Feminism In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

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Kate Chopin was born in St. Louis, Missouri. When she was five her father was killed in a train accident, and was sent home from the Catholic boarding school she was in to be with her mother. After two years of being in their care, she returned to school and excelled in French and English. Growing up, Kate Chopin was surrounded by intelligent, independent women, but she lacked male role models. She rarely witnessed the tradition of female submission and male domination in marriages. The themes of female freedom and sexual awareness dominate Chopin's writings, which can be explained by the atmosphere she grew up in. In 1870 she married a man named, Oscar Chopin. They had six children together in the first ten years of their marriage. Kate Chopin was a good wife and mother, but she would grow tired of the domestic life. Chopin's husband loved her very much and supported her independence, which is strange because most men weren't like that. In 1882, Oscar Chopin died, leaving Kate devastated. However, she quickly learned to enjoy the pleasures of being an independent woman. Because of this, people thought she had an affair with a married man in the year after her husband's death. In 1889, Kate Chopin began writing fiction, an activity that allowed her to express her views on women, sex, and marriage while …show more content…

Edna is a notable woman who not only notices her sexual desire, but also has the courage to act on them. Breaking through the role that was given to her by society, she discovers her own identity. Mademoiselle Reisz is an unpopular older woman who serves as an inspiration to Edna throughout her awakening. Adèle is a devoted wife and mother. Although Robert remains away in Mexico for the majority of Edna's awakening, he plays an invaluable role. His flirtations inspire Edna to forget her morals and to begin revealing herself to

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