Category: The Awakening

The Awakening

The Awakening is a novel by Kate Chopin published in 1899.

It tells the story of unorthodox views on womens roles, femininity, active sex life and motherhood in a period when social attitudes did not tolerate such views from women.

The novel is an earlier work of feminism as it shows a womans search for identity by rejecting oppressive social norms.

The Awakening is a social commentary novel that psychologically explores femininity issues.

Sleep (the motif)

Sleep acts as a powerful motif in the book.

Readers can identify major patterns of sleep and wakefulness throughout the story.

For Edna to realize her position , she must sleep and wake up.

She must recognize herself and position in the world as a human being and as an individual in the society.

Therefore, to be awake implies:

• To know.
• To be enlightened.

Sleep (think deeply)

Edna celebrates the Mass after she wakes up from her sleep in Chapter XIII.

Edna has literally woken up from her nap and learns about the clear details about her world after her sleep and wonders just how long she has slept.

Sleep allows Edna to thinking deeply, which is necessary for her.

She realizes her fundamental isolation from this old world and her need to enter a new one after tossing in the sofa until morning (Chopin 886).

Sleep (Ignorance)

Chopin associates sleep with Ednas ignorance.

On the other hand, Ednas wakefulness represents new knowledge of self-identity.

Edna spends time between napping and waking up, which fit the books title, The Awakening.

It indicates a discovery of new knowledge.

Therefore, Edna strives to avoid sleep by staying awake in the sofa.

Ednas waking up shows us that change is about to take place.

Sleep (independence and identity)

When Edna wakes up, she realizes that she is possessed by Mr. Pontellier as an object.

Edna wakes up to this reality of a woman being a mans possession, which leads to oppression.

In Chapter 36, when Chopin writes no longer one of Mr. Pontelliers possessions to dispose of or not&, she is making a clear declaration that her status in life has changed.

Edna is asserting her independence as a woman from a possessive husband.

Edna is rejecting the repressive social structure that has kept her confined and oppressed and seeks for isolation in the pigeons house where she could sleep.

Sleep (wakefulness and self-discovery)

Chopin notes that perhaps it is important to wake up after all, even to suffer rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all ones life.

This statement reflects Ednas sleep and wakefulness.

Ednas sleep, in this case, represents repressed life of the past century that women had to endure.

Edna was duped to the illusions of propriety held by men and society in her time.

Waking up is a motif for attaining her true self and desires.

Sleep (Isolation)

Through sleep, Edna isolates herself from others and society.

Edna discovers who she truly is because sleep is a form of escapism from oppressive norms of society.

Chopin asserts the view that people possess true selves, which is distinct from the true selves of other people in society.

Edna only comes to the awakening that isolation by sleeping is mandatory for the discovery of her true self through different forms of reactions to relationships with others in an oppressive society, particularly Robert Lebrun.

Sleep (freedom)

As a property, Leonce values and greatly admires his purchase of Edna.

However, Edna has come to regard herself as a possession for which her husband had bought and paid.

As a Presbyterian husband, Leonce observes strict guidelines, which create the oppressive and dehumanizing environment in which Ednas marriage has existed and must endure.

Such an environment makes Edna to seek for isolation and freedom by sleeping.

Sleep (escapism)

In the end, Edna shall sleep in the sea, but the sleep of death occasioned by her suicide (Levine 72).

However, in death, Edna will be awake and free from the oppressive world to women.

Edna must escape social forces and discover her true self, but this must come through death.

They are the social forces from which Edna must escape in order to discover who she really is . . . in order to become fully awakened.

It may be considered one irony of the novel that Edna only comes to the awakening through death and that complete isolation is necessary for the birth of her true self by a series of reactions to relationships with others, which culminate in suicide.

Sleep (tragic)

In The Awakening, Edna as a woman struggling for self-identity loses to men and oppressive society.

Edna has been subjugating her true self to her husband and society her whole life.

She realizes in Chapter XXXIX and embarks on a last journey into the ocean.

Only when Edna rejects the oppressed self does she awaken to her true self.

Women would continue to struggle for equality for the better part of another century.

It is within this historical context that one should look at the motif of sleep in the novel.

Levine notes, A close study of this rhythmic pattern demonstrates the logical though tragic connection between Ednas sleep habits and her suicide&. (p. 2).

Works Cited

Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. New York, NY: Bantam Classic, 1981. Printed.

Levine, Robert S. Circadian Rhythms and Rebellion in Kate Chopins The Awakening. Studies in American Fiction 10.1 (1982): 71. ProQuest. Web.

The Awakening

The Awakening is a novel by Kate Chopin published in 1899.

It tells the story of unorthodox views on womens roles, femininity, active sex life and motherhood in a period when social attitudes did not tolerate such views from women.

The novel is an earlier work of feminism as it shows a womans search for identity by rejecting oppressive social norms.

The Awakening is a social commentary novel that psychologically explores femininity issues.

Sleep (the motif)

Sleep acts as a powerful motif in the book.

Readers can identify major patterns of sleep and wakefulness throughout the story.

For Edna to realize her position , she must sleep and wake up.

She must recognize herself and position in the world as a human being and as an individual in the society.

Therefore, to be awake implies:

• To know.
• To be enlightened.

Sleep (think deeply)

Edna celebrates the Mass after she wakes up from her sleep in Chapter XIII.

Edna has literally woken up from her nap and learns about the clear details about her world after her sleep and wonders just how long she has slept.

Sleep allows Edna to thinking deeply, which is necessary for her.

She realizes her fundamental isolation from this old world and her need to enter a new one after tossing in the sofa until morning (Chopin 886).

Sleep (Ignorance)

Chopin associates sleep with Ednas ignorance.

On the other hand, Ednas wakefulness represents new knowledge of self-identity.

Edna spends time between napping and waking up, which fit the books title, The Awakening.

It indicates a discovery of new knowledge.

Therefore, Edna strives to avoid sleep by staying awake in the sofa.

Ednas waking up shows us that change is about to take place.

Sleep (independence and identity)

When Edna wakes up, she realizes that she is possessed by Mr. Pontellier as an object.

Edna wakes up to this reality of a woman being a mans possession, which leads to oppression.

In Chapter 36, when Chopin writes no longer one of Mr. Pontelliers possessions to dispose of or not&, she is making a clear declaration that her status in life has changed.

Edna is asserting her independence as a woman from a possessive husband.

Edna is rejecting the repressive social structure that has kept her confined and oppressed and seeks for isolation in the pigeons house where she could sleep.

Sleep (wakefulness and self-discovery)

Chopin notes that perhaps it is important to wake up after all, even to suffer rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all ones life.

This statement reflects Ednas sleep and wakefulness.

Ednas sleep, in this case, represents repressed life of the past century that women had to endure.

Edna was duped to the illusions of propriety held by men and society in her time.

Waking up is a motif for attaining her true self and desires.

Sleep (Isolation)

Through sleep, Edna isolates herself from others and society.

Edna discovers who she truly is because sleep is a form of escapism from oppressive norms of society.

Chopin asserts the view that people possess true selves, which is distinct from the true selves of other people in society.

Edna only comes to the awakening that isolation by sleeping is mandatory for the discovery of her true self through different forms of reactions to relationships with others in an oppressive society, particularly Robert Lebrun.

Sleep (freedom)

As a property, Leonce values and greatly admires his purchase of Edna.

However, Edna has come to regard herself as a possession for which her husband had bought and paid.

As a Presbyterian husband, Leonce observes strict guidelines, which create the oppressive and dehumanizing environment in which Ednas marriage has existed and must endure.

Such an environment makes Edna to seek for isolation and freedom by sleeping.

