...Heinrich-Heine-Universität Wintersemester 2010/11 Vertiefungsmodul Kurs: American Realism and Naturalism - Short Stories Seminarleiter: Georg Schiller Datum der Abgabe: 16.04.2011 Female Empowerment in Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening” Anjana Dhir BA Englisch KF, Geschichte NF 3. Semester Table of Contents 1. Introduction 3 2. The French – Creole society of Louisiana 4 2.1 Cultural background 4 2.2 French-Creole women 5 3. The Role of Women 6 4.1 Edna vs. Madame Ratignolle 7 3.1.1 “A Valuable Piece of Property” 7 3.1.2 Edna – The Unusual Woman 9 3.1.3 Adèle Ratignolle – The Archetype Woman 14 3.2 “Mother Woman” – The Patriarchal Ideology 16 4. Chopin’s Imagery 18 5. Conclusion - Edna’s Suicide 19 6. Bibliography 21 1. Introduction A certain ungovernable dread hung about her when in the water, unless there was a hand nearby that might reach out and reassure her. But that night she was like a little tottering, stumbling, clutching child, who of a sudden realizes its powers, and walks for the first time alone, boldly and with over confidence. […] A feeling of exultation overtook her, as if some power of significant import had been given her to control the working of her body and her soul. She grew daring and reckless, overestimating her strength. She...
Words: 7915 - Pages: 32
...Sexual Desire The Awakening by Kate Chopin is a novel about a woman who leads the typical life of a nineteenth century woman. During this era, a woman's role is to be a wife and mother. The main character, Edna Pontellier, begins to struggle with this obligatory role in society. Even though she is an upper woman in society, she has feelings of suffocation and frustration. She begins to neglect her duties such as caring for her children, housekeeping, and social visitations. She is also starting to have feelings for men other than her husband. Through Edna's Creole friends, she learns a great deal about freedom of expression. As a result, Edna Pontellier goes on a journey of self discovery and sexual desires through a series of life awakenings. In Kate Chopin's novel, The Awakening, Edna Pontellier and her family are vacationing at Grand Isle in southern Louisiana. While there, Edna becomes close to a gentlemen by the name of Robert Lebrun. Robert each summer at Grand Isle had constituted himself the devoted attendant of some fair damsel (Chopin 13). Throughout the summer, Edna spends time with Creole women who liberate her to seek independence from social norms. Their freedom of expression was at first incomprehensible to her (Chopin 12). Edna's character goes on a journey of self discovery and experiences a series of awakenings that lead to her death. Carney 2 The Awakening depicts the lifestyle for...
Words: 1675 - Pages: 7
...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...
Words: 1600 - Pages: 7
...Kate Chopin’s book, The Awakening, she expresses the account of a youthful woman who begins to live her life for herself, breaking out of the numerous obstacles set by humanity and her family during the Victorian Era. When Chopin wrote The Awakening in the 1890s, a variety of social differences and tensions, which brought women’s rights into public conversation that prompted Chopin’s narrative. In Louisiana, which is the setting for The Awakening, most women at the time were their husbands' legitimate property. In addition, this was a prominently Catholic state meaning divorce was tremendously uncommon, and women expected to stay loyal and faithful to their husbands. This explains some reactions The Awakening received in after its publication in 1899. Chopin uses symbolism as an excellent device to insert her personal views to the reader giving them a foretaste into the life of this young woman at a time when women had no political rights and many restraints. In Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening,” she uses a variety of birds as symbols to illuminate Edna’s journey through life. The essential significance throughout the story is the desire to break away from the traditional views of women during the Victorian Era. However, Edna struggles with the backlash she would receive if she chose to fulfill her own desires, signifying what she actually wants in life. In Chopin’s text, she portrays this struggle vividly by using a caged parrot that gives voice to Edna’s unspoken feelings and her...
