Feminism has been a term used by many authors and writers for centuries, symbolizing women being able to use freedom the way they want to use it, not the way others want them to use it. With Edna Pontellier, the main character in Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening, she experiences an “awakening” in her life where she discovers her position in the universe and goes in her direction instead of what others like her husband Leonce tell her to take, similar to the style of feminism. “In short, 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,” (pg. 14). Chopin’s novel, published in 1899, received criticism and controversy because …show more content…
Just because the men say women were not able to do the toughest of business did not mean women could not do the same things the men could do, they wanted to be equal too. Leonce says to Edna that she cannot do the same things as him for her being a woman. “You have been a very, very foolish boy, wasting your time dreaming of impossible things when you speak of Mr. Pontellier setting me free! I am no longer one of Mr. Pontellier 's possessions to dispose of or not. I give myself where I choose,” (Edna, pg. 102). Chopin’s The Awakening received mostly mixed reviews when it was first released, as people back then (mostly men) did not understand the feminist act. However, other people gave the novel good ratings understanding Edna’s actions to flee from reality, including the Chicago Times (now known as the Chicago Sun-Times), who praised the novel for its sexist traits. “That the book is strong and Miss Chopin has a keen knowledge for a writer of certain phases of feminine character will not be denied. But it was not necessary for a writer if so great refinement and poetic grace to enter the overworked field of sex fiction,” (Chicago Times-Herald, 1899). They also said while it was not a pleasant story for its depressing ending, they gave Kate Chopin thumbs up for making Edna a likable character with a believable personality and said that Chopin was the best character
Throughout Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, Edna Pontellier, the main protagonist, experiences multiple awakenings—the process in which Edna becomes aware of her life and the constraints place on it—through her struggles with interior emotional issues regarding her true identity: the confines of marriage vs. her yearning for intense passion and true love. As Edna begins to experience these awakenings she becomes enlightened of who she truly and of what she wants. As a result, Edna breaks away from what society deems acceptable and becomes awakened to the flaws of the many rules and expected behavior that are considered norms of the time. One could argue that Kate Chopin’s purpose in writing about Edna’s inner struggles and enlightenment was to
The Awakening, by Kate Chopin seems to fit neatly into twentieth century ideals. Chopin addresses psychological issues that must have been difficult for people of the late nineteenth century to grasp. Just as Edna died a premature death, Chopin's book died too. The rejection of this book, at the time, ironically demonstrates the pressure many women must have felt to conform to society. Chopin shows the reader, through Edna Pontellier, that society restricts women the right to individuality. This restriction by society can be seen in the clothing Victorian women wore during the time.
When Kate Chopin develops the male characters in her novel, The Awakening, she portrays men in a very objectionable light. For the most part, her men are possessive, cowardly and self-serving. She seems a trifle unfair and biased in her portrayal of men, yet this view is necessary for Chopin to get her point across. She uses the characters of Mr. Pontellier, Robert, Alcee and a few other men to demonstrate her observations of the middle class man in the society of her day.
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. Chopin conveys this message through Edna’s reasons for committing suicide and how doing so leads her to total independence.
The 19th and 20th centuries were a time period of change. The world saw many changes from gender roles to racial treatment. Many books written during these time periods reflect these changes. Some caused mass outrage while others helped to bring about change. In the book The Awakening by Kate Chopin, gender roles can be seen throughout the novel. Some of the characters follow society’s “rules” on what a gender is suppose to do while others challenge it. Feminist Lens can be used to help infer and interpret the gender roles that the characters follow or rebel against. Madame Ratignolle and Leonce Pontellier follow eaches respective gender, while Alcee Arobin follows and rebels the male gender expectations during the time period.
The 1890’s were an era of rapid social change in regards to women’s rights. In 1893, Colorado was the first state granting women the right to vote with Utah and Idaho following soon after in 1896. This soon set momentum towards of ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. It was in 1899 the Kate Chopin published The Awakening, a novel telling the tale of a suppressed mother, Edna Pontellier, and her desire for something more in her life. Literary scholars consider Chopin’s The Awakening as a subtle yet effective portrayal of women of the late 19th century and consider it as an important piece of the feminism movement. Throughout the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, women had felt controlled by men and the demands society put upon them. Men had held a discriminatory view of women throughout this era, for they merely saw women as property. Women were expected to bear a man’s child, care for the child, and watch over the household while the man was away. The Awakening was an eye-opening novel in that it challenged the social structure of the time in which men dominated society. This novel showed the discriminatory view of women and treatment of women. The novel also does a great job in showing the dissatisfaction in the women’s lives, particularily through the actions of Edna Pontellier. Due to society’s expectations, women were not allowed to pursue their psychological or sexual drives, for it was scorned by society. Edna pursues these drives as she eventually cannot tolerate her way of living. In The Awakening, Chopin’s use of three characters, Edna Pontellier, Adele Ratignolle, and Mademoiselle Reisz, exemplifies the accepted roles of women in the late 19th century.
In the late 1800s, a crusade began that campaigned for the rights of women across America: the Feminist Movement. Using this movement as inspiration, Kate Chopin bewitches her primarily female readers with a writing style that emphasizes the importance of emotion and encourages the independence of women in a world dominated by men. In her novel, The Awakening, Chopin flawlessly illustrates the radical yet alluring character transformation of her protagonist, Edna Pontellier, as she struggles to surmount marital and societal conflict in the hopes of being reborn.
