Demoralization In The Awakening

To demoralize someone is to dishearten or discourage them and cause them to lose hope. Demoralization is a relatively new term so Chopin uses words like “depressed” (56), “hopeless” (56) and “despondency” (p115) to describe Edna. Coupled with Edna taking her life at the end of the novel, the natural conclusion is that, The Awakening is a work of “great personal demoralization” (Companion 5). Additionally, The Awakening was universally despised when it first came out and Chopin, who never wrote another novel, was likely demoralized. However, The Awakening does not portray Edna as a demoralized character for most of the novel, which is why her death is a shock to the reader. To say that it is a work of “great personal demoralization” (Companion

The church and patriarchy reined over women who were considered inferior to men, with no sexual desire, and the property of their husband. Some women thrive in this culture as Chopin demonstrates through Mrs. Ratignolle. However, for many women, like Edna this world was suffocating. The natural reaction to this oppression is feminism, but Chopin does not preach feminism in her novel. Instead, she paints a realistic portrait of society and marriage through Edna’s viewpoint, allowing the audience to identify the problems. Unfortunately, Chopin’s honesty was not appreciated in 1899 as the novel “aroused a storm of controversy for its then unprecedented treatment of female independence and sexuality, and for its unromantic portrayal of marriage” (Head Note). It was not just Edna’s awakening that was at issue, but how Chopin depicted Edna’s use of her newly discovered

The first action Edna takes is standing up to her husband by saying, “Don’t speak to me like that again; I shall not answer you” (p 31). Mr. Pontellier does not react harshly to this; rather, he acquiesces, which gives Edna confidence to continue discovering her sovereignty. The next morning she sends for Robert to join her on a day trip, which is something she has not done before. For a married woman to send for a single man and leave for the day was audacious and Edna knows this, but she is determined to explore her desire for Robert. Edna continues to defy female convention as he then stops taking callers on Tuesdays, which is a customary practice where women have social interaction, but do not leave the home. She gets some opposition from her husband, but she does not care. Instead she ceases the practice completely and leaves the house to visit her friends and interacts with the world on her terms. She also continues to explore her sexual desires and passions. With her husband and the person she loves away, Edna finds another man, Alcee Arobin, and has an affair. Chopin writes, “It was the first kiss of her life to which her nature had really responded” (p 83). Edna is not only acting upon her desires, but feels free enough to enjoy sex, even if it is not with the person she loves. Non-conforming women were not typically young sexual beings; they were older, unattractive