birds, once again, symbolically foreshadow her fate. Upon reaching
the beach on her final walk, Edna looks around and sees: "A bird with a broken wing was
beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water" (189).
This bird is the final omen that reflects Mademoiselle Reisz's words: "it is sad to see the
weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth" (138). The bird, disabled and
weakened because of its broken wing, falls back to earth and suffers defeat. Edna soon does the
same when she kills herself because she does not have "the

Essay on the Characters in The Awakening
Importance of the Characters in The Awakening
The Awakening was a very exciting and motivating story. It contains some of the key motivational
themes that launched the women's movement. It was incredible to see how women were not only
oppressed, but how they had become so accustomed to it, that they were nearly oblivious to the
oppression. The one woman, Edna Pontellier, who dared to have her own feelings was looked upon
as being mentally ill. The pressure was so great, that in the end, the only way that she felt she could
be truly free was to take her own life. In this paper I am going to concentrate on the characters
central in Edna's life and her relationships with them.
Leonce Pontellier, the character portraying Edna's...show more content...
Indeed Mrs. Pontellier is the sole object of his existence when it is convenient for him.
We further notice Mr. Pontelllier's traditional thinking in Chapter three, when he notifies Edna that
one of their sons is suffering with a high fever. When she doesn't instantly jump up and run to
check on her son (whom she is quite sure did not have a fever), he accuses her of being neglectful
and notifies her that it was her place to look after the children. This scene is where we first take
notice of Mrs. Pontellier's dissatisfaction with her marriage and perhaps her life.
In direct contrast with Edna was her friend, Adele Ratignolle. As Mr. Pontellier states in chapter
four, Adele was the embodiment of every womanly grace and charm. Mrs. Ratignolle was the queen
or ideal mother–woman. This separates Edna and Adele throughout the story. While they are good
friends, it is obvious that they think and feel very different when it comes to marriage, children
and their place in society. It is also quite apparent that Adele is disapproving of Edna's lifestyle.
Adele Ratignolle seems to be completely oblivious to the oppression of women. She often attempts
to serve as a conscious for Edna, constantly reminding her to think of her children and emphasizing
how certain behaviors may appear to others. She even goes so far as to tell Edna that her husband
will not allow her to visit Edna anymore if Edna does not

Examples Of Narration In The Awakening
The style of the narrative point of view is vital in the meaning the author wishes to convey in their
novel. The narrative of the text is imperatively central in the way in which the events of a novel are
expressed to audiences, the way these are framed is very important in relation to the effect it has on
the reader's impression of the events. The basis of the reader's understanding and opinion of the
events in a text is hugely dependent on the outlook and perspective from which they are described.
With the assistance of the narrative style in The Awakening, Edna's journey to realisation of the self
and her 'awakening' is made apparent to the reader, as we are given insight into Edna's inner–turmoil
and thought process as we see her reasoning...show more content...
Her feelings are frequently revealed but the narrator persists to remind readers they are in fact,
Edna's feelings, and not those of the narrator. It is possible that this form of narration is used in
order to cleverly reinforces the alienation of Edna Pontellier from her society, as while readers gain
access to her thoughts and emotions – which are very personal, the narrator continues to remind
readers they are a separate entity from Edna, which creates distance from the protagonist. This
strengthens the ostracisation Edna is to be faced with once her true self is 'awakened', therefore this
form of narration, in the context of the novel, almost prepares the reader for the coming awakening
of Edna Pontellier, as she is separate and distant from the reader from the

Critical Analysis of The Awakening Essay
Critical Analysis of The Awakening The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, is the story of a woman who
is seeking freedom. Edna Pontellier feels confined in her role as mother and wife and finds freedom
in her romantic interest, Robert Lebrun. Although she views Robert as her liberator, he is the
ultimate cause of her demise. Edna sees Robert as an image of freedom, which brings her to rebel
against her role in society. This pursuit of freedom, however, causes her death. Chopin uses many
images to clarify the relationship between Robert and Edna and to show that Robert is the cause of
both her freedom and her destruction.
Birds are a sizable image in The Awakening. Edna feels like acaged bird, and wishes to be freed.
When...show more content...
This is represented by Madame Lebrun's parrot and mocking–bird. Mr. Pontellier is annoyed by the
birds' incessant chatter. However, "they had the right to make all the noise they wished" (43).
Edna is caged, and she is doing what ever she can to be free within her limits. Mr. Pontellier is
upset by his wife's struggles for freedom. She allows herself to fall in love with Robert, and
purchases her own house, despite the wishes of her husband. Just as the birds have no concern that
their singing may bother those outside their cage, so Edna does not care that her actions may
negatively affect others. Just before Edna kills herself, she sees a "bird with a broken
wing...beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water" (175).
Edna is this bird; disabled and heading to her death in the water. Her freedom is not total, and causes
her death.
For Edna, swimming represents freedom. When she learns to swim, "A feeling of exultation
[overtakes] her, as if some power of significant import [has] been given her to control the working of
her body and her soul" (73). Because Robert is the one who teaches her how to swim, he is seen as
her liberator. She fears the water, just as she fears freedom. When she does taste freedom, she
desires more of it. This is paralleled when she learns to swim. "She wanted to swim far out, where
no woman had swum before" (73). Robert aids in her independence, but

