Kate Chopin’s The Awakening should be seen as depicting the discontentment that comes from
self-gratification rather than the glorification of delighting in one’s fantasies. Chopin describes the
central idea of one who is seeking to please her personal needs and desires and, in the process,
neglects to notice how her actions affect others.
Rejecting the social constraints
Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, tells the story
of a late nineteenth century woman trying to break
away from the male-dominated society to find an
identity of her own. Edna Pontellier is trying to find
herself when only two personas are available to her:
the ‘true woman,’ the classic wife and mother, or the
‘new woman,’ the radical women demanding equality
with men.
Lacked patriarchal authority that dominated in the 19th Century
Physical and emotional journey
Edna’s discovery concerns her
coming to understand how society
dictates how a woman must behave
within a framework of particular
expectations- that of a wife and
mother.
Sacrifices made
In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening,
Edna Pontellier’s suicide is an
assertion of her independence and
contributes to Chopin’s message
that to be independent one must
choose between personal desires
and societal expectations.
Living in the moment-
This sense of “recklessness” foreshadows
the end of the novella. Her “daring and
reckless” behaviour, her overestimation of
strength, and the desire to “swim far out
where no woman had swum before” all
suggest the tragic conclusion that awaits
Edna.
Impact
In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, Edna Pontellier’s
suicide is an assertion of her independence and
contributes to Chopin’s message that to be
independent one must choose between personal
desires and societal expectations.
The sad irony of
Edna’s awakening is
her desires are not
compatible with the
society in which she
lives. Indeed her
awareness
ultimately leads to
social isolation.
Assessing their own society
Edna has never reflected on, or indeed questioned how
these expectations had shaped and stunned her own life.
Edna’s self awakening or discovery unfolds gradually as
she comes to the realisation that she can challenge and
eventually repudiate the restrictions she has always
accepted.
Context
To appreciate and understand both the magnitude and ramifications of Edna’s decisions to leave her
husband and children and establish herself in an independent household considerations of the contextual
aspects of the time in which the novella is set is important.
Instead of condemning her protagonist, Chopin maintains a
neutral, non-judgmental tone throughout and appears to even
condone her character's unconventional actions.
Louisiana Law, a woman was still
considered the property of her
husband
The extended use of religious terms
here signifies that the women are less
important than their chidden and
husbands. Terms such as idolise and
worship indicate that their families are
like gods to be adored. Women are to
adore their husbands as angels which
requires the total supplication/sacrifice
of themselves as individuals. The
fulfilling of this role was considered a
‘holy privledge'
Message behind the story
Instead of condemning her protagonist, Chopin maintains a
neutral, non-judgmental tone throughout and appears to even
condone her character's unconventional actions.
Characters impacting their decisions
Essentially Madame Ratignolle and
Mademoiselle Reisz are polar opposites
and symbolise the life Edna has on the
one hand (Madame Ratignolle- who
embodies the propriety of the time)
and a life she at first dreams of and
then later tries to achieve
(Mademoiselle Reisz). Both have a
profound impact on Edna but it is
Madame Ratignolle who recognises that
Edna is flouting the rules by which
society engages and tired to warn Edna
that her behaviour will have
consequences. She offers her advice and
seeks to preserve Edna’s reputation.