Highly controversial at the time, it no doubt inspired a major part of its audience to advocate women’s rights. Edna Pontellier herself may be regarded as somewhat insane for the way she concluded her life, leaving her family behind, but it was what she desired, and this novel’s shocking conclusion is what captivates the audience, and leaves a lasting impression. Kate Chopin effectively convinced her audience that a woman can speak for herself, and that their choices are their own. After having been “awakened”, Edna was free to live her life however she saw
Kate Chopin is quite witty when choosing titles for her short stories and a novel, just like The Storm indicated some natural, unavoidable passion, in her novel The Awakening we have sexual awakening of the main protagonist Mrs. Edna Pontellier. Chopin kept it simple and classy yet deep tones given to titles are more than present. Chopin portrayed Edna in most honest way and not fearing that by giving her character sexual, emotional and intellectual freedom, Chopin was damaging a social picture of herself, since people were not very forgiving for daring Chopin, they try to harm her career and reputation. Edna Pontellier is a young woman in her late twenties who didn’t let her role of a wife and a mother rule over her personality.
When Kate Chopin's "The Awakening" was published at the end of the 19th Century, many reviewers took issue with what they perceived to be the author's defiance of Victorian proprieties, but it is this very defiance with which has been responsible for the revival in the interest of the novel today. This factor is borne out by Chopin's own words throughout her Preface -- where she indicates that women were not recipients of equal treatment. (Chopin, Preface ) Edna takes her own life at the book's end, not because of remorse over having committed adultery but because she can no longer struggle against the social conventions which deny her fulfillment as a person and as a woman. Like Kate Chopin herself, Edna is an artist and a woman of sensitivity who believes that her identity as a woman involves more than being a wife and mother. It is this very type of independent thinking which was viewed as heretical in a society which sought to deny women any meaningful participation.
Kate Chopin’s short novel, The Awakening, was published in 1899, five years before her death. The Awakening follows Edna Pontellier as she navigates through the summer and fall of her twenty-eighth year. She learns to swim, engages in two extramarital affairs, moves out of her husband’s house, and, upon hearing of her lover, Robert’s rejection, she drowns herself. For over fifty years, The Awakening has been heralded as a deeply feminist text. Chopin destabilizes traditional family values and puts a woman in a position of sexual power and quasi-liberation. The feminism of this text is complicated by Edna’s final action. Edna’s inability to continue living after being rejected by Robert would indicate a feminine dependence on a masculine figure,
Upon its debut at the turn of the 19th century, Kate Chopin’s The Awakening created massive controversy among critics. At the time, women were expected to remain submissive to their husbands. Following the plight of Edna Pontellier, a woman struggling to define herself as an individual, The Awakening challenged the common societal views of women. It was considered immoral and vulgar, prompting the St. Louis Post-Dispatch to describe it as “‘too strong drink for moral babes. . .” and that it “should be labelled poison’ (Toth 335)” (Sprinkle 3). Despite its harsh criticism surrounding its publishing, today The Awakening is a depiction of a woman’s desire for independence. Chopin utilizes the symbolism of the sea to illustrate Edna’s unconventional methods of awakening her true self, who is lying dormant under society’s expectations.
Just as Edna did not obey to the morals of her peers, Kate Chopin defied her own peers by writing the novel, The Awakening. She uses attitudes of characters in her novel, changes in Edna and then ultimately her suicide to express her own feminist assertions. Chopin was rejected from societies as a result of her resilient feministic point-of-views and her great ability to show them through her writing. In an article written by Katherine Patterson, she explains "Edna Pontellier ultimately fails to overthrow the crushing burdens of a patriarchal society because she fails to turn an introspective eye and take responsibility for her own identity; instead, she simply seeks escape from the oppression she so keenly observes" (Patterson).
In the novel The Awakening, by Kate Chopin the critical approach feminism is a major aspect of the novel. According to dictionary.reference.com the word feminism means, “The doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.” The Awakening takes place during the late eighteen hundreds to early nineteen hundreds, in New Orleans. The novel is about Edna Pontellier and her family on a summer vacation. Edna, who is a wife and mother, is inferior to her husband, Leonce, and must live by her husband’s desires. While on vacation Edna becomes close friends with Adele Ratignolle, who helps Edna discover she must be “awakened”. Adele is a character who represents the ideal woman. She is loving, compassionate, and motherly. Throughout the novel Edna seeks something more from life than what she has been living. Also, she is unhappy with her marriage, and all through the summer falls in love with Robert Lebrun. Furthermore, Edna attempts to become independent, free, and in control of her own destiny. During this time period the Feminist movement was taking place. The Feminist movement was a time when women fought to prove themselves equal to men. Women fought for the rights to vote, have jobs, and go to school. The late eighteen hundreds and early nineteen hundreds showcased the power the women had to prove their equality. According to the excerpt, “Women of Color in The Awakening” by Elizabeth Ammons, “… The Awakening is its heroine’s break for freedom.” Ultimately, this shows how most women, especially Edna Pontellier, try to break free from the burden of society. Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, showcases the feminist critical approach through women’s roles, women characters, influences, and in...
The events of Kate Chopin's life strongly influence the feminist traits of Edna Pontilier, the main character in her novel The Awakening. Kate Chopin is known for her literary works that exemplify culture in New Orleans, Louisiana, and of women's struggles for freedom. Pontilier also demonstrates a woman's struggle in the 1800's and their search for a better and more independent future. The lives of Kate Chopin and Edna Pontilier are similar in their feminist views and strong urge for a free and independent life.