Words: 2008 - Pages: 9
...The Awakening – Psychological Views Robert Ceneskie South University Online The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, is a novel that takes place during the nineteenth century and focuses on the point of view of Edna Pontellier, the protagonist and wife elite to an affluent Creole. The story begins at the Grand Isle resort, which is a popular vacationing stop for the wealthy from New Orleans. While at Grand Isle, Edna comes to the realization that she is longing for self-actualization and empowerment. The novel then moves to the city of New Orleans where Edna is determined to break society’s mold of women of what is expected of the time period. While in New Orleans, she pursues her desire to paint in order to achieve a sense of personal freedom. Ultimately, the story leads us back to Grand Isle where Edna has reached her lowest point in life and decides to commit suicide to end all of her pain. The novel is written with a feminist perspective in which psychoanalytical ideations plays a significant role. When one sees or hears the word psychology, the first thing that comes to mind is Sigmund Freud. His research on psychoanalysis focuses on the “repression and unconscious forces and includes the concepts of infantile sexuality, resistance, transference, and division of the psyche into the id, ego, and superego” (Farlex, 2009). Edna Pontellier is a character who exhibits the psychoanalytical concepts of Freudianism. Throughout the novel, Edna’s id plays a drastic role in her...
Words: 1741 - Pages: 7
...“The years that are gone seem like dreams—if one might go on sleeping and dreaming—but to wake up and find—oh! well! Perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all one’s life.” Even though Edna’s awakening leads her to suffer from the wisdom and self-awareness it affords her, the year of joy and understanding that accompanies this suffering is worth more to Edna than a lifetime of the semi-conscious submission that defined her former existence. According to Edna, to live with self-awareness, possessed and controlled only by one’s own soul, offers an existence far richer than a life lived according to the restricting “illusions” that are imposed by the expectations of others. Edna Pontellier is a respectable woman of the late 1800s who not only acknowledges her sexual desires, but also has the strength and courage to act on them. Breaking through the role appointed to her by society, she discovers her own identity independent of her husband and children. Many of Kate Chopin’s other stories feature passionate, unconventional female protagonists, but none presents a heroine as openly rebellious as Edna. The details and specifics of Edna’s character are key to understanding the novel and its impact on generations of readers. At the beginning of the novel, Edna exists in a sort of semi-conscious state. She is comfortable in her marriage to Léonce and unaware of her own feelings and ambitions. Edna has always been a romantic...
Words: 759 - Pages: 4
...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,...
Words: 1649 - Pages: 7
...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 and to find...
Words: 2649 - Pages: 11
...In Kate Chopin’s, The Awakening, Edna Pontellier is used to highlight the oppressive, sexist roles imposed on women in 19th century Louisiana. Wife and mother of two, she is expected to be a perfect “mother-woman” like the creole women her family is surrounded by in Grand Isle. She is not prepared to sacrifice every fiber of her being for her husband, children, and home. Edna continually sacrifices her desires in order to keep the perfect Victorian household, so common in french creole communities. As time goes on, Edna no longer can conform to society’s norms, preferring to committing suicide rather than endure the burden of her time. At the beginning of the novel, we see that Edna has given up on her teenage desires, settled down with Mr. Pontellier, and had two children, reluctantly accepting her role in society. Edna gave into the...
Words: 535 - Pages: 3
...Edna Pontellier from the story “The Awakening” by Kate Chopin, openly showed her rebellious behavior against the custom and tradition of being a creole’s wife. She is a protagonist who acknowledged her sexual desires and had the courage to act on them. Edna discovered her own identity that’s independent of her husband and children by breaking through the role appointed to her by the society. At the beginning of the story, Edna exists in a semi-conscious state. She was unaware of her feelings and ambitions and she was comfortable being married to Léonce Pontellier. She has always been a romantic. At a very young age, she was enamored with a cavalry officer, was in love with a man visiting her plantation in her teens, and developed an infatuation...
