Mya Galinsky Period 5 1/14/17 The definition of the word awakening is :“a recognition, realization, or coming into awareness of something.”The term self realization means “fulfillment of one’s own potential.” In the novel The Awakening by Kate Chopin, the protagonist Edna Pontellier and her family vacation at the Grand Isle, a resort on an island near New Orleans. While on this trip Mrs. Pontellier experiences an awakening of self realization emotionally, creatively, sexually and intellectually. As the summer advances, Mrs.Pontellier becomes independent as she emerges from her old ways. This novel explores the discovery of one’s personal identity. Throughout Enda’s journey, the sea is her muse and where she finds peace. The sea represents …show more content…
freedom, escape and rebirth, and ultimately Edna does not awaken without it. Edna’s “autonomy, fulfillment, and self-discovery” blossom from her awakening. According to Nanice Ellis, a professional life coach, there are five stages of awakening. I will show you how Edna follows these steps. “Stage 1 of Awakening: The Stage of the False-Self. When the Subtle awareness of something more begins to grow.” Ellis describes “Stage one is where we feel the most asleep, and we do not even feel like we are asleep. We don’t usually question reality or seek answers beyond what is necessary for survival of a lifestyle.” In this stage there is a great desire to fit in and be accepted. In the beginning of the novel, Edna is in stage one of her awakening. At the Grand Isle, Edna tries desperately to fit in, yet she will never be a Mother-Woman nor Creole. “Mrs. Pontellier though she had married a Creole, was not thoroughly at home in the society of Creoles...They all knew each other, and felt like one large family.”( pg. 14) It is apparent Mrs. Pontellier feels left out of her community and seeks to be accepted. We discover early on Mrs.Pontellier is a respectable woman who is obedient to her husband despite his blunt behaviour. After a late night out Mr.Pontellier returns to his wife. He awoke Mrs.Pontellier and continued to converse with her, but when she answered him with little interest, he was quite discouraged. In an attempt to make Mrs.Pontellier feel incompetent, he told her Raoul(her son) had a high fever when it was quite clear her son was perfectly healthy. Mr.Pontellier's selfish demeanor weighed especially heavy on Mrs. P. that night. She began to cry on the porch with a feeling of an “indescribable oppression”(pg.11), however the lullaby of the sea comforted her. Stage one is illustrated as when the “Subtle awareness of something more begins to grow.” On page 17 “Mrs.Pontellier was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being, and to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and about her.” Mrs.Pontellier’s awakening began. “Stage 2 of Awakening: The Stage of Questioning. The doubts experienced in stage one begin to turn into meaningful questions. The first signs of movement from unconscious to conscious are experienced.” In stage two we experience a great deal of emotions. We also begin to question “Who am I? Why am I here?” Stage two of Edna’s awakening begins quickly after the first stage. On a Sunday afternoon she is accompanied by Madame Ratignolle. She was quite fond of Edna, and the two of them got along. On the beach Madame Ratignolle asks Edna what she is thinking about. Edna quickly replies with “Nothing” but then retraces her thoughts to give a more descriptive answer. She replies again with a vivid memory of a summer day in Kentucky when she was a little girl. Walking through the meadow that seemed to be as big as the sea she “threw out her arms as if she was swimming when she walked.”(pg.21) She remembered feeling as if she had been walking for hours just to get away from the prayers. Madame Ratignolle is surprised by her long description and questions Mrs.Pontellier if she is still running away from the prayers. “No, oh no!” Mrs.Pontellier responded, “But do you know... sometimes I feel this summer as if I were walking through the green meadow again; idly, aimlessly, unthinking and unguided.”(pg.21) Here Edna is showing her feelings of being lost, she feels almost like a child. She is subconsciously running away and asking herself questions like “Why am I here? What am I doing?” “Poor darling” murmured Madame Ratignolle as she placed her hand over Edna’s. The second stage of awakening is described to be emotional. Towards the very end of chapter four, Mademoiselle Reisz played a piano song for Mrs.Pontellier. It sent shivers down her spine. As the musician played, Mrs.Pontellier “waited in vain. She saw no pictures of solitude, of hope,of longing, or of despair. But the very passions themselves were aroused within her soul, swaying it, lashing it, as the waves daily beat upon her splendid body. She trembled, she was choking, and the tears blinded her.”