Sleep (escapism)

In the end, Edna shall sleep in the sea, but the sleep of death occasioned by her suicide (Levine 72).

However, in death, Edna will be awake and free from the oppressive world to women.

Edna must escape social forces and discover her true self, but this must come through death.

They are the social forces from which Edna must escape in order to discover who she really is . . . in order to become fully awakened.

It may be considered one irony of the novel that Edna only comes to the awakening through death and that complete isolation is necessary for the birth of her true self by a series of reactions to relationships with others, which culminate in suicide.

Sleep (tragic)

In The Awakening, Edna as a woman struggling for self-identity loses to men and oppressive society.

Edna has been subjugating her true self to her husband and society her whole life.

She realizes in Chapter XXXIX and embarks on a last journey into the ocean.

Only when Edna rejects the oppressed self does she awaken to her true self.

Women would continue to struggle for equality for the better part of another century.

It is within this historical context that one should look at the motif of sleep in the novel.

Levine notes, A close study of this rhythmic pattern demonstrates the logical though tragic connection between Ednas sleep habits and her suicide&. (p. 2).

Works Cited

Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. New York, NY: Bantam Classic, 1981. Printed.

Levine, Robert S. Circadian Rhythms and Rebellion in Kate Chopins The Awakening. Studies in American Fiction 10.1 (1982): 71. ProQuest. Web.

Edna Pontellier, the heroine of The Awakening by Kate Chopin, lives in the United States during the 1800s. During those days, men dominated U.S. society while women were considered inferior to them. The Feminism movement that demanded women should be treated equally as men, having the same political, economic, and social rights began only in the 1900s, starting with suffrage or the right to vote, before gradually intensifying during the mid-1900s as more and more women began entering the labor force. The suppressive attitude of society during Ednas lifetime forces her to rebel against it. Not caring about societys approval, she follows her heart and her instinct by entering into a series of life-changing relationships in an attempt to find new meaning and happiness in life. Although she succeeds for a while, in the end, contemporary societys expectations of women become so overpowering that Edna is forced into choosing either to follow societal norms and restrictions {thereby betraying her own beliefs, thoughts, emotions, and desires} or to leave society forever. She chooses the latter way out by committing suicide.

There are several examples in the novel that reflect societys discriminatory attitude towards women. When Edna returns from the beach with sunburn, her husband Leonce Pontellier looks at her as one looks at a valuable piece of property which has suffered some damage (Chopin, 7), meaning that women were considered possessions of their husbands with no right to indulge in independent thoughts, expressions or actions. In a second example, Leonce describes women in general as mother-women who idolize their children and worship their husbands and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels (Chopin, 16), meaning that women were only fit to do the jobs of mothers and wives, rendering service to their children and husbands, and they should be proud of such a role. In a third example, Ednas father, the Colonel, tells Leonce, authority, coercion are what needed. Put your foot down good and hard; the only way to manage a wife (Chopin, 119), meaning that women must be constantly and strictly scolded and reprimanded to always be under the control of their husbands.

Ednas rebellion against societys restrictions begins with her romantic relationships  with a cavalry officer, a man who visits the lady on a neighboring plantation, and an actor who specializes in tragedy roles (Chopin, 31/32). Her friendship with Adele Ratignolle ignites her awakening in life. Adele shares her views with Edna, discussing supposedly private subjects like underwear, pregnancy, and love affairs while withholding no intimate detail (Chopin, 19). As Edna assimilates this information, she begins looking at her own inner self for the first time, and under Adeles tutelage, she gradually becomes aware of her own views, feelings, emotions, views, and desires  things she was bottling up inside her just to please society and adapt herself to what it considers women should be like or what women are supposed to do. At this point, Edna realizes she has not been living a life as she wants to and begins to understand her position in the universe as a human being and to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and about her (Chopin, 25).

Strengthened by her self-discovery, Edna {who by this time is married to Leonce and has children}, enters into two fresh relationships  a physical one and a romantic one. Edna begins indulging in physical sex with Arobin. She does this after honestly admitting to herself that she has devilishly wicked (Chopin, 137) sexual desires that are physical in nature and not related to love. Edna is totally in control of the relationship with Arobin, making sure she gets sexual satisfaction while at the same time not being dominated by him. By doing this, Edna proves to herself that just as many men who have wives and mistresses do, a woman too can indulge in purely physical sex while continuing to love one man. In the eyes of the conservative society during those times, she has flaunted societal rules of family and womanhood. Her romantic relationship with Robert Lebrun brings great excitement to Ednas life, making her feel like one who awakens gradually out of a dream (Chopin, 53). She becomes awakened to a feeling of independence and an awareness of her sexuality, emotions, and desires. She is overjoyed when Robert returns to New Orleans and openly declares his love for her, gleefully anticipating that she and Robert can defy society and live together openly, loving each other and being everything to each other (Chopin, 179).

The pull and tug of her familial, romantic, and physical relationships ultimately take their toll on her life. The first reason for her suicide is the motherhood element. Edna is constantly bombarded by advice from Adele and Dr. Mandelet to stop her affair with Arobin as it could ruin the reputation of her children and spoil their future {Think of the children, Edna. Oh think of the children (Chopin, 182)}. As stated by critic Joyce Dyer, society calls upon mothers to give up their lives for their children  figuratively. But Edna takes it further by giving up her life for her children  literally {I would give the unessential, I would give up my money, I would give my life for my children (Chopin, 188)} because she finally realizes the bitter truth that her children were in danger of losing their good reputation and future prospects because of her actions, and as motherhood and selfhood were irreconcilable in her days (Wyatt), she decides that suicide is the only way to solve the two problems pressing her down in relation to her family: preservation of her childrens reputation and future, and prevention of selfhood.

The second reason for her suicide is the betrayal by Robert. As pointed out by critic Peggy Skaggs, Edna, who was overjoyed at finding her selfhood with the apparent fairy-tale ending {living openly with Robert loving each other and being everything to each other (Chopin, 179)} is suddenly faced with having the process and victory at attaining selfhood denied by her supposedly faithful lover (Wyatt).

The third reason is the societal pressure {epitomized by the constant and urgent advice of Adele and Dr. Mandelet} to stop her physical affair with Arobin. Edna feels that it is her right to seek physical pleasure as she wants, and such restrictions amount to unfair pressure. Critic Helen Emmit agrees on this point, calling Ednas story a tale of female development and liberation (Wyatt). Unfortunately, the struggle for development and liberation in Ednas case {the First Wave of Feminism began only a century after her time} is too one-sided and has no chance of contending against the overwhelming and antagonistic pressure of society.

Edna becomes fed up with life {despondency had come upon her and had never lifted (Chopin, 188)} because, as stated by critic Joseph Urgo, she realizes that her sense of self is unacceptable in her culture. Critic Peggy Skaggs agrees, stating Edna is denied by her family, Arobin and Robert, the right to be what she wants and must adapt her life and sense of self within the roles expected of her (Wyatt). She finds herself in a situation where, as agreed by critic Joseph Urgo, if she toes the line as required by them and society, she will compromise what she has struggled to achieve. She decides the only way out is suicide by drowning to liberate herself, in the words of critic Helen Emmit, from the stifling bondage of marriage, societal rules, and family. Critic Joseph Urgo agrees with her on this point, saying suicide is Ednas way of eluding all those who were pressurizing her, a way that rejects this muting of her voice, enabling her to write her own end and save herself from an ending others would write. About Ednas choice of suicide by drowning, Emmit has an interesting viewpoint. She says that in the case of males, water is self-reflecting, but for females, the sea is an embrace of self-fulfillment; Edna, who has been craving for love all her life, finally gets the engulfing fulfillment she seeks by diving under the waves  the water becomes her perfect lover, speaking to her soul while caressing her body (Wyatt).