Essay The Awakening
The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, tells one woman's story of her attempt to awaken to her true
wants and desires for her life. When Edna Pontellier spends the summer on Grand Isle, she begins
to think beyond the role of wife and mother that she has played so far. She begins to think of
herself as a separate person with independent thoughts and feelings. Her transformation is difficult
and she has great trouble deciding what she really wants in life. Edna attempts to discard all of the
traditional values of her life to find her independence. Confused by the new feelings these
experiences bring, Edna's awakening is a failure because she does not have the necessary skills to
become independent. Despite her attempts to change and embrace a new...show more content...
Edna blindly struggles to leave behind the conventions of society and her own life. She first
begins her transformation while at the beach. The water shows her desire to change and flow
with her life instead of being stuck in the life that she has. Each time she becomes unsure of her
new path, she returns to the water to reconnect with the flow that she wants to create. Ultimately,
however, the requirements of change become too great for her, and Edna is defeated by the
process. When she realizes that she cannot make the necessary changes in her life she returns to
the water to end her life. The water and her drowning show how Edna is in over her head and
cannot tread any longer to stay afloat.      A third symbolization
of defeat for Edna can be found in her relationships with men. As she develops more relationships
with men besides her husband, Edna believes that she is growing and becoming more self aware.
She confuses her relationship with Robert for developing awareness and liberation. However, she
is only trading one dependence for another. Her desire for Robert makes her leave her family, but
what she needs is to be more self reliant, not just reliant on another man. When Robert realizes that
the relationship is becoming serious for Edna, he backs off and leaves her. She thinks she is
becoming more independent, but she is still consumed by the need to be

Essay On The Second Great Awakening
The major changes in American religion that occurred in the early nineteenth century were the
Second Great Awakening. The Second Great Awakening was a Christian Revival movement during
the early nineteenth century. The movement began around 1800, it had begun to gain momentum
from the 1820. With the Second Great Awakening; new religions were established, there were
different academic curriculums, a change from the trinity to just one deity and they would touch on
American culture and reform. Three of the new religions that formed during the Second Great
Awakening were the Mormons, the Methodists, and the Baptist. Mormons branched of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter–Day Saints. The Mormons made a powerful collective unit in terms of...show
more content...
The second wave had a social impact, generating popular support for sobriety, the abolishment of
slavery, and other social reforms. Before the reform the schools were small and experienced very
limited educational opportunity. The school reform wanted to amend their education system,
which would assist in their children becoming more responsible. Horace Mann of Massachusetts
passed the common school movement that caused public schools to be funded by local property
taxes. Horace Man would set a list of six principles for public education: ignorance and freedom
will not be upheld by the citizens, the public should pay for the training, as well controlled and
preserved, the schools should accept all children, the instruction should be nonsectarian, it should be
prepared by means of the tenets of a free society, and teachers must be professional and
well–groomed. (Horace Mann Biography, 2016) The alteration from the Trinity of just one God
was likewise a section of the Second Great Awakening. A noted exponent of such reforms was the
evangelist Charles G. Finney. In addition to being an innovative evangelist whose techniques others
would imitate, he declared that the Gospel saved people, but likewise it was a means to regenerate
society. True to his word, Finney was a fiery abolitionist and encouraged other Christians to take
taken. (The Second Great Awakening,

In their analytical papers on The Awakening by Kate Chopin, both Elaine Showalter and Elizabeth
Le Blanc speak to the importance of homosocial relationship to Edna's awakenings. They also
share the viewpoint that Edna's return to the sea in the final scene of the book represents Edna
being one with her female lover and finding the fulfillment she has been seeking. We see evidence
of this idea of the sea as a feminine from Showalter when she tells us that "As the female body is
prone to wetness, blood, milk, tears and amniotic fluid, so in drowning the woman is immersed in
feminine organic element. Drowning thus becomes the traditionally feminine literary death".
(Showalter 219) LeBlanc takes this idea even further. She tells us that "The...show more content...
A woman in this time living the life style of Mademoiselle would quite possibly have been thought
of as a lesbian. We are also aware of the fact that through Mademoiselle Reisz's music, Edna finds
passion within herself that she could not access through any other avenue. I believe that Showalter
has shown us that Edna's awakenings were aided by these two women who meant so much to her;
Adele as the mother–woman and Mademoiselle Reisz as the artist who helps her to access the
passion within. Showalter concludes that as these awakenings progress, Edna, not fitting into
either lifestyle totally, becomes a solitary being who in the ends seeks love and passion from the
sea, a female lover. LeBlanc takes not just a feminist approach in her analysis, but a Lesbian
approach as well. Le Blanc tells us that "The true power of the novel cannot be fully realized
unless it is read not only as a feminist text, but also as a lesbian text". (LeBlanc 237) She feels that
one possible solution for Edna in her search for her own individual identity would be to adapt the
identity of a lesbian. LeBlanc tells us of the existence of metaphorical lesbians–"a provocative
controlling concept to describe a character who is not "really" a lesbian but could be, who engages
in a variety of woman–identified practices that suggest but stop short of sexual intercourse".
(LeBlanc 238) She continues telling us that "Edna illustrates–within the specific historical context

Essay On The Awakening

Recommandé

Recommandé

Contenu connexe

Plus de Papers Writing Service

Plus de Papers Writing Service (20)

Dernier

Dernier (20)

Essay On The Awakening