(pg.30) Enda is in a vulnerable state where her emotions are very sensitive. It has become evident to me that Kate Chopin use similes and figurative language like the one above, and pairs it with words to describe the ocean. For example how she felt as if she was swimming through the meadow, and passion was swaying and lashing her soul like the waves did to her body. “Stage Three: The Stage of Introspection. The start of conscious evolution through self-discovery.” Ellis claims “In Stage 2, we rebelled against the external world with little or no success in relieving our pain, so now we retreat as we begin to seek answers inside ourselves. Our desire to fit in and be accepted is slowly being drowned out by our desire to be free and awake. We recognize how asleep we have been. We begin to release many limiting beliefs that were programmed into us by society.” The majority of people staying at the Grand Isle are perfectly comfortable with swimming, “most of them walked into the water as though into a native element”(pg.31) however Enda, not so much. After countless lessons, and instructions, Edna still could not swim. Until one night, she feels empowered to go in the water “she was like the little tottering, stumbling, clutching child, who of a sudden realizes its powers, and walks for the first time alone, boldly and with over confidence... a feeling of exultation overtook her...” (pg.32) Edna for once has a strong sense of control over her body and soul. She blocks out other people as she experiences alone time, and freedom in the water. Edna’s first swim is the push of her awakening. It represents maturation and self discovery. Edna is no longer dependent on people to help her swim, or do anything else. She experiences a rebirth and a new trust within herself. Edna’s first swim boosts her confidence, however feelings of doubt startle her. Though Enda is becoming more independent she swims too far, she realizes only she can rely on herself to get back to safety. Later that night, Mrs.
Pontellier is getting some fresh air while she rests on the hammock. It is past 1 AM, however she is not ready to go inside. Mr. Pontellier is unhappy with Edna’s actions and orders her to come inside. Mrs.Pontellier tries to explain to her husband she is not going to follow his directions. Leonce does not agree and attempts again to get her inside. ““Leonce, go to bed” she said, I mean to stay out here. I don’t wish to go in, and I don’t intend to. Don’t speak to me like that again; I shall not answer you.””In stage three of Edna's awakening she is learning to respect herself. The sense of Edna’s higher self begins to grow …show more content…
stronger. “Stage 4 of Awakening: self expression is effortlessly experienced in everyday life. In stage four you have learned to let go and surrender. The struggle that you experienced in the first three stages is over and you experience a deep peace and knowing of who you really are.” Nanice Ellis believes “This stage is marked by living in the moment. You have made peace with the realization that there is no purpose or point to life.” In stage four of Edna’s awakening she is living in the pigeon house. She is able to be free of her husband, her children, and society. Enda is able to explore her sexuality and creativity here. “The pigeon house pleased her... She began to look with her own eyes; to see and to apprehend the deeper undercurrents of life. No longer was she content to “feed upon opinion” when her own soul had invited her.”(pg.99) Edna’s capability to express herself blossoms in this house. She is allowed to behave as she pleases in her own home. When Nanice Ellis says in stage four you have “made peace with the realization that there is no purpose or point to life” I believe Edna strongly agrees with this statement. “Stage 5 of Awakening : The Stage of Conscious Creation.” Nanice Ellis explains that “many people arrive at stage four and mistakenly believe it is the final stage of awakening, but it is actually a bridge to an even greater experience of awakening.
Although there is no pre-ordained point or purpose to life, in stage five you now understand that the point and purpose of life can be anything that you choose.” I have no doubt in believing Enda completed stage four of awakening. Yet I have trouble believing she reaches stage five. To my understanding Edna’s awakening ends at stage four where she has no purpose to her life. As Edna’s journey to self discovery gives her the ability to express herself, people around her are no longer able to understand her. When Edna feels stuck again, she goes back to the place that is her is her muse and where she finds peace. The sea. “The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace.”(pg.120) I believe when Edna ends her life in the sea, it is the beginning of her re-birth. In conclusion Edna Pontellier discovers her independence through an awakening of self realization. An emotional, creative, sexual and intellectual journey. At the beginning of the novel Edna is in a semi-conscious state, as the summer progresses she explores her freedom. From her first swim to her last swim, the sea has been a reminder of the depth of the universe and of her own place as a human within that depth. The sea is a place where Edna
can be brave and discover her own strength, and ultimately she does not awaken without it.
