Harriet Tubm A True Tragedy

As stated by Harriet Tubman, “I had reasoned this out in my mind, there was one of two things I had a right to, liberty or death; if I could not have one, I would have the other.” Contrary to Harriet Tubman’s statement, characters find liberty in death depending on their circumstances. However, a character’s death does not always signify tragedy. A true tragedy, as defined by Aristotle, is “the imitation of an action that is serious and also has magnitude...Tragedy is the form of drama exciting the emotions of pity and fear. Its action should be single and complete, presenting a reversal of fortune, and involving persons renowned and of superior attainments...the writer presents incidents arousing pity and fear, wherewith to interpret its

The concept of the “bad end” varies. As previously stated, death does not always signify a bad end. For instance, during the time of slavery, many slaves killed themselves because they rather die than remain in servitude. In this case, death served as liberation. This applies in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening. Edna Pontellier, Chopin’s main character, takes her own life as she realizes the only way she can escape society and responsibility is to die; she frees herself. Furthermore, the idea of the tragic flaw differs in The Awakening. Some (the feminists) believe Edna’s awakening is not a flaw. Others, however, view Edna’s awakening as a devolution into insanity. Thus, the question as to whether The Awakening falls under the category of an Aristotelian tragedy remains something of a debate. Kate Chopin’s The Awakening is not an Aristotelian tragedy as Edna Pontellier’s death does not result from a flaw in her character, it does not invoke pity and fear, and it is not

The Aristotelian tragedy mandates that the tragic hero experiences a downfall due to his or her tragic flaw, and he or she recognizes that flaw. However, in Edna’s case, the only potential flaw that exists resides in Edna’s situation. Edna, despite her attempts to avoid motherhood and become an independent figure, is a mother. She understands that her children hold her back from living the life she desires to live and that she cannot simply abandon them and run away with the love of her life, Robert. Edna reacts to this realization by killing herself and thus relieving her of her motherly duties. Thus, Edna’s death results from her motherhood, an aspect that she cannot control and she arguably had no say in in the first place; in Edna’s time, society expected women to have children and did not leave room for deviation from the set path of motherhood. Prior to her awakening, Edna followed the path proscribed before her; she did not yet have the capacity to decide not to have children. Therefore, Edna’s preset situation, her path in life, rather than hubris contributes to her ultimate demise. Moreover, the awakening in and of itself is not a character flaw. The awakening provides Edna with clarity, independence, and the desire to make her own decisions. However, from an objective viewpoint, this awakening does not appear as a beneficial occurrence. To many of