Symbols in The Awakening by Late Chopin

The Awakening by Kate Chopin is a powerful story of a woman named Edna Pontellier who does not harmonize well with the Creole environment around her. The story explores Edna’s desire to stay true to herself; even if it means disregarding societal rules and causing friction between friends and family. Kate Chopin uses a variety of symbols to help the reader get a deeper understanding of the story. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary the definition of the term symbol is “an action, object, event, etc., that expresses or represents a particular idea or quality”. Symbol is derived from the Greek word meaning “to throw together”; it creates an equation between a specific object, scene, character or action and an idea. Throughout the novel there are an extensive amount of symbols but three of the most meaningful symbols used are art, birds, and the ocean.
Throughout the story art can be seen representing both freedom and failure. It symbolizes freedom because it was through art that Edna reached her highest point of awakening. When Edna paints she feels free, it is a way of self-expression. In a heated argument with her husband Leonce, Edna stops and says, “I feel like painting” (61). Her husband gets angry with the statement saying that all Edna does is paint and that she never takes care of her family. In this scene of the story the author shows how important art is to Edna, and that she even puts painting before her own children. Art is a stress reliever and helps Edna escape into her own little world even if it is only for a couple of minutes. Art represents failure because Edna does not achieve everything that she was looking for. Most artists are free and independant such as Mademoiselle Reisz, a pianist and good friend ...

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... must kill herself she goes back to the place where she was first awakened. The ocean represents freedom and escape because it is truly the only place that Edna can be where she is comfortable with life. Her decision to die in the ocean only shows how liberated she felt in her own introverted world.
Art, birds, and the ocean are only a few of many symbols that can be found in The Awakening. Art represents freedom and failure, birds symbolize Edna herself, and the ocean represents escape, freedom, and confidence. Kate Chopin uses these symbols to help the reader get a better understanding of the story and figure out the more intricate meanings of her words.

Works Cited

Chopin, Kate, and Barbara H. Solomon. The awakening and selected stories of Kate Chopin. New York: New American Library, 1976.
"symbol." Merriam-Webster.com. Merriam-Webster, 2011. Web. 8 May 2011.