The Awkening

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The Awakening by Kate ChopinIn The Awakening, Kate Chopin brings out the essence through the characters of her novel. In this novel Edna Pontellier faces many problems because she is an outcast from society. As a result of her isolation from society she has to learn to fit in and deal with her problems. This situation causes her to go through a series of awakenings that help her find herself, but this also causes problems with her husband because she loses respect for him and the society she lives in. Throughout the novel she is faced with unfavorable circumstances which confuse and eventually kill her. Written from the perspective of a woman, I found that this story rendered my greatest emotional appeal. It is a story of a woman, Edna Pontellier, who transforms herself from an obedient housewife to a person who is alive with strength of character and emotions that she no longer has to suppress. The metamorphosis is shaped by her surroundings. It is the narrow minded view of society in Victorian times that makes this story possible. Just as her behavior is more shocking and horrifying because of her position in society, it is that very position which causes her to feel restrained and makes her want to rebel against convention. Is Edna truly awakened at the end of the story? A typical Victorian woman maintained her sphere, which believed that womens personal life is centered around home, husband, and children. Women were supposed to accept this position in the home happily and be satisfied. It never satisfied Edna, who always seemed out of place when with other woman. She was a wife and mother, but not a typical Victorian wife and mother. With regards to her children,Their absence was sort of relief. It seemed to free her of a responsibility which she blindly assumed and for which fate had not fitted her(Chopin)..Even early on, she reveals ideas uncommon to Victorian society. She tries to maintain her roles, but it is very difficult to her. The person who Edna truly admires the most is Mademoiselle Reiz, who is a brilliant artist and pianist. Mademoiselle Reiz is widely misunderstood because she is an eccentric, bold and does not conform to the traditional role of a woman in Victorian society. It's her music that touches Edna. Edna claimed that something inside her stirred and she felt alive like she had never felt before(Chopin). It is at this moment that I believe that Edna began to awake and see the beauty of life. It is this awakening inside Edna that made me connect with this story.


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This was in great contrast to her boring marriage to Leonce. I could not blame Edna for striving towards that feeling of being alive. Ednas marriage to Leonce is safe, but there is no passion or excitement. She grew fond of her husband, realizing with some unaccountable satisfaction that no trace of passion or excessive and fictitious warmth colored her affection, thereby threatening its desolation(Chopin). While this lack of emotion is enough to satisfy Edna for the majority of the marriage, after she allows her true self to come forward, she feels trapped and seeks to escape. As the story progresses, Edna focuses on her desires rather than what her husband wants. Edna disregards her husband's appeals to conform and continues to do what she wants. These desires eventually lead her to commit adultery, which in Victorian times would be disastrous for a woman. One must admire Ednas courage even if they do not agree with her decision to commit adultery. It is this aspect of adultery and disregards for the norms of Victorian society that led Chopin to receive rejection when the book was first published. Sadly, what Victorians saw as a rejection of convention on behalf of Edna can almost be seen as convention today. This is what makes the setting and time that The Awakening takes place in so important to the story. So was Edna truly awakened in the story? As the novel continues, Edna continues to feel trapped in the restricted environment and ultimately commits suicide to leave the world that will not let her leave her traditional role. Edna tried to maintain her role as long as she could, but it became too much for her , and she needed to do the best thing. In her mind, that meant killing herself in the water, which had no boundaries and restrictions.In a sense, one could argue that she was not truly free because she ended up killing herself. On the other hand, she had been awakened to the beauty and joy of life. In Victorian times however, I dont think that Edna would have been happy living another day restricted by the outrageous norms of society at that time. I feel, although, harsh, that she ultimately found happiness in death. The Awakening is truly a powerful story. The status of women in 1th century literature according to Chopin was that women had individuality and independence, which seemed to be overlying theme in this story. Kate Chopin uses Creole Society in the 180s as a basis for her novel and expresses it through Creole women, personal relationships, and etiquette. The Awakening is a book based on French Creoles and their lifestyle which is expressed throughout the novel. Creoles were French Creole Society descendents of French and Spanish Colonists of the 1700s. They had strong family ties because of Catholicism and were a tight community because they where considered outcasts of Anglo- American society. They loved to dance, gamble, fish, attend feasts, play on the fiddle and to live without much thought of the morrow. Creoles were very lively outgoing people because of their comfortable tight society. Activities such as Mardi Gras and Sunday afternoon Mass holiday spirits contribute the liveliness of these people. A large reason for their comfort and "live for the moment" attitude was that Creoles did not move west like most other colonists to claim land. Instead they stayed in relatively the same area and just grew in population without