Edna Pontellier, the protagonist in the novel The Awakening by Kate Chopin, is followed by the audience through her voyage of self-realization. As Edna’s journey unfolds, Chopin incorporates a vast variety of symbols in order to express Edna’s relationship with society. One of the most present symbols that Chopin uses is the way she addresses Edna’s clothing or its absence. As Edna’s character develops and her desire to liberate herself swells, she removes clothing that she feels are not only constricting to her body physically but to her soul emotionally. While Edna removes her clothing throughout the novel, she is contravening the social norms and rules that the society she lives in has presented to her. This is one of many ways that Edna …show more content…
At this point in the novel, the audience begins to see how Edna really feels about her life and we can observe how Chopin uses her clothing to do so. Chopin uses very detailed language in order to paint a picture in the reader’s head of the type of clothing both Edna and Adele are wearing as they enjoy the time they spend outdoors. While the audience reads these descriptions, they begin to understand the difference between the dresses of Edna and Adele. Although just by reading the description of Edna’s dress, it does not seem so taboo, Chopin’s diction in Adele’s description truly shows just how different Edna is dressing. Chopin refers to Adele as “more careful of her complexion” and uses extremely descriptive adjectives in order to portray her “luxuriant” beauty. Chopin states that Edna is not wearing a solid colored dress, rather a white dress with “a waving vertical line of brown running through it.” Edna’s hat is also described as “heavy” and is said to have clung “close to her head.” However, when describing Madame Ratignolle, Chopin states that she is dressed in pure white and was wearing more clothing, such as gloves and a veil, to protect her skin and assure that no one can see it. While Edna and Adele sit on the beach, Edna dresses differently from the other women in order to reject the Victorian social rules and make herself feel more liberated. During the time that we follow Edna on her journey of self-discovery, we watch her challenge the society that she lives in through her clothing by rejecting the norm and wearing what she
Leonce Pontellier, the husband of Edna Pontellier in Kate Chopin's The Awakening, becomes very perturbed when his wife, in the period of a few months, suddenly drops all of her responsibilities. After she admits that she has "let things go," he angrily asks, "on account of what?" Edna is unable to provide a definite answer, and says, "Oh! I don't know. Let me along; you bother me" (108). The uncertainty she expresses springs out of the ambiguous nature of the transformation she has undergone. It is easy to read Edna's transformation in strictly negative terms‹as a move away from the repressive expectations of her husband and society‹or in strictly positive terms‹as a move toward the love and sensuality she finds at the summer beach resort of Grand Isle. While both of these moves exist in Edna's story, to focus on one aspect closes the reader off to the ambiguity that seems at the very center of Edna's awakening. Edna cannot define the nature of her awakening to her husband because it is not a single edged discovery; she comes to understand both what is not in her current situation and what is another situation. Furthermore, the sensuality that she has been awakened to is itself not merely the male or female sexuality she has been accustomed to before, but rather the sensuality that comes in the fusion of male and female. The most prominent symbol of the book‹the ocean that she finally gives herself up to‹embodies not one aspect of her awakening, but rather the multitude of contradictory meanings that she discovers. Only once the ambiguity of this central symbol is understood can we read the ending of the novel as a culmination and extension of the themes in the novel, and the novel regains a...
Kate Chopin's novella The Awakening tells the story of Edna Pontellier, a woman who throughout the novella tries to find herself. Edna begins the story in the role of the typical mother-woman distinctive of Creole society but as the novelette furthers so does the distance she puts between herself and society. Edna's search for independence and a way to stray from society's rules and ways of life is depicted through symbolism with birds, clothing, and Edna's process of learning to swim.
Throughout Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, Edna Pontellier, the main protagonist, experiences multiple awakenings—the process in which Edna becomes aware of her life and the constraints place on it—through her struggles with interior emotional issues regarding her true identity: the confines of marriage vs. her yearning for intense passion and true love. As Edna begins to experience these awakenings she becomes enlightened of who she truly and of what she wants. As a result, Edna breaks away from what society deems acceptable and becomes awakened to the flaws of the many rules and expected behavior that are considered norms of the time. One could argue that Kate Chopin’s purpose in writing about Edna’s inner struggles and enlightenment was to
In chapter VI, Edna begins to respond to this voice inside of her, “The voice of the sea is seductive, never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander in abysses of solitude ... to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation” (14). The very sight and sound of the sea entices her. The author depicts the sea as an invigorating object that gives Edna life. The sea embodies Edna and gives her the confidence to express her feelings. Even the sight of the sea, empowers Edna. This is the first time where Chopin displays Edna’s amelioration towards society. In previous chapters Edna hesitates from communicating her opinions, “When it came her turn to read it, she did so with profound astonishment...It was openly criticised... Mrs. Pontellier gave over being astonished, and concluded that wonders would never cease.” (11). Women were expected to conform to societal norms and remain subservient but Edna ceased to live her life this way. Chapter VI opens her eyes to the issues of society that prevented women from freely living, "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 and within around her.”(14). Through listening, smelling and hearing the sea, Edna grasps her craving for a life where she is considered a human being rather than
Chopin’s novel is filled with different themes. Her themes are what really gets her message to her readers. one of her themes is identity because becoming the person that you want to be is what The Awakening is all about. Knowing who you are is a big component in becoming free. That is why Chopin created an identity theme in her novel. Edna is constantly trying to find out who is wants to be. Edna knows that she is not the perfect mother and wife like Madame Ratignolle, and she also knows that she would never want to live alone like Mademoiselle Reisz. Who is the true Edna P? That is what Edna is find out, and that is the question most women should ask themselves. Who is the true me? Chopin has another theme that pushes her message even more.
