Critical Essay on The Awakening by Kate Chopin

Paper Type:  Literature review
Pages:  6
Wordcount:  1479 Words
Date:  2022-09-28
Categories: 

Introduction

In Kate Chopin's novel, we see the patriarchal society that takes away a woman's freedom to think, to act, and to feel the way that she should so, please. It is clear that from a young age, a girl is taught how she should display her outer self, despite what her inner self may wish for (Pompili 2). In "The Awakening," we see a woman who has confrontations with society, imprisonment from her marriage, and a new exploration of her sexuality. Through the characters in the novel, Kate Chopin refutes the traditions and cultures that portray a woman as second to a ma.

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As the story opens, we take a look at Edna's life and see that there is not much to see. We see a woman who is dreaming of a world in which she could have her own identity, a world in which self-expression is not rejected, a world in which dual roles is not disapproved. Kate Chopin's controversial novel defines the lines of society that force unwanted roles and expectations on the lives of Victorian women.

Through the foiling of two prominent women in the text, Chopin's character Edna Pontellier exemplifies the necessity of compromise to live a life of contentment. Madame Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz serve as alternate routes of which Edna is expected to take to mold her future (Modzelewski, 24). This unattainable expectation of unacceptable choices forces Edna to create her path; a path that is destructive, yet free. In the Victorian period, women had one basic expectation. They were to be a natural nurturer who serves her husband and tends to the laundry and children; a wife and mother, nothing more, nothing less.

Confrontation in the Society

One of the things that trouble her is the essence of childbearing and her position in society. When she witnesses Adele give birth, she analyses how the woman's body is designed for bearing children. She has committed herself to that course because she already has two siblings. She gets upset because the woman is the one who goes through all that painful process. Even when she tries to play as a man, she cannot change her gender (Valkeakar 198). The society took pride when a woman gave birth, but Edna sees it at unfair. Giving birth is just adding life in this world, a role which disgusted her.

Edna realizes that her society is patriarchal and is quick oat condemning a woman who neglects her children. The society wanted a woman to always take care of them because nature intended so. She knew she lacked those traits of a mother-woman. A mother-woman was one who idolized, their children and adored their husband (Biggs 156). When her children visit their grandmother, she is felt relieved because she was not a mother-woman.

In Edna's patriarchal society, the role of a woman was to fully devote to her husband. However, she never fitted into that definition of a woman. For instance, the women in Grand Isle asserted that Mr. Pontellier was the best husband (Pegues 9). As a result, Mrs. Pontellier was forced to declare the same thing. However, when she says that she was forced to declare that, It shows that what she said was contrary what her heart wanted. She disliked the union.

She leaves Leonce's mansion and goes to live on her own and as a result, distances herself from the mother-woman image. Women are her society was not allowed to divorce their husbands and leave on their own. They were supposed to praise them. She craved for the freedom and having her own identity (Modzelewski 10). When she moves out, she starts to paint for a living. Most women could do not work because they fully depended on their husbands.

There are two characters in Edna life that Edna associates with yet she cannot fully associate fully with either of them. Adele Ratignolle is an ideal mother-woman. She is married, pregnant, and adores her husband but Edna sees that she lacks something. She does not see her role beyond being a mother and a wife. On the other hand, Mademoiselle Reisz has a free life and has no family attachment. She does as she pleases. However, Edna does not buy into that character because Reisz's life lacks love, friendship, and love. All this confrontations makes her unable to identify herself.

Imprisonment in Marriage

On matters of marriage, Edna does not have the freedom to choose her liking, and that's what a mother-woman was supposed to stay. When Mr. Pontellier marries her, he treats her as if she is a child. She wants to be treated equally, and therefore the marriage becomes her imprisonment. He also traveled a lot for work, leaving her alone. In a bid to escape from the realities of the life she plays music a lot and is obsessed with water (Weber 39). Her journey to freedom starts when she falls in love with Robert. For the first time, she confesses her love to him. She falls in love because she thought that he would take with her to a place far from her society because it had different views from her.

Exploration of Sexuality

The process of sexual awakening starts when she meets Robert. Their relationship is innocent, but when they start to spend more time together, Edna starts to develop affection for him. However, they never discuss their feelings for one another. She learns to swim and becomes aware of her sexuality. Upon seeing the sexual tensions, Robert decides to move out of the town. As a result, she starts an affair with Alcee Arobin. She maintains control over their relationship and does not get emotionally attached to him. She uses Arobin to satisfy her fierce sexual needs.

Mademoiselle Reisz adopts Edna as her protege; she visits her often after being moved by its tunes. She also loves to read letters that Reisz receives from Robert who lived abroad. The self-sufficiency of Reisz inspires her to be like her. When mademoiselle learns of the sexual attractions between Edna and Robert, she encourages to admit and then act on it (Pegues 17). A typical woman of that time could not do that.

Robert is unable to stay away from Robert and therefore returns to express her love for her (Biggs 168). However, she tells her that they cannot be together because she is the wife of another man. She tells her of her new independence and tells him of how they can leave happily together. Her sexual independence shows that she was not afraid how society would perceive them. She also never needed the permission of her husband to satisfy herself. Even though Robert loved Edna, he is unable to be in such a relationship. Edna fell in love with Robert because he helps her to identify herself. He is the reason why she decided to go and live alone and started painting. However, she now seems more liberated than Robert.

Edna leaves Robert and goes to see the childbirth of her friend, Adele. Adele tells her to think about her children because she had noticed that her relationship with Robert had taken her away from her responsibilities. Their culture dictated that the women had the responsibility of taking care of their family.

When she returns, she finds Robert is already gone because he was unable to leave the ties of the society. Men in the novel are unable to completely dissociate themselves from society because the culture tends to favor them about women.

After reading the farewell letter that Robert had left, she realizes that not even him could understand her or fully isolate themselves from the society. The solitude makes her return to Grand Isle where she had first experienced moments of sexual and emotional awareness (Valkeakar 215). She commits suicide to free herself from the bondage of the society and be reborn.

Conclusion

The Awakening by Kate Chopin is an intriguing novel that addresses the domination of men over women through culture. Edna is the main character who finds herself contradicting with the norms of the society. The women in society are contented to adore their children and praise their husbands. She wants to be free from then but also wants to be attached to her family. However, at the time, no one could fit in her description.

Works Cited

Biggs, Mary. ""Si tu savais": The Gay/Transgendered Sensibility of Kate Chopin's The Awakening." Women's Studies 33.2 (2004): 145-181.

Modzelewski, Jeff. "Kate Chopin's' The Awakening'." Laffite Society Chronicles 16.1 (2012): 9-12.

Pegues, Dagmar. "Fear and Desire: Regional Aesthetics and Colonial Desire in Kate Chopin's Portrayals of the Tragic Mulatta Stereotype." The Southern Literary Journal (2010): 1-22.

Pompili, M. R. (2013). Transatlantic Intimacies: The Homoerotic Affect Worlds of Nineteenth-Century Print Culture.

Valkeakari, Tuire. "A" Cry of the Dying Century": Kate Chopin, The Awakening, and the Women's Cause." Nordic Journal of English Studies 2.1 (2003): 193-216.

Weber, S. G. (2014). Undermining Heteronormativity in Kate Chopin's the Awakening.

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Critical Essay on The Awakening by Kate Chopin. (2022, Sep 28). Retrieved from https://midtermguru.com/essays/critical-essay-on-the-awakening-by-kate-chopin

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