consumption of other lands. This caused a shortage of land so it had to be repeatedly divided among the families and it also made it difficult for the plantation system to operate successfully. Until 1888 the husband was legal guardian and was given custody of the children when in a divorce. In the 180 segregation was legalized, but blacks horizons were expanding also. In Creole society people are generally very warm and open, having plentiful long relationships. A mother's relationship with her children is usually very close, loving, and caring. The children are usually constantly pampered by their mother. "Creole women, were women who idolized their children worshipped their husbands, and respected it's holy privilege to eliminate themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels" (Chopin). Edna Pontellier, was not this type of mother though, she "was not a mother-woman"(Chopin). Edna is just not able to fit in to the Creole society because she was raised in such a foreign way from what Creoles exhibit, it is just too difficult. Just little signs of affection towards her are difficult for her to grasp. She becomes confused when Madame Ratignolle touches her hand during a conversation. She was not accustomed to an outward and spoken expression of affection, either in herself or others. Unbelievably, Edna and her husband are the most distant of all people because they were basically forced into marriage. He limits her and this infuriates her to the point where she gives up and just does as she pleases. He does this by speaking to her like a kid and treating her like a piece of property that he drags around because it is improper for a man of his stature not to be married. Robert is the only person in which she has a full relationship with. Unfortunately their relationship is limited they can only truly be friends. Since Adele Ratignolle doesn't want this relationship to be taken too far or seriously she tells Robert. She is not one of us; she is not like us. She makes the unfortunate blunder of taking you seriously. The relationships that Edna has just continue to confuse her and inspire her at the same time. This confuses her, making her think that she is fitting in fine when in fact she is really in a mess, and is too deep to be changed into a French-Creole women of any standards. French-Creole women are thought of and shown to be very well rounded admirable women. They have many talents, skills, and a special way of life. Creole Women are artistic by nature; they paint and play and sing. They not only speak French, but usually several other languages also. In their speech they are usually very clear and articulate using gestures to ensure their point. Women in the Creole culture tend to be beautiful with a dark complexion, long black hair, and deep dark eyes. These were for Mrs.Chopin the conditions of civility. People openly liked one another, enjoyed life, and savored its sensual riches. Creole women are very open and forward but also very careful with whom they make friends with. They show no shame and are very modest, never expressing their hardships. Creole women are mostly surrounded by religion, which is spread throughout their large families and help give them a sense of belonging and an identity. During the 180s woman began to become more recognized and started gathering power and strength in their society. They also were being allowed to expand possibilities, which are strongly shown through the French-Creole culture. Women were getting many jobs that were as physicians, captains, storeowners, florists , and many others, although they were not being accounted for. In Creole culture, etiquette and behavior takes a large part of their society. This is why it is very important to be as proper as possible otherwise it could be very offending to another party or especially their friends. At all times it is best to avoid all causes for complaint. It is necessary for a woman who wants recognition in society to display, Her politeness and engaging manners, or skill in music, along with the dressing up of her house. It should never be allowed by a lady, the disrespect of her husband, advice degrading him because confidants are dangerous persons. When a Creole woman is walking through the streets she should walk quietly while being unnoticeable as possible. If she comes upon someone she recognizes they should be acknowledged with a bow and friends addressed with a verbal greeting. When riding in a carriage a women's dress should not be flashy or expensive. It should be made of silks, velvets, and laces. The dress can drag a little but if it does too much dirt or soil could destroy it. A lady in Creole culture should always dress for the occasion, especially when going out to dinners or any special occasion. When going out to dinners the dress should be a full length silk or velvet material for winter and a light lavish material for summertime. Jewelry should be worn all over being the best that can be attained and the dress color should be a light neutral tint. When receiving calls a females dress should be of silk or other light materials, but plain with dullish colors. It should be worn with cuffs, lace collars, and light amount of jewelry, but when worn for special holidays or evenings the dress should be livened up. In all, The Awakening, vividly describes French-Creole culture and gives a strong feeling of it's Society in the 180s. Women individuality and independence seem to be an overlying theme in this story. Chopin also describes Creole women, personal relationships, and the etiquette of Creoles throughout her Novel. Creole Society has a very close community that results in a fun and comfortable society. That was definitely shown in The Awakening, but not felt by Edna Pontellier who was just trying to find herself for her whole life. When she get intermixed with Creoles it showed her what she was missing, but was not able to grasp so that she could fit in to society for once. 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