Words: 500 - Pages: 2
...Enc 1102 March 18, 2009 Sec-48 Underneath it All Yakini Kemp and Kate Chopin use similar motifs to depict their characters. Covering of the body and art are pieces used to reflect the characters of each piece. Both women deceive their husbands in a fashion by using a “cover up”. Covering in both stories ranges from a piece of cloth to the crown of hair on ones head. In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, the protagonist, Edna Pontellier goes through stages of shedding her body covering. In the beginning of the novel Edna is fully clothed. As the novel progresses she slowly alters her attire. In one instance Mrs. Pontellier went from wearing glamorous “reception gowns” on Tuesdays, her “reception day”, to wearing an “ordinary house dress”. This showed the beginning of her distancing herself from society. On another occasion the actor noticed that she had “transformed” and reminded him of a “sleek animal waking up”. At the end of the novel the shedding of her clothing shows Edna shedding the societal views in her life and her attachment to the world. “She stood naked in the open air for the first time”. To Edna the release of her clothing was an awakening, she felt like a “new born”. When Edna commits suicide she is finally naked, she has shed everything she has in her quest for selfhood. Women in Edna’s community was very cautious of their complexion “twined gauze veil about her head, dogskin gloves, with gauntlets that protected the wrists and a dressed in pure white...
Words: 891 - Pages: 4
...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. Both of Edna’s role models are set into certain “types” yet find a way to stray from them, and make them unique to their situation. Change doesn’t have to be...
Words: 2145 - Pages: 9
...Chopin entered Creole society, formed a family, and later indulged herself with torrid affairs prior to writing The Awakening. Present within that society, various art forms allowed for self-expression and exploration. Edna Pontellier creates art as a means of distraction from society’s suppressive expectations, but struggles to do so, thereby indicating a woman’s limited autonomy within the Nineteenth Century. Sculptures and drawings and paintings gain renown through...
Words: 771 - Pages: 4
...novel The Awakening by Kate Chopin has been repressed to a lower value throughout her lifetime by many male figures. In the novel the author diligently expresses the act of a woman who craves an end on the path in which she meets men who only seem to belittle her; or until they need for their own needs. Edna’s father the Colonel is the man who we can say built the first stones into the path in which she walked. The Colonel raised Edna with very little nurture, they had a bond of indifference that was only tied together through some common taste. As she grew older into raising her own family their communication began to disintegrate. It was not until Edna’s sister Janet, who was to be married, had brought the father into Edna’s home town to buy a gift. “His coming was in the nature of a welcome disturbance, it seemed to furnish a new direction for her emotions." (pg. 67). Being brought to the town for these few errands the Colonel tried to spend a few days with his daughter to try to catch up. However, when she expressed to him her interest in art he still showed little to no recognition to Edna’s talent. To him she was practicing this hobby that took her away from her role as a mother to her children “he had bequeathed to all of his daughters the germs of a masterful capability, which only depended upon their own efforts to be directed toward successful achievement… he resented the intrusion of the children” (pg. 68). He felt she was not doing her entitled role correctly...
Words: 1579 - Pages: 7
...Khiree Cross Ap Summer Reading Assignment The Awakening By: Kate Chopin July 18, 2013 Part One The setting of The Awakening so far is in the Grand Isle, a popular place for a summer vacation where wealthy people go. The Grand Isle is a spot where all the wealthy Creoles, from New Orleans, go for the summer to relax, and have fun. The time setting seems to be in the early 1900s because of the things they do and the lack of technology. The husband of Edna, Leonce, go away on a trip and on this trip he sends her chocolates which no one in the present time eats anymore. The tone of The Awakening at the start is a relaxed and peaceful one. As the story progresses is becomes a more serious and emotional one. It is serious because Leonce feels as if his wife is carless for her family. She doesn't show too much love nor is affection towards them and that becoming a problem. It is also emotional because Edna is clueless to what he is talking about and feels bad after he tells her off before he leaves for his trip. She is lost and wants to find her own independence, or find herself. Part Two The three characters that I will characterize from this book are Edna, Madamoiselle, and Robert. Edna is a caring and loving wife and mother. She is married to a rich businessman Leonce who is the provider for their family. In the story so far Edna seems as if she is lost or missing something. She seems tired of the lifestyle she is living and is nonchalant about everything. She likes the...
Words: 2434 - Pages: 10