Kate Chopin's novella The Awakening tells the story of Edna Pontellier, a woman who throughout the novella tries to find herself. Edna begins the story in the role of the typical mother-woman distinctive of Creole society but as the novelette furthers so does the distance she puts between herself and society. Edna's search for independence and a way to stray from society's rules and ways of life is depicted through symbolism with birds, clothing, and Edna's process of learning to swim.
The thoughts and actions of Edna Pontellier are solely determined by her manic depressive state, her apparent repressed abuse from her childhood, and her abandonment of Christianity. Throughout the novel, the reader gets a clear sense of Edna Pontellier's peculiar mind and her manic depressive state. She is continually plagued by the moment. Her mood shifts from highs to lows show the reader that sadness is perpetually within her. We are told there are days when she "was happy to be alive and breathing, when her whole being seemed to be one with sunlight."
The passage of The Awakening which truly marks Edna Pontellier’s new manner of thought regarding her life revolves around her remembrance of a day of her childhood in Kentucky. She describes the scene to Madame Ratigonelle as the two women sit on the beach one summer day. The passage opens with a description of the sea and the sky on that particular day. This day and its components are expressed in lethargic terms such as “idly” and “motionless” and suggested a scene of calm sleep. Such a depiction establishes an image of serenity and tranquility, in other words the calm before the storm which derives from Edna’s “awakening.”
In Kate Chopin's novel, The Awakening, Chopin uses the motif of the ocean to signify the awakening of Edna Pontellier. Chopin compares the life of Edna to the dangers and beauty of a seductive ocean. Edna's fascinations with the unknown wonders of the sea help influence the reader to understand the similarities between Edna's life and her relationship with the ocean. Starting with fear and danger of the water then moving to a huge symbolic victory over it, Chopin uses the ocean as a powerful force in Edna's awakening to the agony and complexity of her life.
“A feeling of exultation overtook her, as if some power of significant import had been given her to control the working of her body and her soul” implies the tremendous joy that encourages her to shout, as well as underscores the significance of the experience in terms of the greater awakening, for the experience actually does provide Edna with the ability to control her own body and soul for the first time. Her “daring and reckless” behavior, 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. Whether her awakening leads her to want too much, or her desires are not fully compatible with the society in which she lives, she goes too far in her awakening. Amazed at the ease of her new power, she specifically does not join the other groups of people in the water, but rather goes off to swim alone. Indeed, her own awakening ultimately ends up being solitary, particularly in her refusals to join in social expectations. Here, the water presents her with space and solitude, with the “unlimited in which to lose herself.
Kate Chopin's The Awakening tells the story of Edna Pontellier, a young wife and mother living in the upper crust of New Orleans in the 1890s. It depicts her journey as her standing shifts from one of entrapment to one of empowerment. As the story begins, Edna is blessed with wealth and the pleasure of an affluent lifestyle. She is a woman of leisure, excepting only in social obligations. This endowment, however, is hindered greatly by her gender.
Kate Chopin's The Awakening begins set in Grande Isle which is the summer get-away for a few families of New Orleans "upper-class". It is a community of cottages owned by the Lebrun family. Edna Pontellier and her husband Leonce summer there with there two children. This is the setting where Edna also develops a close relationship with Robert Lebrun. He is one of Madame Lebrun's sons who helps her run the cottages for the Pontellier's and the Ratingnolle's. The book begins and ends with Edna and her attraction to the water. Throughout the story water plays a symbolic part in the unfolding of Edna and her relationship to Robert and also her awakening to a new outlook on life along with an independence that takes her away from her family and the socially constraining life in which she no longer can see herself a part of.
