Analysis Of The Awakening - 1032 Words

In Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, she writes about a woman’s desire to find and live fully within her true self during the 1890s in Louisiana. The woman, Edna Pontellier, is trying to find herself in the masculine society of Louisiana, leading her to cause friction with friends, family and the Creole society. Edna begins to feel a change; she begins to feel like a whole person with wants, interests and desires. She learns that she is not comfortable with being a wife and mother. The imagery of the parrot in the cage in Chopin’s novel is being compared to Edna because it represents Edna’s unspoken feelings and imprisonment. The sense of unspoken feelings and imprisonment of Edna causes her to put her own needs before her family. As Edna finds herself trying to satisfy the Creole society, she begins to feel isolated and confused. Through Edna’s trace of freedom, she begins to undergo a transformation of self, slowly straying away from society, and tak ing control over her own actions and beliefs. Through obstacles to Edna’s freedom, she learns that she does have control of her own body. The symbolism of the birds and the sea is used to symbolize Edna’s struggle for independence. Chopin’s character Edna Pontellier in The Awakening represents a caged bird that is not able act on how she feels. The caged birds serves as a reminder to Edna that she is caged in a role as a wife and mother, and she is not to think of herself. In general, the caged birds symbolize the role ofShow MoreRelatedAnalysis Of The Awakening 949 Words   |  4 Pagesand discriminating stereotypes are often praised for this fearless selflessness. These women give other women hope for a future where they will be considered equal to men. They rise against all oppression that is wrong and unjust. In the novel The Awakening Edna Pontellier is seen as a feminist, her rebellion to everything she believed was oppression marked an impression on the readers. Yet is it correct to refer to Edna as a feminist? Does she rebel against oppression for the good of the oppressedRead MoreThe Awakening Analysis886 Words   |  4 Pagesvalue of one’s life. In The Awakening, Kate Chopin implicitly conveys the sacrifice Edna Pontellier makes in the life which provides insight of her character and attributions to her â€Å"awakening.† She sacrificed her past of a lively and youthful life and compressed it to a domestic and reserved lifestyle of housewife picturesque. However, she meets multiple acquaintances who help her express her dreams and true identity. Mrs. Pontellier’s sacrifice established her awakening to be defiant and drift awayRead MoreThe Awakening Analysis997 Words   |  4 PagesChopin The Awakening, the main character Edna is conflicted with her urges and what society expects of her. The novel was written to challenge the stereotypical rules that controlled the roles of men and women. The Awakening was published in 1899, and was set in the Creole part of Louisiana, and during this time women were still considered to be the property of their husbands. The woman had no say so in any conversation they could only go with what thier husbands wanted. The Awakening is story thatRead MoreAnalysis Of The Awakening 949 Words   |  4 Pagesand discriminating stereotypes are often praised for this fearless selflessness. These women give other women hope for a future where they will be considered equal to men. They rise against all oppression that is wrong and unjust. In the novel The Awakening Edna Pontellier is seen as a feminist, her rebellion to everything she believed was oppression marked an impression on the readers. Yet is it correct to refer to Edna as a feminist? Does she rebel against oppression for the good of the oppressedRead MoreFeminist Analysis Of The Awakening 1438 Words   |  6 PagesComposition 10 March 2016 Feminist Analysis of The Awakening In The Awakening, Kate Chopin creates a protagonist that clearly demonstrates a feminist. The protagonist, Edna Pontellier seeks more from life than what she is living and starts to refuse the standards of the society she lives in. Edna has many moments of awakening resulting in creating a new person for herself. She starts to see the life of freedom and individuality she wants to live. The Awakening encourages feminism as a way for womenRead MoreThe Awakening Critical Analysis1596 Words   |  7 Pages The Awakening by Kate Chopin Critical Analysis The novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, was written during the late 19th century, when the feminist movement was in its infancy. During that era, the novel was yet to be discovered and the few considered it as a disgrace. Many thought that it portrayed a negative example of how a women should think and behave. Women during that era expected the book to be more â€Å"sophisticated† and â€Å"ladylike,† but Chopin had a different view of how women shouldRead MoreThe Awakening Historicism Analysis968 Words   |  4 PagesA New Historicism Analysis of The Awakening Kate Chopin’s The Awakening is a story written in the late 19th century about a woman named Edna becoming independent and finding herself in a time when women had little to no rights and people saw them as the property of their husband. This is a new historicism literary criticism, analyzing how what was going on in the time period influenced this novel. Racism, sexism, and feminism were all going on at this time and therefore influenced it greatly. DuringRead MoreWolffs Analysis of Chopins The Awakening647 Words   |  3 PagesWolff’s Analysis of Chopin’s The Awakening In her essay Un-Utterable Longing: The Discourse of Feminine Sexuality in Kate Chopins The Awakening, Cynthia Griffin Wolff creates what Ross Murfin describes as a critical whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. (376) By employing a variety of critical approaches (including feminist, gender, cultural, new historicism, psychoanalytic and deconstruction) Wolff offers the reader a more complete (albeit complex) explanation of Edna PontelliersRead More Critical Analysis of The Awakening Essay970 Words   |  4 PagesCritical Analysis of The Awakening The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, is the story of a woman who is seeking freedom. Edna Pontellier feels confined in her role as mother and wife and finds freedom in her romantic interest, Robert Lebrun. Although she views Robert as her liberator, he is the ultimate cause of her demise. Edna sees Robert as an image of freedom, which brings her to rebel against her role in society. This pursuit of freedom, however, causes her death. Chopin uses manyRead MoreThe Awakening Feminist Analysis1270 Words   |  6 PagesThe influence of culture within society may lead to detrimental outcomes. Oppression is not the intention of society, though through harsh political and social standards one will feel compelled to make brash decisions. Kate Chopin, author of The Awakening, provides feminist criticism of traditional motherhood, marriage, and conformity. Edna Pontellier, the female protagonist within the novel, grows to desire independence and control over her life. Throughout the st ory, Edna epitomizes a feminist attitude