Since its creation, the utopian and dystopian theory has made many political conversations take place worldwide. These conversations revolve around the idea of a perfect society versus that of an unpleasant society. In captivating a large portion of people, the theory is a huge topic with authors who also want to voice their opinion on the matter. One of these authors being the writer of The Awakening, Kate Chopin. Through her writing, Chopin expresses her view by taking on the aspect of the female social class, and of how different it is treated within the two theorized sociological settings.
Throughout the novel, as Edna sheds herself of the clothing and possessions that surround her, she becomes more liberated, free, her own woman. The clothing represents the society that confines her and the independence that stripping the clothing gives her enlightens her soul. Kate Chopin uses clothing as a way of conveying the social injustice imposed upon women in the Victorian age in which they were trapped.
Kate Chopin's novella, The Awakening. In Kate Chopin's novella, The Awakening, the reader is introduced into. a society that is strictly male-dominated where women fill in the stereotypical role of watching the children, cooking, cleaning and keeping up with appearances. Writers often highlight the values of a certain society by introducing a character who is alienated from their culture by a trait such as gender, race, or creed.
Kate Chopin's The Awakening is a literary work full of symbolism. Birds, clothes, houses and other narrative elements are powerful symbols which add meaning to the novel and to the characters. I will analyze the most relevant symbols presented in Chopin's literary work.
In the novel, Chopin portrays Edna’s character development by stating, “She was seeing with different eyes and making the acquaintance of new conditions in herself” (Chopin 67) . This characterization of Edna allows the reader to understand that Edna is not happy with her life because of the feminine role that she must maintain. As a character, Edna is very daring and courageous to attempt to break the roles that women held in the 18th century. In an analysis of, “The Awakening”, Novels for Students stated, “The roles that Edna and Robert play in the story point out the unfairness of sexism and the repression of individual freedom that it causes” (Novels for Students). The use of characterization allows the theme of sexism to be illustrated through the roles that characters Edna and Robert play. Novels for Students further elicits their point by adding, “While no one thinks anything of Robert's attention to Edna, people would be appalled at knowing how Edna feels about him. Adèle, for example, is shocked and tries to warn Edna to be careful of her reputation” (Novels for Students). The preconceived notion that women must be faithful to their husbands, watch the kids, and fit the ideal picture of a housewife are all characteristics that Edna has difficulty conforming to. Author, Kate Chopin, captures
Her individualistic lifestyle convinces Edna to pursue a life just like Mademoiselle Reisz’s. Mademoiselle Reisz is described as a woman “with a small weazened face and body and eyes that [glow]. She had absolutely no taste in dress, and wore a batch of rusty black lace with a bunch of artificial violets…” (Chopin 28). Unlike Adele, Mademoiselle Reisz has no interest in beauty and looking perfect. She does not see the purpose in impressing others and instead chooses to just live her own private life. After playing a piano piece for Edna, Mademoiselle Reisz asks Edna what she thought of it, Edna “was unable to answer. Mademoiselle Reisz perceived her agitation and even her tears. She patted her again on the shoulder as she said: You are the only one worth playing for” (Chopin 31). The music speaks to Edna as she becomes emotionally attached to the music not able to control her tears. Reisz is the only one that understands the way Edna is feeling and shows sympathy to Edna through her musical talent. Edna goes to visit Mademoiselle Reisz later on to Edna’s love, Robert, and her interest in becoming an artist. Mademoiselle Reisz tells Edna that “the artist must possess the courageous soul. The soul that dares and defies” (Chopin 74). The teachings that Reisz has been teaching Edna, inspire
The fact that Edna is an artist is significant, insofar as it allows her to have a sensibility as developed as the author's. Furthermore, Edna is able to find in Mlle. Reisz, who has established herself as a musician, a role model who inspires her in her efforts at independence. Mlle. Reisz, in confiding to Edna that "You are the only one worth playing for," gives evidence of the common bond which the two of them feel as women whose sensibilities are significantly different from those of the common herd. The French heritage which Edna absorbed through her Creole upbringing allowed her, like Kate Chopin herself, to have knowledge or a way of life that represented a challenge to dominant Victorian conventions.
Kate Chopin uses characterization to help you understand the character of Edna on how she empowers and improves the quality of life. Edna becomes an independent women as a whole and enjoys her new found freedom. For example, Chopin uses the following quote to show you how she begins enjoying her new found freedom.”The race horse was a friend and intimate association of her
The two passages at the beginning and ending of The Awakening illustrate symbolically Edna’s degeneration from strong-willed, vivacious, and highly individual to tired and resigned.
Ranging from caged parrots to the meadow in Kentucky, symbols and settings in The Awakening are prominent and provide a deeper meaning than the text does alone. Throughout The Awakening by Kate Chopin, symbols and setting recur representing Edna’s current progress in her awakening. The reader can interpret these and see a timeline of Edna’s changes and turmoil as she undergoes her changes and awakening.