How Does Kate Chopin Use Dramatic Irony In The Awakening

The Awakening, a well-anticipated novel written by Kate Chopin, had been greatly criticized when it first came out in 1899. During this time, the women’s rights movement was in full swing, and many admired Chopin’s literary genius already, so the author expected her novel to be a great success, as did the people. While a single woman with a loose sense of religious morality could see Chopin’s expressive irony, suggestive symbolism, as an inspiration for women everywhere and a message to remove the bondage of dependency on men, a married Puritan common woman could see it as offensive to the daily life she lives seeing her children as her life and pride.

In The Awakening, Chopin demonstrates her expressive irony with the characters surrounding

Edna, something that could resonate towards the woman with morals not based on religion or shock the married Puritan with the author’s audacity. For instance, even in the start of the book, when Leonce felt unamused and left to go play billiards at “Klein’s Hotel” and returned late at night, “He thought it very discouraging that his wife, who was the sole object of his existence, evinced so little in things which concerned him, and valued so little his conversation” (Chopin 6). Leonce may claim Edna is his focus point, however his actions always dissuade this point, as he is always leaving his wife and children in exchange for being with his friends or else working towards business opportunities, leaving said wife feel abandoned. Such is the case, after Edna successfully swims in the ocean for the first time and she heads back, awaiting him until late (Chopin 39-41). Many a married woman of that time would surely think she was only sulking, unable to see her husband, and that it was unusual to see it as a husband not caring for his wife. The offense that would occur is that Edna was not being “disciplined” (Sprinkle A Critical Reception) according to Puritan expectations. Ultimately, what becomes ironic is that Leonce’s, “sole object of his existence” (Chopin 6) outgrows him and, in turn, begins desiring to leave him.
In addition, Chopin utilizes Edna’s character for the sake of revealing what is important to Edna: freedom.

She proves this through her constant use of symbolism in Edna’s eyes. The ocean to Edna seems to be a mysterious abyss calling out to her. And she seems to be attracted to its mystique, at the same time, fearing it. The sea is seen as a “seductive” (Chopin 18) existence, “inviting the soul to wander…” (Chopin 18). Chopin portrays the sea in a manner as enticing to Edna, presenting empowerment through her overcoming her fear of drowning. Throughout the book, Edna feels misery staying by Leonce, being mistreated, yet still lacking the resolve to leave him; in the end, using so as an excuse to remain. An example of her stress and realization of it is when she “[took] off her wedding ring, [flinging] it upon the carpet” (Chopin 70). Her failure to crush the ring resembles her failure in refusing to be with Leonce, building up resentment toward her husband, her life and herself only to revert back to her mindset and “slip [her ring] upon her finger” (Chopin 71), just as she slips her façade back on. To the married Puritan, these representations could only serve to be manifestations of the impure mind of Edna, and the wrong mindset she possessed, as she seemed to be falsely considered a “tragedian” (Chopin 24), even though it was Edna who decided to accept Leonce and the life she lived. In comparison, the single loose moral having woman could visualize Edna unknowingly

accepting her fate because of a short term passion that had already died. Furthermore, Edna’s relationship with the sea had further developed as she realized there could be no escape from the life she chose, except through running away. After Robert had left and she comprehended there was no escape, she gave up, freeing herself from her sins as the married Puritan would think, while the other woman could see it more as being freed of society, of dependencies and of misery. In the end, the sea, the source of Edna’s wonder and empowerment, “invite[d] the soul to wander in abysses of solitude” (Chopin 154), indicating her source of power was in vain, as she could no longer achieve freedom elsewhere. The strong Puritan way is to endure and endure, so this can be seen as a cowardly act. On the other hand, she can also be admired for taking the one liberty, she, not society decided.
In conclusion, with differing identities in religion and marital status, the point of view one perceives The Awakening as well as Chopin herself. Together with Edna’s brash moves and bullheaded view point, the married Puritan woman finds fault within the character, criticizing Chopin’s ideals in that she insults the religious ways and sees her as belittling loyalty to a spouse. In comparison, the woman with loose religious morals and no marital status views Chopin’s work as well as Edna’s decisions as respectable, losing in societal approval, yet gaining in idealistic values.