Free Awakening Essays: Reader Response Chopin Awakening Essays

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Reader Response to The Awakening I very much enjoyed this story, almost hard to believe that it was written in 1899! I can imagine that it was very shocking to read of a womans sexual awakening. I found the opening imagery very interesting, could this beautiful bird in the cage symbolize Edna? Very interesting that in the opening lines Chopin is having a beautiful and caged creature telling satin to go away, to get out. And in French yet, the language of love. And a mocking bird on the other side of the door with his maddening persistence. A mocking bird only repeats sounds --not words-- what does this represent? The Farival twins play a duet from Zampa in which a lover dies in the sea not only in the opening scene but later in the story as well --Chopin likes to give us a glimpse of what is to happen later in the story. I found this footnote very interesting because the last time I read the story I did not know what Zampa was about --there was no such footnote. And what is the deal with the woman in black who is constantly folllowing the young lovers around and saying the rosary? I could not help but think that perhaps she was saying prayers for Edna and Robert more than for the two she follows. Imagry of the sea is every where, and always seems to be calling out to Edna, is it the Gulf-Spirit that she joins in the end? One of the interesting things that I found was the symbolism of Edna learning to swim, it had stuck out in my mind when I initially read the piece as I felt that it was symbolic of her emerging sense of freedom, her awakening and then the fear that she has because of this. Her learning to swim was symbolic of her empowerment. Was it the fear of her own power that caused this panic that she felt, if for only a second of time (on p.68) when she feels that she swam out to far? When I had read the text I thought of the references to the moonlight as illuminating how she was beginning to feel about Robert as she watched his figure pass in and out of the strips of moonlight --this happens twice at the end of chapter ten. This is symbolic of Ednas struggle with the concept of romantic versus sexual love. Is that why his figure passes IN and OUT of the strips of moonlight? Its almost as if Chopin conveys this struggle within a single line and repeats that line for emphasis!

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  • Symbols of Oppression in the First and Final Passages of Chopin’s The Awakening

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    The presence of birds in the first passage of The Awakening seems to foreshadow some of the characteristics of the protagonist. It is rather interesting that the parrot is outdoors, while the mockingbird is inside. Perhaps this would represent the presence of opposites in this novel. The parrot seems to be provoking the mockingbird in order to get some sort of response. This seems to point to the presence of loneliness which the protagonist feels. However he is being rather anti social by stating “Allez vous-en! Alez Vous! Saprisit! That’s all right!” I may be wrong, but I believe that means “Go Away! Go Away! Damn it” in French. This altercation between the parrot and the mockingbird could point to the presence of a jealous conflict within the characters. On the surface it seems that the parrot is rather agitated that the mockingbird, a bird that is generally found outdoors, is inside while the parrot, a domesticated pet is kept outside. Ironically though both birds are actually trapped with the parrot being held in the cage and the mockingbird being trapped indoors. The cage symbolizes being trapped whether literally or figuratively. Also the presence of characters that are not understood by their surroundings might shed some light on the inner conflict of the novel. It is also useful to point out that the parrot, a bird which mimics it’s surroundings is being mimicked by a bird which also mimics, such as a mockingbird. The may point to the possible presence of a theme of mimicry in this novel.

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