Stereotypical Sex In The Awakening By Kate Chopin

Stereotypical Sex (Gender) In a world that has seen men as governmental leaders and women as sex symbols, all humans can easily perceive that stereotypical behavior is one of the world’s greatest prejudices. In the story The Awakening, written by Kate Chopin, a few of the characters destroy the realm of the “stereotypical world”. Characters such as Léonce, Madame Reisz, and Robert break the mold and give the reader something to think about as chapters pass by. Mrs. Chopin’s knack for switching characters’ stereotypical behaviors becomes indisputably clear throughout The Awakening, as the reader finds it is not only the main character who is different, but the characters around her as well. It should be known that difference is not good nor

Robert Lebrun is a casual character with ideas that are contrary to those of other young men. Every person has heard of the teenager or young man who has had an affair with someone, however, Robert never has the intention (initially) of persuading Edna away from her man. Robert is a respectable young man who attends to one woman every summer. The story states, “Since the age of fifteen, which was eleven years before, Robert each summer at Green Isle had constituted himself the devoted attendant of some fair dame or damsel” (10). This quote is extremely significant. He looks after ladies summer after summer, tending to their every need. According to the Creoles, there is nothing wrong with it, yet on page nineteen, Madame Ratignolle asks Robert to do something uncharacteristically different. “‘Do me a favor Robert’… ‘I only ask for once, leave Mrs. Pontellier alone.’” Robert says he does not see a problem with tending to Edna, he does not think that she will take him seriously. In a way, this quote also provides the reader with a bit of foreshadowing. He does not leave her alone in the beginning, and they are together in the end, until Edna finds “true freedom” in death. Robert’s maturity is another notable characteristic. When he realizes Edna is falling in love, he leaves. He does not want to be an interruption in a married relationship. Yes, he admits he loves her through the actions he does. He also

She is a wonderful example because she is so different than expected. She is a friend of Edna’s, for the story states, “But Mademoiselle Reisz waited. She was very amiable during the walk back, and raved much over Edna’s appearance in her bathing suit” (50). This is a common compliment for women to say to other women, but she goes about life much different than the other ladies. She is far more straight-forward and really does not care what people make her up to be. She has some spice in her attitude that makes her less of a “lady” and more of a “woman”. An excerpt on page fifty states, “‘Why should I go down to bathe at the very end of the season when I haven’t been in the surf all summer,” replied the woman, disagreeably” (48). This quote shows that she has some spunk, and she really does not have that degree of politeness as the other women of that time period. Her character could be extremely enjoyable or exceptionally surprising to the reader because a character of her set is not always found in all works of literature. The reader could find enjoyment in that as well. Her nature of being so blunt almost makes her a foil to Edna. In comparison, the two characters have a little, at best, in common. Edna, in the beginning, is quite homely, obedient, and restrained. Mademoiselle Reisz, frankly, does not care that she is a lady. If she does not want to do something a male asks her to do, she will not do it. She also carries a hint of