References

Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. New York: Avon Books. 1982.

Wyatt, Neal. Ways of Interpreting Ednas Suicide: What the Critics Say. Virginia Commonwealth University. 1995. 2008. Web.

Power, or the desire for it, is an intoxicating, and at times corrupting concept. Power could mean authority, or freedom: both of which the protagonist in The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Edna Pontellier, longs for. In an ironic twist that seems almost out of place in book that deals with gender power dynamics and the constraints of the Victorian Era, what initially empowers and frees Edna eventually leads to her personal and social undoing, and finally her death at her own hands.

The book opens with Edna as Mrs. Pontellier. She is vacationing on Grand Isle with her husband, Leonce, and their two sons. While Leonce whiles his leisure days away at the club and beach, Edna passes the time with Robert: a man who devotes himself as an “attendant”, or companion, to a different married woman each summer. The summer in which our book begins, Edna is Robert’s chosen target. Leonce is not jealous of Robert’s relationship with his wife, mainly due to his absolute confidence in Edna as his wife: Leonce views her as his possession, and assumes that Robert could no sooner steal her away than he could rob Leonce of his silver. The thought does not cross Leonce’s mind that Edna might fall in love with Robert.

Several factors in the beginning of the book serve to emphasize the power dynamics Edna will go on to rebel against. The first is another of Edna’s companions, Adele (with whom Robert also carried on a relationship at one point). While Edna is shown to favor a casual, laid-back style of parenting, Adele smothers her children with affection. Adele represents the ideal portrait of womanhood in the era in which the book is sent, from the meticulous house she keeps, to her adoration of her children, to her submissiveness and docility towards her husband. Edna does not explicitly resist these hallmarks of womanhood, but her discontent and longing for something more is foreshadowed by the lack of domestic harmony and content in Edna’s life.

Edna’s first “awakening” comes from the ocean. Never having learned how to swim, one night after a party she wades into the ocean and strikes out towards the horizon. In awe of herself and her own physical strength, she wonders at herself never learning before now, admonishing herself for “splashing around like a baby”. This functions as a metaphor that foreshadows Edna’s emotional awakening, that she is done behaving like a child.

Despite the carefree and casual attitude Robert’s relationships are generally regarded with, both by the social circle to which he belongs and by Robert himself, his relationship with Edna quickly spirals into something beyond companionship: as Edna’s days on Grand Isle slide to an end, Edna and Robert find themselves falling in love. Robert senses the disquiet in Edna, the willingness in her to abandon her husband and her life for him. This is not out of pure infatuation, or a whim on Edna’s part: Robert is attentive to her wishes and treats her as a person, rather than as a possession of his, at least while she belongs to someone else. While Edna used to find her husband’s habits endearing, after her time with Robert she feels emotionally unfulfilled with Leonce. The combination of Edna’s discontent with her married life, and her attachment to Robert stir up fear in Robert, and with a genuine belief that Edna might leave her husband for him, he flees on a “vacation” to Mexico. Even with this man who has treated her as an equal for the first time, Edna has her decisions made for her.

On their return to their home in New Orleans, Edna alternates between exhilarating joy and extreme sadness. Her experience with Robert and the state of her relationship with Leonce have left her utterly disillusioned with the customs of social life in her circle, with her neglecting duties such as rejecting visitors. The rejection of this social custom that was once a cornerstone of her life (that serves doubly to allow Edna to socialize, and maintain her husband’s business relationships) could be seen as a grasp for power: by refusing to allow her peers to see her in her current state, and also no longer working to maintain relationships for the sake of her husband, Edna is allowed to exist in whatever state she wishes, without inviting gossip or scandal upon herself. Leonce dismisses Edna’s mental state as a passing phase, and does not concern himself with it. Shortly after, Leonce begins to travel for business and Edna’s children go to stay with their maternal grandmother. With Edna alone for the first time in her life as a married woman, she begins to explore her newfound power.

With finances from her husband, her own winnings from the racetrack, artistic friends, and no husband or children to take her attention away, Edna is in a position of complete power: over herself. Enjoying her freedom immensely, and blaming her husband as the reason she never had it, she seeks to remove all traces of him from her life. She moves out of her house into a much smaller house, refusing to take anything Leonce bought for her. That leaves nothing but a plain housedress, which she happily goes to her new home in. This shows just how desperate Edna is for power, any sort of power: no matter the humiliating conditions it comes under, she wishes to be beholden to no one but herself.

The final phase of Edna’s life, and struggle for power is ushered in by a public rejection of “respectability” she carries on an affair with notorious casanova Alcee, and criticizes the domestic tranquility of Adele’s life. It is here that the desperation for power becomes more evident, Edna no longer pays any mind to the opinion of her husband (who is still attempting to keep up appearances, claiming that their family home is being renovated by a famous architect rather than admitting his wife has effectively left him). Through Edna’s turbulent, emotional awakening there has been a constant dedication: the idea of living happily with Robert. She has romanticized their time together, to the point where almost nothing could live up to her expectations.

Despite the rose colored glasses through which she has been viewing their relationship, she is given an entirely different kind of awakening when she eventually encounters Robert again. He wishes for her to leave her husband and marries him, which shocks Edna. She associates traditional married life, and the subsequent gender power dynamics with her husband. By contrast, Edna associates Robert with the new, liberated way of living she has become accustomed to, and is stunned by Robert’s admission. Rejecting him brutally, she is left reeling by the fact that the relationship she has been envisioning with Robert all this time, the relationship that a majority of the decisions Edna made rested on, will never come. In the end, what freed Edna was what trapped her eternally.

Frustrated and confused, Edna returns to the first place she truly felt as though she had power over her life: the ocean. Swimming to the point of complete physical exhaustion, Edna succumbs to another power for the very last time. She dies beholden to no one, belonging to no one.

Kate Chopin’s the awakening, had been shrouded with controversy since its release in the 18th Century and ‘morally condemned’ by society in the 19th century. In my opinion, Edna’s awakening occurred in three significant phases to include the sleeping, the dreaming and the actual awakening, which are further demonstrated by Kate Chopin’s application of femme couverte, angel in the house, Christian doctrine and Victorian patriarchy.

Firstly, the sleeping phase is demonstrated in the novel at the beginning where Edna Pontellier quietly accepts her place within society, still a ‘femme couverte’ translated as ‘Covered woman’ who is restricted to her stereotype, supports her husband and children. He husband, Leonce preceives as a bird as mentioned in the first lines of the novel who is to be looked at as ‘a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage.’ This preception illustrates that he doesn’t see Edna as an individual but as reflection of his object. Edna seems to be devoted and seen as caring to her husband, for instance, she wonders if he’ll make it home for a dinner and offering him the umbrella in case of a rain pour. In this phase, Edna doesn’t openly express her discontent with her female position in society. However, Leonce’s accussation of Edna neglecting their children breaks her silience and clearly displays her unhappiness with the role.

Secondly, the dreaming phase begins with shielding her ‘mother-woman’ identity by exploring her desires and interests more freely. In short, ‘Mrs. Pontellier wasn’t a mother-woman. The mother-woman seemed…woman who idolized their children, worshipped their husbands and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals can grow wings as ministering angels.’ These were selfless women who had put their husband’s and children’s needs as their first priority, idolized their children, supported their husbands and seen as angels in homes. Edna behaved differently compared to the women in her society, as she wasn’t a creole woman. Kate Chopin illustrates this reason in her inability to be a mother-woman of a household. ‘Mrs. Pontellier, though had married a Creole, was not thoroughly at home in the society of Creoles.’ Kate Chopin gives a sort of excuse for Edna’s behavior of failing to be a content wife by saying that she didn’t grow up in a Creole Society but still obtains some wife characteristics who takes her husband’s money like any usual wife despite not enjoying his company. Again, her imperfections as a mother is clear in her statement that ‘I would give my money, I would give my life for my children, but i wouldn’t give myself.’

