...f-word that leaves people feeling uncomfortable, offended, and angry: feminism. Feminism today is often demonized, met with opposition like “meninists”, and is associated with the ugly-armpit-hair-having-lesbian stereotype. It is often used as a punchline, a criticism for women who get a little too angry for comfort. Not only are these views of feminism wrong and insulting, they highlight exactly why feminism is needed. The resistance to feminism is largely based in a lack of understanding of what feminism truly stands for. Contrary to the opposition’s belief, the feminist movement promotes equality for women and men, and strives to erase the perspective that being feminine equates to being of a lesser value....
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...Feminism and The Awakening Gender discrimination and feminism played a great role in the novel The Awakening by Kate Chopin. This novel was highly controversial when it was first published. “The Awakening deals with the condition of the nineteenth century woman in marriage, and has been more recently rediscovered and recognized as an overtly feminist text for these same reasons.” (Marquand) This novel was written during a time where a women’s place in society was at home taking care of the children and providing for the husband. This novel, contains the obstructions, the victories and the defeats that Edna dealt due to the demanding requirements of society. Society placed a lot of emphasis on women and in Edna’s case she was expected to be the perfect wife, perfect mother and bow her husband’s every need. Some women in The Awakening are complying with what society expects of women, characters such as Adele plays right into what society believes women should be. Adele is a woman who embodies what society all the qualities of what a woman-mother should be. Edna defies the expectations of society to find her own freedom. Although Edna's suicide seems to be a waste of her time and energy for her tussle against society and the status quo. The Awakening by Chopin is known as one the first feminist novels and it led the way for future feminist novelist. The Awakening lays the foundation and inspires women to take charge of their lives to get whatever they want out of life...
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...In her daring novel The Awakening, Kate Chopin bravely exposes an unfamiliar attitude of feminism to an unprepared society in the form of Edna Pontellier. At the time, her work of fiction was not yet recognized as being respectable or even credible—due to the fact that the idea of feminism had not yet become popular. Since then, Edna Pontellier’s “awakening” has been viewed in a positive light by many modern feminist critics and described as an “intellectual and social” maturation or liberation of the self. However, while some of the symbols in which Edna’s “awakening”, overall progression, and personality may seem to exemplify and commendatory of classic feministic ideals and qualities—of freedom, independence, and equality, —a great many of them portray Edna and her egocentric doings as little more than selfish delusions causing her to lose a valuable, if conventional, life. Ultimately, the perverse behavior and deviant disposition exhibited by Edna—especially considering the standards of the time period she lived in—belie the very femininity attributed to her and, in my opinion, is the very antithesis of feminism. The term ‘feminism’ has many different uses and its meanings are often contested and changed throughout history. In the mid-to-late 1800’s, the time period in which the novel is set, feminism was used to refer to the “qualities of a woman”. Thus, with this definition and the context of the novel in mind, the analysis of Edna’s “qualities of a woman” becomes easier...
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...We can find the most significant one in The Awakening. Actually, the title itself can be viewed as a metaphor. In this story, Edna begins to awaken to the world and environment around her, but also wake up her understanding of herself as an individual and as a woman who does not find herself happy in the domestic world of her peers. The most important awakening is to herself as a sexual being. The novel uses awakening to refer her understanding of the feminism and herself. This novel reveals Edna’s character as a literary icon for feminist ideals, so the writer expressed things like individuality, sexuality or entertaining, which were not a common concept in that period of time. During the story, we can see the writers description of swimming. Actually it is not just a simple swimming. Edna’s swimming in the ocean also has metaphorical meaning, it means she gains freedom as woman and a human being. Also oceans has metaphorical notion of death, but it also represents something that is larger...