Throughout Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening, the main protagonist Edna Pontellier, ventures through a journey of self-discovery and reinvention. Mrs.Pontellier is a mother and wife who begins to crave more from life, than her assigned societal roles. She encounters two opposite versions of herself, that leads her to question who she is and who she aims to be. Mrs. Pontellier’s journey depicts the struggle of overcoming the scrutiny women face, when denying the ideals set for them to abide. Most importantly the end of the novel depicts Mrs.Pontellier as committing suicide, as a result of her ongoing internal
In The Awakening by Kate Chopin, the setting is in the late 1800s on Grand Isle in Louisiana. The main character of the story is Edna Pontellier who is not a Creole. Other important characters are Adele Ratignolle, Mr. Ratgnolle, Robert Lebrun, and Leonce Pontellier who are all Creole's. In the Creole society the men are dominant. Seldom do the Creole's accept outsiders to their social circle, and women are expected to provide well-kept homes and have many children. Edna and Adele are friends who are very different because of their the way they were brought up and they way they treat their husbands. Adele is a loyal wife who always obeys her husband's commands. Edna is a woman who strays from her husband and does not obey her husband's commands. Kate Chopin uses Adele to emphasize the differences between her and Edna.
Edna Pontellier Throughout The Awakening , a novel by Kate Chopin, the main character, Edna Pontellier showed signs of a growing depression. There are certain events that hasten this, events which eventually lead her to suicide. At the beginning of the novel when Edna's husband, Leonce Pontellier, returns from Klein's hotel, he checks in on the children and believing that one of them has a fever he tells his wife, Edna. She says that the child was fine when he went to bed, but Mr. Pontellier is certain that he isn't mistaken: "He reproached his wife with her inattention, her habitual neglect of the children." (7) Because of the reprimand, Edna goes into the next room to check on the children.
Even at the end, the reader is still left with the question of whether Edna has truly found a setting in which she can finally be herself. Many readers would argue that Edna finds this niche in her seaside vacation home on Grand Isle. To Edna, the sea is a wide expanse of opportunity and liberation from the constricting socialite world of French Quarter New Orleans. Chopin's lavish descriptions of the sea give us an insight into its powerful effect on Edna: The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whis... ...
The time Edna spends in water is a suspension of space and time; this is her first attempt at realizing Robert's impermanence. In a strange way, Edna is taking her self as an object of meditation, where at the extremity of self absorption, she should be able to see through her own selflessness. "As she swam she seemed to be reaching for the unlimited in which to lose herself[emphasis added]" (Chopin 74). Edna has left her earthly existence on the shore and looked forward to a new existence, with the "unlimited", or nirvana as a tantalizing prize on the other shore. Her mistake lies in looking back.
Edna's awakening begins with her vacation to the beach. There, she meets Robert Lebrun and develops an intense infatuation for him, an infatuation similar to those which she had in her youth and gave up when she married. The passionate feelings beginning to overwhelm her are both confusing and exciting. They lead to Edna beginning to ponder what her life is like and what she is like as a person. The spell of the sea influences these feelings which invite "the soul . . . to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation" (Chopin 57). Edna begins to fall under the sea's spell and begins to evaluate her feelings about the life that she has.
Throughout time setting has played a large role in literature. Setting contributes to the tone of the piece, the plot of the story, and the effectiveness of the message. Oftentimes in literature, an author can advance their plot through the use of multiple settings. In the awakening, Kate Chopin masterfully contrasts the Pontellier’s favorite vacation destination on Grand Isle with their home in New Orleans. The disparity between these locations and what they represent allows the reader to fully capture Edna’s emotional state throughout the novel.
Edna Pontellier first faces a form of awakening when she encounters another character that plays a musical instrument. As the musician plays, the crowd reacts nonchalantly and for the most part disregards it as just another performance with the exception of Mrs. Pontellier whom breaks out into tears due to the vivid imagery that the music brings into her mind. The musician responds to Mrs. Pontellier by telling her that she is the only one who truly speaks her language. This form of awakening brings about one of the themes in the novel in that as a person learns to begin to express themselves, they find that there is a lesser concentration of people who can understand the way that one expresses themselves. This becomes of greater relevance as Edna begins to express herself through the use of her artwork.