The third phase which is the actual awakening was firstly her realization of the extent of the Victorian Patriarchy. Even though Edna has established in having a romantic interest outside of her marriage and sold her household to go live by herself, she still finds herself longing for the characteristics of the Victorian patriarchy which include women living up to their motherly role. While living her life ‘freely,’ Edna still thinks of her children and desires to spoil them. She travels to their grandparent’s home to spend some quality time with them. Second was Adele Ratignolle’s childbirth, ‘all her beautiful hair . . . drawn back and plaited. It lay in a long braid on the sofa pillow coiled like a golden serpent” The serpent refers to how the role of a wife and a mother were inescapable. Witnessing Adele Ratignolle’s birth had shown her the female body was made for childbirth and thus a ready committment to motherhood. Her realization of her natural position of a wife and motherhood fills her with drive of suicide, as she notices that the presence of her two sons will always be in her life, and her position of a mother could forbid her from living without them since after all a mother’s main job is to raise her children properly to adulthood where they could then to take care of themselves; but Edna no longer wanted to be seen as ‘Leonce’s wife’ or ‘ Raoul’s and Etienne’s mother.’ Therefore she does what she promised herself she wouldn’t do, ‘Give her life’ up to be truly free from her children, husband and the ties of the Victorian patriarchy.

Lastly, both nature and society contribute to making Edna Pontellier into the woman they wanted her to be but through her suicide Edna is finally able to be at peace and escape their hold. Leonce and the society owned her soul by telling her to keep up with experiences, tend to the house, be submissive but it was her two sons who imprisoned her body, being a constant reminder of the torture of childbirth that nature requires her. Nature was a constant reminder to Edna of her love for her children but also a encouragement to her need for individuality that led her to her deathly rebirth.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin is circulated around Edna Pontellier, the protagonist and the events throughout her married life. Chopin did not have the intention to show how different Edna is compared to her society of perfect “mother-woman”, but instead shows the way Edna becomes self-aware and discovers more meaning to her life. Chopin made it possible for the readers to give Edna’s awakening value by Edna freeing herself, which leads to taking her own life. Chopin made it prominent for the readers to have the intention to make more women aware of their own lives and wanting them to do more with their lives than Edna.

In Edna’s childhood, she would not act out on her own nor do things that were out of the ordinary for a female of her time in the late 19th century, according to the narrator “She had all her life long been accustomed to harbor thoughts and emotions which never voiced themselves.” (47). Edna always kept her emotions to herself, she would barely voice an opinion even to Léonce. As she moves out of her home from Léonce, she begins to feel these little bits of freedom, “Every step which she took toward relieving herself from obligations added to her strength and expansion as an individual. She began to look with her own eyes; to see and to apprehend the deeper undercurrents of life.” (94). Edna, “began to look with her own eyes” this gives the readers a sense that ever since she was married to Léonce, she would have to abide by his rules and not get the chance to express any of her own opinions to him. Her marriage to Léonce felt more of a responsibility than a passionate desire of love for someone. This gives meaning in Edna’s awakening by showing that she is able to see that she can do more with her life, which eases Edna to take action. This pushes Edna to discover more of herself and do things for herself. It is understandable that she can come off as selfish, but it shows that her past is shaping her into someone better for her future.

Edna begins to show an advanced way of thinking for a woman of time in 1899, “.. I always feel so sorry for women who don’t like to walk; they miss so much–so many rare little glimpses of life; and we women learn so little of life on the whole.” (106). She shows that before she would act upon herself, she did not have many glimpses of life. This quote emphasizes that Edna has been able to discover more about herself and is not afraid to shy away from herself. It has a sense of awakening for Edna on women as a whole. In the time of 1899, women were not able to walk alone, because they have the potential of getting robbed or snatched off the streets. Edna is aware she is not the perfect-typical mother-woman, so she begins to sympathize for the women who have not tried things out of their own comfort zones. In a way, the author tells us that Edna pities women who bow-down to their husbands, the mother-women, Edna believes they do not learn and experience life as much as they should.

In Edna’s pigeon home, Robert and Edna are together, Edna pronounces to Robert that she was no longer one of Léonce’s possessions, “..I am no longer one of Mr. Pontellier’s possessions to dispose of or not. I give myself where I choose. ..” (108). As to where earlier in the book, Léonce looks at Edna as if she was a “valuable piece of personal property” (2). This exposes that Edna and Léonce did not have a full-loving romantic relationship, which is what Edna wanted. Léonce himself was aware that they did not have the relationship they both wished for, according to the narrator, “He thought it very discouraging that his wife, who was the sole object of his existence, evinced so little interest in things which concerned him, and valued so little his conversation” (5) Léonce was very observant of Edna and when it states, “sole object of his existence” it expresses Edna as an object, connecting to how he sees her as property. In a way, Edna is just an abundance, but valuable piece of property, she is the reason he does things. Edna was able to show the readers and herself that she wants more out of her life and does not want to be with Léonce, and to just fulfill his views on reputation. She states, “I give myself where I choose”, this tells the readers that Edna is aware of her own self-value and she can make her own choices without holding back.

Edna’s awakening was not just an awakening for her whole life, but it was also for her own sexual awakening. To Edna, Robert is the true love of her life, not Léonce nor Arobin, “There was no human being whom she wanted near her except Robert;” (115). Edna was genuinely selfish for love. Her awakening gave her a pathway to discovering her love for Robert, this was a big factor in what Edna thought she was missing out on her whole life. Without Robert, Edna felt like a lost cause.

Edna might have done many actions for herself, but Edna was able to carry herself with these actions very critically. No other acquaintance in her life knew Edna better than she knew herself. Chopin makes these imagery connections with birds to women. To her peers, Edna was could be seen as a hard-headed “bird”, but to herself she was everything she wanted to be. The only thing she could not truly obtain was her romantic life with Robert. Edna’s awakening was able to set herself free, “Exhaustion was pressing upon and over-powering her.” (116) There were possible chances Edna could have done things differently, but she believed it was her fate. Chopin was able to express that Edna was self-aware, by Edna becoming overwhelmed and thinking she could not do more when Robert left her. Edna was able to discover meaning in her life, by taking her own life, Edna knew that she did not want to surrender her life to a life of such restrained, controlling powers.

Introduction: Setting as a Symbol in “The Awakening”

The novel of The Awakening (1899) by author Kate Chopin presents a journey of physical, spiritual and sexual transformation of the protagonist, Edna Pontellier, a middle-class mother and wife in Louisianan society during the late 19th-century. The novel is set in three divergent, distinctive spaces physically represented as an island, linking the mainland of New Orleans and the ocean. New Orleans functions to marginalise Edna as she inhabits the patriarchally controlled society whilst the ocean provides a space away from such oppression. It also portrays Edna’s progression towards freedom through a circular pattern that subverts the bildungsroman genre. As a medium, the island of Grand Isle functions to prompt Edna’s search of identity by providing a choice between confinement or liberation.