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...Critical Analysis Feminism is the want of woman to have the same rights as men. The feminist movement occurred in the 1800’s which is also around the time the novel “the Awakening” was coming out. The novel was a huge contributor to the cause. That's all thanks to Kate Chopin. In the book “The Awakening” the main character is a woman named Edna Pontellier. She is a woman who goes against everything that a woman is supposed to do and what a woman shouldn’t do. Edna was a huge role model during feminist movement. In the book she goes against almost everything a woman should and shouldn’t do. Some examples are the clothes she wore or clothes she didn’t wear, “hanging out” with a man other than your husband, and going out without a man. Still she was a role model and the book “The Awakening” is why. Not only was she a role model she was also pretty much a timeline in one person of how the feminist movement went. During the feminist movement Edna was a huge role model to the women fighting for their rights. Edna pretty much a symbol of everything that they were trying to get. They were fighting for the equal rights for women, they wanted women to be able to do everything that Edna did in the book. They wanted the chance to walk alone in the street, skinny dip, and even go out with someone other than their husbands. However in the book Edna is looked at as if she has wronged the female race she really didn’t care. And that's what the women really looked up to in the book;...
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...During the late 1800s, the Napoleonic code was a state law that was the base foundation in terms of a marriage contract and how legal affairs would play out. The Napoleonic Code stated that the husband had full authority over his wife and her wealth because the husband would obtain both his and wife’s assets while administering the joint estate regardless of the wife’s say in the matter. Such a power struggle is seen in Edna’s marriage as she breaks free from her husband’s demanding demeanor who expects her to be submissive. Also during the that, women started to hold protests and create groups who created campaigns to further the social reforms that focused on creating more rights for women. One such way was to advertise ideas through...
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...Social acceptance or freedom, love or lust, these conflicts arise in The Awakening by Kate Chopin as Edna Pontellier struggles with her internal conflicts. In a time where women are expected to be subordinates, Edna begins to defy the standards and her oppressive husband. The first set of foils include Robert and Alcee, or love and lust respectively. In addition, compliance and individualism are exemplified by two polar characters: Adèle Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz. These women act as foils and provide references to the reader in understanding Edna’s awakening. On one hand, Adèle epitomizes the ideal woman of the nineteenth century, but Reisz represents the feminist movement; Robert and Alcee also develop as foils that impact Edna. Which...
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...women is natural matter which is unchangeable. People tried to find the reason why this belief occurred and has still endured for a long time. In addition, there is a social movement which tried to change this belief, including the condition of the inequality between men and women. This social movement is called feminism. This social phenomenon began, in 19th century, in the western side of the world, because women didn’t accept the original culture, their role in society, the inequality of gender, and the oppression of men. However, this contradiction in terms of gender has been argued up to the beginning of 20th century. Feminism has rapidly grown since the last forty years of 20th century. People become awakened to study about women in several measurements, especially in the study of the relationship between men and women, by using the idea of gender to be the equipment of the analysis. The inconsistency of gender causes the movement which people demand the equality between men and women. Moreover, there are many studies, explanations and ideas about the secondary status of women in many terms, in the last for decades. Almost explanations and ideas of feminism develop from main...
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...even in this day and age. The concept of who we are is so closely linked with what we do, that sometimes it is hard to distinguish one from the other. Motherhood from the “Realistic” point of view seems horrible! If someone were to ask me who I am, there is a whole list of words that I could use to describe myself, such as housewife, student, and caregiver. The social commentary of the late 19th century time period is just starting to look past the ideal woman, who was described as the “mother-woman,” to the version of femininity that is trying to be more of an equal with men. The definition of feminism is “the theory of the political, economic, and social equality of the sexes” (MW 236). Nothing in that definition leads me to conclude, as Edna seems to believe, that motherhood is the one thing that will retard her individual growth. Although feminists claim that The Awakening by Kate Chopin portrays a woman stifled by a society controlled by men, ultimately the decision to act selfishly or selflessly belongs to Edna. There is more than one choice given in the text of who and what Edna could be. Edna could become the selfless “mother woman” that society is looking for, or the more selfishly motivated single woman who makes her own way in the world, but what Edna also fails to realize is that every individual has their own way of fulfilling each role. Edna has a concrete example of each of these roles to follow in her life, in Mademmoiselle Reisz and Adele Ratignolle...
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...groups of women but between conflicting differences within the individual. One of her quotes is "I am defined as other in every group I'm part of," she declared. "The outsider, both strength and weakness. Yet without community there is certainly no liberation, no future, only the most vulnerable and temporary armistice between me and my oppression". Lorde’s work on black feminism continues to be examined by scholars today. Lorde is urging black feminists to embrace politics rather than fear it, which will lead to an improvement in society for them. Lorde insists that the fight between black women and men must end in order to end racist politics. Here is another quote said by Audre Lorde “Black women sharing close ties with each other, politically or emotionally, are not the enemies of Black men. Too frequently, however, some Black men attempt to rule by fear those Black women who are...