Grand Isle: A Liminal Space for Awakening

The exposition of The Awakening is set in Grand Isle, a vacation destination for affluent families in Louisianan society, and is established as a place of self-realization for the protagonist. Primarily, it is symbolic of Edna’s acceptance of patriarchal societal customs. Edna is first introduced returning from the beach to her husband, Léonce, who is “seated” as he “fixes his gaze” upon her. The verb used to describe Léonce’s gaze demonstrates the staunch circumscription of Edna’s movement and conveys her entrapment as a woman, trapped under the male gaze that reasons men to be dominant and authoritative. This is reiterated through symbolism as Edna “silently reached out” to receive her wedding rings from Léonce. The emphasis on their marriage is described through omission of dialogue from Edna presenting her action as habitual and therefore portraying acceptance of her predefined role as a wife that is delineated by 19th-century patriarchal conventions. Additionally, Léonce’s decisive lack of movement as Edna conforms to society’s conventions by returning to him demonstrates male freedom of movement and the female status as subservient to men.

The setting of Grand Isle also functions to develop Edna’s awareness and allows her to acknowledge her compliance and instigates her initial resistance of conservative customs. Edna’s original naivety is juxtaposed when arguing with Léonce as he accuses her of “habitual neglect of the children” before he “went and sat near the open door to smoke [his cigar].” This is further symbolic of Léonce’s employment of freedom of movement and Edna’s status and confinement to the role of mother. Conversely, Edna is filled with an “indescribable oppression” that was “like a mist passing across her soul’s summer day.” This imagery represents Edna’s developing awareness of the confinement of her gender and contrasts her previous actions of subservience. The simile used describes the realization as abnormal and unfamiliar and suggests internal dissatisfaction with her previous compliance. Edna’s internal awareness is then translated into action when Léonce orders her to “come inside the house instantly.” The commanding dialogue can be seen as an act to confine Edna to her role and express Léonce’s control as a male. However, a role reversal between the pair occurs as Edna “settles herself securely in the hammock” and commands Léonce to “go to bed.” The decisive language and imagery of Edna’s actions represent the subversion of male freedom of movement, and her attempt to assert her status as equivalent to her husband. Whilst Léonce does not wholly submit to her, the act of defiance further juxtaposes the image of a passive housewife that is initially presented and develops the setting as a place of advancement from conforming to expectation to objecting it. Altogether, Grand Isle can be seen as a liminal space that offers some opportunity for Edna’s awakening to be instigated yet is still a place mediated by men and patriarchal constructs.

The Ocean: A Symbol of Freedom and Transformation

As an island, Grand Isle is surrounded by the ocean which is symbolically portrayed as a place of freedom, away from entrapment by patriarchal society. Originally, the ocean’s significance in Edna’s awakening is foreshadowed as she remembers how she “traversed the ocean of waving grass” when running from a church service as a child. The metaphor symbolises Edna’s escape from patriarchal theology and search for potential. The ocean offers a space of independence and self-assertion that no other setting provides for Edna, shown by her successful attempt at swimming. In the past, she had received instruction of how to swim from numerous others yet an “ungovernable dread” consistently overcame her, preventing her from swimming. However, Edna’s initial lack of control in the ocean, highlighted by the adjective used to describe her trepidation, is contrasted with gain of control over her movement and awareness of potential as she begins to swim effortlessly on her own.

This is apparent in the simile explaining that she feels “as if some power of significant import had been given to her,” thus presenting the ocean as a space of sensation and feeling. From a feminist reading, the ocean is therefore a space that does not require language for Edna to express her individuality and therefore does not restrict Edna’s thoughts and desires to a patriarchally governed language that confines her identity to her patriarchally defined role. The act of teaching herself to swim is Edna’s fundamental opportunity to portray independence and conveys the ocean as a place of empowerment and possibility, functioning to enable Edna’s physical awakening. Additionally, when entering the water, it is depicted as maternal through the use of verbs and adjectives as it “enfolds the body in its soft, close embrace,” personifying the ocean as gentle and alluding to the mother’s womb. This demonstrates how the ocean provides the opportunity to return to the basic identity of an individual without predefinition by role in society. Overall the ocean is presented as a metaphysical space of pure experience and sensation presenting Simone De Beauvoir’s concept of transcendence that offers freedom due to the absence of any patriarchal influence causing oppression.

New Orleans: A Realm of Conformity and Entrapment

In contrast, the setting of New Orleans is presented as a zone of male control where Edna is strictly bound by her domestic role and duties as a wife and mother. Upon returning from Grand Isle aware of the societal entrapment she endures, Edna feels physically trapped in her house and her desire to escape her socially prescribed role is conveyed through her actions as she “began to walk to and fro” in “her room.” This stresses Edna’s inability to continue to discover her identity as a result of the internality of setting. Moreover, Edna’s bourgeois status is established and evident fulfilment of her material wants is demonstrated by the extensive use of adjectives that describe the house as “charming”, “rich and tasteful” and “dazzling.” As a result, Edna’s dissatisfaction and desire to escape emphasises her active search for a spiritual and imaginative awakening of which can only be provided by “a room of one’s own.” From a feminist reading, women cannot freely explore themselves without a psychosocial space absent of patriarchal control. Therefore Edna cannot experience her full potential in “her room” as, according to Napoleonic Code followed in 19th-century Louisianan society, “all a wife’s accumulations…were the property of their husband.” Aiming to remove herself from the surroundings that are provided and dominated by Léonce Edna moves to the “Pigeon House.” This action portrays Edna’s emergent freedom of movement, indicating her independence and offering her a place of her own to explore her individual identity. However, symbolically, Edna is still presented to be trapped, despite escaping the gilded cage that is Léonce’s house, her only choice is to move into a different cage, the “Pigeon House”, which limits her independence by social and economic realities of the setting of New Orleans that symbolically delineate it as a space of immanence or inability to experience autonomy and reach transcendence.

Circular Narrative and Subversion of the Bildungsroman Genre

Throughout the novel, the setting structurally functions to develop a circular narrative whilst also subverting the bildungsroman genre. The opening and concluding paragraphs have a cyclic essence and represent a journey of initial separation through to final recapitulation. Repetition of the language that describes the sea as “seductive, never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander in abysses of solitude” directly links the exposition to the conclusion. The circularity of the novel represents the transformative journey that the character of Edna experiences and is stereotypical of the bildungsroman genre. However, the return to the ocean, the setting previously established as a space away from society, subverts the genre that traditionally concludes with the transformed individual returning and positively contributing to society. Whilst Edna has gained knowledge and redefined herself, as portrayed by the simile she “felt like some newborn creature”, there is an absence of societal acceptance of her transformed self. Instead, she rejects society as “the foamy wavelets…coiled like serpents about her ankles” alluding to Aphrodite, the Greek Goddess of passion, known for her independence thus portraying Edna to undermine traditional societal constructs reflected in Chopin’s subversion of the traditional genre. The return to the ocean and neglection of society in the conclusion of the novel develops its circularity and emphasises its subversion of the conventional bildungsroman genre.

Conclusion: The Ambiguity of Edna’s Awakening

Although acknowledged as a “brilliant piece of writing,” the novel was rebuked for Chopin’s “lack of a solution” presented by the circular pattern of setting. The symbolism of the ocean as a place of transcendence in contrast to the societal oppression and state of immanence Edna faces in New Orleans creates an ambiguous ending. The novel presents an anti-bildungsroman conclusion that portrays Edna as a heroine of herself rather than the community yet causes the reader to question whether Edna is ever entirely awakened or can ever reach full transcendence, symbolic of how emancipation is inevitably paired with risk which in this case is Edna’s death.

Explain how the setting and mood are immediately established within the first few pages of each novel. Cite specific words and phrases that situate the reader.

In the novels, the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Awakening By Kate Chopin, the authors illustrate the mood and setting in the first chapter. In the Scarlet Letter, the mood had been set to be dull. Hawthorne had to pave the tone to be that way since it started in a prison. Starting you could tell this could be very dark. Since it started talking about long gloom hallways in prisons and the guards. However, the Awakening started with a family of four on a vacation. Edna Pontellier, her husband Leonce Pontellier, and her two sons, Raoul and Etienne. The mood is set off as happy since you assume vacation equals great times. However, as you go more in-depth the mood reveals something new. Edna truthfully hates her husband and her kids and would rather hook up with a new love interest. Overall, in both novels, the mood perceived is similar in a sense since they both have a poor beginning.

In the Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne has been imprisoned for Adultery. During her time, she birthed her daughter Pearl. From the first page, the mood interpreted was dark and dreary. It describes the prison as, “ A throng of bearded men, in sad-colored garments, and gray, steeple-crowned hats […] was assembled in front of a wooden edifice, the door of which was heavily timbered with oak, and studded with iron spikes.” This shows that the prison had been dusk. Anyone could assume that prison isn’t going to be the happiest place on earth. However, this prison interprets that gruel and dark. There is also another change of mood when the wild rose bush develops in the story it seems to brighten the mood as a change of hope for the community. “But on one side of the portal, and rooted almost at the threshold, was a wild rosebush, covered, in this month of June, with its delicate gems, which might be imagined to offer their fragrance and fragile beauty to the prisoner as he went in, and to the condemned criminal as he came forth to his doom, in token that the deep heart of Nature could pity and be kind to him.” Overall the mood changes from gruesome to something refreshing in a way. For the setting, the novel states, that they are in Puritan New England in the mid-17th century. When everyone has to follow certain rules and if you didn’t follow you would be punished. This is the mood and setting of the novel The Scarlet Letter.

In the Awakening, Edna Pontellier is an obedient wife and mother vacationing at Grand Isle with her family. Everything seems calm, it’s a beautiful vacation spot, the kids are cute, and the husband is observant. This is how the story is set off, the setting The Awakening starts in the late nineteenth century on Grand Isle, off the coast of Louisiana; on the island of Chênière Caminada which is across the bay from Grand Isle and in the city of New Orleans.“The day was Sunday; the paper was a day old. The Sunday papers had not yet reached Grand Isle. He was already acquainted with the market reports, and he glanced restlessly over the editorials and bits of news which he had not had time to read before quitting New Orleans the day before.”(page#1 Chopin) To prove this, this shows where the story started. To add on, the mood which was interpreted was very serious. Why you can say that is because you think wow a fun family vacation but it ends up being a miserable vacation. Edna doesn’t seem engaged with her family, which was noticed when her husband stated,“…looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage.” (Chopin) She also has a new love interest and comes up with an independent answer to ditch them and try to start a new life. Overall, you can say this is a very serious matter since she leaves her whole family with her husband and starts a new life without them. This is the mood I have seen in the novel The Awakening.

To what extent does “self-preservation” play a role in the concept of human dignity in each of the novels? How can human dignity be defined? Why is dignity as essential to human survival as food and water?

Self-Preservation means caring for yourself and making the best options for you. Which are both novels both characters had different ways to help themselves. For Hester after going through a rough stage, she brought herself to the conclusion that she must keep on going with life and make the best of it. However, Edna after realizing all of the loss she had forced her to commit suicide. Dignity is tied into this because it’s a sense of pride that a person can have towards themselves or others. Hester eventually was proud of her letter because she didn’t care what people have to think about her. Once again Edna couldn’t handle being lonely and trying to make her life better than it was before. To explain more, Self-preservation has a big role in human dignity and in the two novels, The Scarlet Letter and The Awakening.

In the Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne was given a difficult time since she had a child. She struggled with her community because she commits adultery. Although the seclusion is difficult for her, she maintains to keep her dignity. She continues to keep on going with her life, for example, caring for her child or her interest in sewing. To add, wearing her scarlet letter was a way of dignity as well. She didn’t care about what the townspeople had to say. She wore it with pride which shows self-preservation. Edna shows, “The unhappy culprit sustained herself as best a woman might, under the heavy weight of a thousand unrelenting eyes, all fastened upon her, and concentrated at her bosom. It was almost intolerable to be borne. Of an impulsive and passionate nature, she had fortified herself to encounter the stings and venomous stabs of public contumely”(Hawthorne 34) Even after the humiliation of self-shaming, she tried to show her best self off by making herself a beautiful dress. After being given such a hard time about everything she had gone through. Edna found an abandoned house made it their own and lived the best life they could. After being given this burden she showed that it doesn’t matter what you have just made the best out of it. This explains self-preservation and dignity because she acted for herself. She tried to make her life the best it could be and didn’t care what everyone had to say.

In the Awakening, anyone could describe Edna’s life as having no self-preservation. Why someone might say this because she had a difficult time in her life. Instead of trying to have a solution, she decided to commit suicide. Ways to lead her in this direction was the thought of her family. She couldn’t cope with the feeling of going back to her family. To prove this, “ She thought of Leonce and the children. They were a part of her life. But they need not have thought that they could possess her, body and soul”(Chopin 95) Moving on, she left her family and went straight for Robert. Eventually, there was no human being whom she wanted near her except Robert; and she even realized that the day would come when he, too, and the thought of him would melt out her existence, leaving her alone”(Chopin 94). However, eventually, that concluded. After losing Robert all of that negativity and hatred in her life led her to believe that leaving the world and killing herself would do her kids and everyone else better, than staying in it and living unhappy. For the children and her husband this happened, Edna lacked self-preservation and thought death was the best option for herself. Therefore, Edna did not have any self-preservation or human dignity, which lead her to unhappiness and suicide.

In a well-organized response, discuss the title of each work, explain the title’s significance in relation to the novel as a whole and consider what that means for the protagonist, and for the other characters in the piece.

The novels, the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and the Awakening by Kate Chopin, both books have very important meanings behind their titles. Hawthorne made the title very self-explanatory since the novel is based on the Scarlet Letter on Hester’s chest. Also the struggles she had gone through with this being a part of her life. For the Awakening, Chopin described Edna’s awakening throughout the book. Her awakening would be described as her going through multiple life changes and things failing.

In the Scarlet Letter, the title ties up with Hester Prynne’s life. Minister Dimmesdale and Hester committed adultery which led to Hester having a baby girl named Pearl. From committing this crime Hester was sentenced to shame and was imprinted with the “ SCARLET LETTER, so fantastically embroidered and illuminated upon her bosom. It had the effect of a spell, taking her out of the ordinary relations with humanity, and enclosing her in a sphere by herself.”(Hawthorne 32) Since she committed this “crime” she was imprinted with the letter A, which indicated that she had to live with shame. Knowing that she would live with this shame every day, she still tried to live her best life. She was really into sewing and making her clothes for herself and others. She also enjoyed spending time with Pearl even though she had a devilish side. Another person who had a scarlet letter was Minister Dimmesdale. On the day that Hester had received hers. He had given it to himself. “Some affirmed that the Reverend Mr. Dimmesdale, on the very day when Hester Prynne first wore her ignominious badge, had begun a course of penance..,” This also proves that the scarlet letter was a main purpose in the novel since it appeared many times. Overall, the Scarlet Letter was significant since it showed shame but could be changed into something different as well.