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...Throughout history women have been relegated to a secondary class in which reflects how they are seen and treated in society. In 1899 Kate Chopin was aware of the numerous double standards and gender roles that inhibit women, and that understanding lead her to write The Awakening, a story about a woman and her emerging sense of self, during the first wave of feminism which focused on women’s suffrage. French write Simone de Beauvoir who wrote The Second Sex which focused on the state and circumstance surrounding women from a philosophical standpoint. Today women have gained more legal and social security and standing, but continue their struggle in order to reach true equality in all aspect of life. Simone de Beauvoir focuses on themes that...
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...was a huge struggle and took many years before it was approved. Women had already started the feminist movement in America when they started fighting for any and all equality between men and women. Feminism is not just about women, many people think that since it’s called feminism it must be only having to do with women, but the truth is men can be feminists as well. Feminism is usually defined as being a belief or idea that men and women should be equal, in all ways. At this time, women...
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...The Awakening by Kate Chopin depicts the “mother woman” archetype juxtaposing Edna Pontellier’s desire to become independent and free of the limits of women in society in the 1900s. This juxtaposition of conformity and independence causes tension and drives the main conflict of the novel. Edna vacillates between consenting to the ideals of society and struggling to become independent and freethinking. Edna’s wavering perception of womanhood affects her relationships with other characters, who act as catalysts for Edna’s growth as a woman. She fosters friendships with Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz, whose stark differences in personality and lifestyles cause a crisis of confidence for Edna, as she cannot truly escape from the confines of being a woman in an...
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...A Journey for the Lost Soul The Awakening by Kate Chopin was written during the 1800’s and was published in the year of 1899. During this time, the novel struck controversial subjects using a strong feminist tone, which underlined Chopin’s views on sex, marriage, and women of that period. In this novel, it is evident that freedom and feminism are used as interrelations of each other to express her feelings towards each subject. Some characters in The Awakening served as an encouraging force pushing Edna to go forth with her self-discoveries. In her journey, Edna travels through many stages of freedom to find herself; from exploring her creativity, to being freely aware of her sexually desires in the novel. Chopin uses the self-defining journey of Edna Pontellier to reveal her views of freedom as it relates to women, through a feminist lens during the 1800’s. According to Annetta Kelley, author of The Sparkle of Diamonds: Kate Chopin's Usage of Subtext in Stories and Novels, "The novel's most stirring poetic semblance is its continuous subliminal whispering of "the seductive, murmuring sea" (Kelley 334). Chopin uses Edna Pontellier to represent independence and free will, and the sea to represent Edna. She uses this character as a tool to exemplify her own thoughts on subjects such as sex, marriage, and what it is to be a free woman. The freedom Edna Pontellier desires so much throughout the novel becomes apparent to her primarily when she is at the beach with her...
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...The Awakening The Awakening explores different details of a woman living life through the 1800's. The main character that is discussed is Edna Pontellier. She is married to Leonce Pontellier and they have two children together, Etienne and Raoul. The story behind Edna is her desire and struggles to be an independent woman and live fully within her true self. She has struggles learning this about herself and the purpose of a happy life that in turn it causes friction with her friends and family. There are many symbols and perspectives in the story that will help decide whether or not Edna did the right thing in the end. Although Edna's ultimate suicide is a waste of her struggles against an oppressive society, The Awakening supports and encourages feminism as a way for women to obtain sexual freedom, financial independence, and individual identity. A critical analysis consists of choosing a certain lens that would point out certain characteristics of a book and summarize the findings. From the weekly reading “When you analyze a piece of literature or portion of it, it is important to look at various parts of the work—characters, setting, figurative language, and symbolism” (South University, Lecture, wk.2). There are three perspectives that were included in The Awakening, Feminist, Psychoanalytical and Historical. While writing this paper from a feminist perspective there will also be comparisons from the other two. As Sigmund Freud stated “the mind has two parts,...
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