In the Awakening, the titles of the books indicate the awakening that Edna will go through throughout the book. The awakening starts with Edna being very unhappy about her life with her husband and children. She doesn’t care for herself, instead, she provides for her family and that’s all she does. She finally comes to the realization that she needs to let go of her family and her independence. To support this, “In short, Mrs. Pontellier was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being, and to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and about her. This may seem like a ponderous weight of wisdom to descend upon the soul of a young woman of twenty-eight—perhaps more wisdom than the Holy Ghost is usually pleased to vouchsafe to any woman. But the beginning of things, of a world especially, is necessarily vague, tangled, chaotic, and exceedingly disturbing. How few of us ever emerge from such a beginning! How many souls perish in its tumult”(Chopin 12). This proves that Edna wanted to get her independence and she stood by that. Her awakening finally commenced when she decided to let herself drown. Overall, this proves that Edna’s awakening began when she left her family. She started a new life and tried to work with it. But eventually, it failed. But then she continued that awakening when she realized that this life wasn’t what she wanted and ended it

Is there any nobility in Dimmesdale and/or Edna’s deaths? Does the idea of martyrdom apply to either one? Should we think of their actions as heroic/noble?

In the novels, the Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and the Awakening by Katie Chopin. In both of the deaths of Dimmesdale and Edna, we expected all the pain they went through. From knowing the books anyone could assume that these characters are not noble or heroic. I say this because both of them could of went through the pain in an easier way. Sometimes it’s not easy to go through those struggles but there’s always a way to get through it.

In the Scarlet Letter, the death of Aruther Dimmsdale was very foreseen. He had committed a “crime” with Hester Prynne who was a married woman. They had a child named Pearl, which means they had perpetrated Adultery. To protect Dimmesdale’s identity, Hester decided not to tell the town who the mystery man was. So, instead of Dimmesdale revealing himself and taking the punishment. He decided to keep on living with this sin on his mind. Dimmesdale’s guilt finally overcomes him and he finally tells his town the truth about his act of adultery. He was so ashamed of his crime, that he punished himself for it, for 7 years. He would torture himself in so many ways, for example, “His inward trouble drove him to practices, more in accordance with the old, corrupted faith of Rome, than with the better light of the church in which he had been born and bred. In Mr. Dimmesdale’s secret closet, under lock and key, there was a bloody scourge. Oftentimes, this Protestant and Puritan divine had plied it on his shoulders; laughing bitterly at himself the while, and smiting so much the more pitilessly, because of that bitter laugh. It was his custom, too, as it has been that of many other pious Puritans, to fast,—not, however, like them, in order to purify the body and render it the fitter medium of celestial illumination,—but rigorously, and until his knees trembled beneath him, as an act of penance.”(page #81 Hawthorne). This proves that he suffered from keeping his secret and instead of ending this nightmare, he continued to punish himself. Instead of revealing his truth, he kept it and that has consequences. From keeping this secret I wouldn’t consider his Nobel heroic. He did save some time for Hester and Pearl, but he put himself through so much pain that it wasn’t worth it. For that, he told everyone about his confidential secret to taking the sin away from his hurting heart. “At last!—at last!—I stand upon the spot where, seven years since, I should have stood; here, with this woman, whose arm, more than the little strength wherewith I have crept hitherward, sustains me, at this dreadful moment, from groveling down upon my face! Lo, the scarlet letter that Hester wears! Ye have all shuddered at it! Wherever her walk hath been,—wherever, so miserably burdened, she may have hoped to find repose,—it hath cast a lurid gleam of awe and horrible repugnance round about her. But there stood one in the midst of you, at whose brand of sin and infamy ye have not shuddered!”(Hawthorne) This proves that he committed to his sin after 7 long hard years. In those 7 years, Pearl didn’t have a father and now he was going to die. In my opinion, he could have committed earlier and might have had a chance with his family. Overall, this is if Minister Dimmesdale is noble or not.

For the Awakening, Edna’s death is described as her swimming out to sea until her arms can no longer support her, and she ends up drowning. This won’t be considered noble because she cracked under pressure from the real world. She couldn’t handle all of the drama surrounding her. For example, Robert broke up with her or struggle she had with her kids. Everything that was happening knocked her too far. Edna became too distressed that she wasn’t acting like herself anymore. Everything that she had dreamed off didn’t come true. For instance, her dream of dating Robert and her passion for art. When you hear that someone’s life is going wrong, you assume that they are going to get through it. But in Edna’s case, she couldn’t handle all of the pain. She stated, “He did not know; he did not understand. He would never understand. Perhaps Doctor Mandelet would have understood if she had seen him—but it was too late; the shore was far behind her, and her strength was gone.”(page#95 Chopin) She believed that nobody cared for her anymore. Which drove her to commit suicide. So when you ask if Edna’s death was noble you might say no because after being given an opportunity at a new life she turned it down.

Water symbolizes rebirth due to its association with baptism and purification. Consequently, the coastline often acts as a reminder that Edna’s waking is a kind of rebirth. Appropriately, Edna finishes her life at sea: a realm of infinite possibilities becomes a hollow, engulfing vacuum that holds both promise and danger. In its immense grandeur, the ocean symbolizes the power, splendor, and lonesome terror of liberty. Kate Chopin uses water to explore the underlying implications of a narrative (Koffi). Throughout the story, water symbolism serves as both a mirror of the protagonists’ feelings and a component of the female characters’ rebirth and transitions into their independence (Koffi). In addition to societal norms, tales in which a woman has direct control over her life often use water symbolism.

The ocean is constantly mentioned in conjunction with Edna, and she contemplates it as if it were calling her. Edna begins her awakening or the knowledge that life is more than being a submissive wife and mother when she is at the seashore (Koffi). In addition, Edna’s departure from her home life is facilitated by the ocean. She loves her children, but they are a burden, and her husband’s unrelenting evaluation of her capacity to be a decent wife and mother compels her to seek even more independence from that. Here, Edna concentrates on the summer before, when her children spent time with their grandma.

Even to herself, she did not acknowledge that their absence was somewhat reassuring. It seemed to release her from a mission she had naively chosen and for which she had been ill-equipped by Fate. She does not feel she has what it takes to be a wonderful mother, as society expects. Edna attempts to convey the feelings she is beginning to experience while conversing on the beach with one of her coworkers, Madame Adele Ratignolle. Adele insulted her by stating that nothing was more important to her than her children, even though she had earlier said she was unwilling to sacrifice herself for her children.

Work Cited

Koffi, Alexandre. “Th e Sea as Major Symbol in ‘The Awakening’ by Kate Chopin.” ALEXANDRE KOFFI, Web.

Descriptions

Edna Pontellier is the protagonist of the story. She is a relatively young woman with a husband and two young children and the person who ‘awakens’ referenced in the title.

Leonce Pontellier is Edna’s husband. He is seen to be middle-aged and immensely satisfied with living the ‘status quo’ by having all the right appearances. He adheres to the patriarchal view in that everything, including Edna, belonged to him (as in possession) and existed solely for his pleasure.

Pontellier’s sons, Raoul and Etienne, seem to exist merely because they are supposed to exist. Edna loves them sometimes, like an affectionate aunt, and Leonce even forgets them sometimes. They are looked after by a nurse who seems equally apathetic.

Robert Lebrun is the mid-20s son of Madame Lebrun, the proprietress of the vacation property where he meets Edna, and the two fall in love.

Alcee Arobin is the young man Edna meets back home in New Orleans who keeps much closer company with her than is ‘proper’ and would be her lover if she’d allow it. Edna realizes, though, that she doesn’t have any real feelings for him.

Adele Ratignolle is the other young mother that vacations at the Lebruns’. She is the perfect Victorian example of what Edna is expected to be, but Edna is incapable of keeping up the act, which is all her marriage and family really are to her.

Mademoiselle Reisz is an artist who also vacations on the island at the Lebrun. She has opted for a single life of artistry rather than losing her identity to marriage and family. She warns Edna that a woman must be very strong to follow that path and worries that Edna will not be strong enough.

Doctor Mandelet is the old family doctor that attends both the Pontellier family and the Ratignolles. Leonce consults him about Edna and he realizes that Edna has discovered a sense of her own identity and the love of another. He also tries to help Edna by telling her to come to talk with him, that he would understand, but she doesn’t think of this until she is tired out from swimming.

Conflicts

Edna vs. Leonce: Edna thinks of herself as a person, Leonce considers her a piece of his property. Edna struggles to be free of him to be truly herself through the entire story but is never able to accomplish this as she cannot experience love as she wants because of his prior claim, which destroys her spirit.

Edna vs. her children: Edna sees herself as chained by her children in bonds of love on one side and irritation on the other. They are symbols of her ties to Leonce and drags upon her desire to discover her own identity. This conflict is also not resolved because she cannot determine whether to follow her heart one way or another.

Edna vs. Robert: Neither character envisioned true emotion blossoming in their relationship, but once it was recognized, Edna began her awakening. While she is willing to overlook her previous ties, Robert is not. The conflict is resolved when Robert decides to leave her. This destroys her as she realizes she is fully possessed by Leonce.

Edna vs. Alcee: Alcee would like their relationship to go to the next level of intimacy. His continued admiration keeps Edna’s spirits up but his persistence forces her to evaluate her feelings and, finding them lacking, cannot accept his advances further.

Edna vs. her father: Edna’s father is not a character in the story, but is instead a character in her memory that played a significant role in her definition and current life because he was a strict Protestant. To a high degree, it is described how his reaction to the idea of her marrying a Catholic played a role in her decision to marry Leonce.

Edna vs. Adele: Adele is the perfect Victorian wife and mother. She is absolutely and completely devoted to her children and husband to the point that she would have no definition without them. While Edna is expected to be the same, she realizes she is not.

Edna vs. Reisz: Reisz is well aware of who she is and takes pleasure in being just who she wants to be. She is condemned by society on many counts because of her ‘rude’ manner, but she is also highly respected because of her talent and self-sufficiency. While Edna can attain a degree of self-sufficiency, she cannot live a life like Reisz’s because she cannot escape the bonds of her earlier life.

Themes

The idea that Edna is considered Leonce’s property is introduced early when Leonce comes home late from Klein’s hotel, probably somewhat drunk, and gets annoyed when Edna, who was fast asleep, doesn’t answer him with dutiful and eager attention. He also seems to treat her like a broken tool the first time she decides not to receive visitors on a Tuesday in Chapter 17.

The story illustrates how the Creoles enjoy a more sensual existence in the form of playful and harmless flirting, but, because of their religious convictions, there is never any chance that this flirtation will cross the bounds of family. However, Edna’s life has always been very withdrawn and exclusive, so when she is introduced to this world, she is captivated and begins to realize what she’s been missing. Because she is unable to share these feelings with either her husband or Robert, her awakening remains incomplete and unfulfilled.

Edna has lived in the shell of social expectations as a deadened soul and rebels against the dual life of women, but the belief in “that outward existence which conforms, the inward life which questions” only seems to apply to her. Adele is intelligent as shown when she points out Edna’s difference from Robert, but she is also fully expressing her own identity in her ability to mother while Reisz is also fully aware of who and what she is and does not feel the duality of spirit that Edna complains of.

Edna is not a successful character because she is not able to resolve her conflicts. I believe Chopin intentionally made Edna’s death ambiguous as to whether or not she died intentionally. Regardless of whether it was suicide or an accident, Edna died because she couldn’t be free to follow her own passions. The inclusion of childhood memories and recent events in her final thoughts suggests that this was the pattern of her life from which she was attempting to be free.

Edna is a sympathetic character. Chopin makes it easy to understand how Edna might feel by including such thoughtless behavior as Leonce’s expectations after waking her up from a sound sleep. Her detachment seems reasonable given her circumstances and her reaction to her senses is perhaps predictable.

The infatuations of Edna’s youth all seem to share the common denominator of tragedy. The first man was ‘sad-eyed’, she would always be ‘nothing, nothing, nothing to the second and the third was a ‘tragedian’ and even more remotely out of reach. They reveal Edna’s infatuation with the impossible, her resonance with the ‘caged bird’, and her tendency to the dramatic.

Edna’s desire for both union and freedom in the way in which she expressed it does not seem possible even today. This is not necessarily because a woman must necessarily give up her identity in order to be a ‘proper’ wife and mother, but because anytime two people live together, regardless of the relationship from something as casual as roommates to something as intimate as partners, there has to be some give and take on both sides. A woman can be a wife and a mother and corporate executive in today’s world, but she will probably not be the absolute best wife and mother and corporate executive at all times. A woman may also choose to devote herself entirely to one vocation – wife, mother, career, etc. – and thus become the best, but at the expense of all the rest. The same can be said of men who once devoted all of their time to business only to discover they had no relationship with either the children or the wife at home and thus were living the same sort of empty life Edna wakes from.

Edna’s first awakening comes as she realizes she has a sensual side that she’d never dreamed of that, once touched, seemed to fill some of the emptiness she felt inside her. This leads her to realize she wants the freedom to be a ‘real’ human being rather than the possession of her husband. Her second awakening comes as she finally realizes that regardless of what she wants, she remains the property of her husband as the greatest desire of her heart, on the verge of being fulfilled, is removed as a result of this fact. No matter what she does or how autonomous she makes herself, her efforts will all be wasted because, in the end, she will still be Mrs. Pontillier, Leonce’s wife, rather than herself.

The idea that motherhood necessarily brings with it all suppression of a mother’s previous or future identity in duty to the family repulses Edna about her children. This is her withdrawal from them and her antagonism toward them. However, as children, there are several scenes in the story where Edna is seen to ‘mother’ them – such as when Etienne won’t go to bed and she rocks him to sleep. Although she is not completely free like Reisz and not completely motherly like Adele, Edna recognizes in both of these women that they are fulfilled in their roles and forms a bond with them to try to discover their secret.

In the final analysis, Edna doesn’t have many choices. As a married woman in the early 1900s, she might not have even had the legal right to rent property without her husband’s permission, or at least not for long. She would have either had to break things off with Leonce completely and destroy her children or go back to Leonce and hope he would continue to be the same ‘loving’ husband he had always been, now more aware of her previous and probably additional constraints. Robert’s refusal of her emphasizes that even if she managed to break off with Leonce, she would forever be ruled by his influence rules out her first option, and her newly awakened senses rule out the second option. The only option left is death.

When Dr. Mandelet talks about youth being given up to illusions, I think he is talking about the difference between procreation and passion. As a younger girl, Edna married Leonce to both irritate and escape from her father, believing Leonce to be somehow different. After marriage and the disappointments this may bring, motherhood becomes the only means by which a woman might acceptably express her individuality in some form. Passion, on the other hand, is an inner uncontrollable feeling, something sensual and deep that doesn’t abide by the laws of the land or the cultural influences of a given society.

Edna’s failures to develop her full potential are greatly evident by the end of the book as she was neither the best mother nor the greatest artist, free or constrained, fully awakened or completely asleep. Adele remains constrained within the confines of motherhood. Although this is where she is happy, she is nevertheless bounded by her responsibilities to her children. Reisz, in attempting to assert her right to be and do whatever she wishes, is prevented from expressing her own desires to their fullest. While she has already been ostracized from society, the object of her desire remains inextricably linked within that same society that would condemn the expression.