In “Jane Eyre” and “The Awakening”, both authors emphasize feminism and how both Jane and Edna showcased it in the novels. Charlotte Bronte and Kate Chopin underline independence and how women also have the right to express themselves as well as happiness. Although the same ideas are expressed in both novels, the authors display it in very different manners. There are many factors that made one story preferable to the other such as, the characterization, plot complexity, and themes. In many forms “Jane Eyre” is superior to “The Awakening”.
For instance, the plot complexity in “Jane Eyre” was easier to follow because it allowed the reader to follow Jane’s life all the way from her childhood to adulthood. The reader gets to look at Jane’s childhood
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and analyze the details that made her into a strong, independent woman from the very start of her life. “It seemed as if an invisible bond had burst, and that I had struggled out into unhoped-for liberty” (Eyre 39). After so much harsh treatment Jane finally had her breaking point and stood up for herself just as she would in her later years. There was also a plot twist when Jane found out that Rochester was already married to an insane woman. This put their relationship to the test. The plot of “The Awakening” was a bit tougher to follow because Edna kept having mixed feelings about the men she pursued. The story begins with Edna already married to Leonce. The reader does not get to see Edna’s childhood and character develop from the beginning of her life. The plot mainly revolves around her trying to feel freedom from her family instead of embracing what she already has. Characterization played a major role in both novels. Jane Eyre always had a strong and fiery attitude. She knew what her beliefs were and would not let anyone define her destiny. For example, she refused to be Rochester’s mistress when she found out the he already had a wife (Eyre 302). Jane had a stronger personality because she would not let any obstacle get in her way of achieving what she wanted. Edna, however, started to develop her independent spirit when she already had a family. She found herself dissatisfied with her marriage and the life she was living. Instead of staying true to her marriage she decided to have affairs with more than one man. Edna did not have ultimately ended up taking her own life (Chopin 160). This could be seen as an act of cowardice by many readers. Her personality was just not strong enough compared to Jane’s character. Both “Jane Eyre” and “The Awakening” had similar themes.
For instance, they both majorly focused on marriage, feminism, and class. Marriage was challenged more in “The Awakening” because the reader got to see Edna struggle to being married to Leonce when she did not feel satisfied. However, it was better represented in “Jane Eyre” because Jane knew that marriage was sacred and deserved to be respected. Feminism played a major role in “The Awakening”. Edna was supposed to be a loving mother and well behaved wife, but she had other ambitions in life. However, her actions were seen as shameful because she let herself get involved with many other men. She was not able to resist the temptations that stood in front of her. Jane on the other hand did not allow herself to be seen as the mistress or other woman. She was able to show self-control which was something a man could have probably not done. She showed the true meaning of feminism when she stayed true to herself when she overcame all the obstacles that got in her way. Class plays a very significant role in “Jane Eyre”. For example, Jane is looked down upon because she has no money and because she is a woman. Jane does not comfort to what society expects from her and she tries to better
herself. Overall, they both executed well. However, Charlotte Bronte did a better job at showcasing characterization, plot complexity and themes much better. She really emphasized how women were viewed, and she brought to life an amazing protagonist that was fully independent and strong.
In Kate Chopin's short story “The Awakening”, the voice of the story portrays a woman with sexual aspirations, and moral female social rules in search for independence and self discovery. The story is based on the 19th century woman. During this time women barely had any freedom, were not recognized within the society and had no choice but to me submissive to their husbands. The main character of the story named Edna is portrayed to be a happy woman because she has everything; a wealthy, attentive husband, and two children. Thoughtout the story the truth about Edna’s unhappiness is revealed. The voice of the story uses symbolism, irony, and figurative language to express Edna Pontellier’s feelings as she found her way to her happiness and freedom.
According to Henri Bergson, “To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.” Life consists of a multitude of transitions and experiences, which help shape the creation of a person’s identity. This is evident in Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, when Jane undergoes a striking moment of self-realization and moral development as she leaves her life at Moor House for Thornfield. This evolution occurs as she cultivates her own religious values, determines what love is, and becomes autonomous.
There are many stages throughout the book in which the reader can feel sympathy for Jane Eyre; these include when she is locked in the Red Room, when Helen Burns dies at Lowood, and when she and Mr. Rochester are married the first time.
This novel was one of the most radical books of the Victorian Era. It portrayed women as equals to men. It showed that it was possible that men could even be worse than women, through John and Jane. It taught the Victorians never to judge a book by its cover. The novel would not be as successful were it not for Charlotte Brontë’s talent in writing, and were it not for the literary devices employed.
Novels that are written by pronounced authors in distinct periods can possess many parallels and differences. In fact, if we were to delve further into Zora Neale Hurstons, Their Eyes Were Watching God, and Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, we can draw upon many similarities. Now of course there are the obvious comparisons, such as Janie is African American and poor, unlike Edna who is white and wealthy, but there is much more than just ethnicity and materialistic wealth that binds these two characters together. Both novels portray a society in which the rights of women and their few opportunities in life are strictly governed, usually breaking the mold that has been made for them to follow The Cult of True Womanhood. These novels further explore these women’s relationships and emotions, proving that throughout the ages of history women have wanted quite similar things out life. Similarly they interconnect in the fact that the end of the stories are left for interpretation from the reader. Both these women in these novels are being woken up to the world around themselves. They are not only waking up to their own understanding of themselves as women and individuals that are not happy in the domestic world of their peers, but they are also awakening themselves as sexual beings.
In The Awakening, Kate Chopin tells a story during the upbringing of the feminist movement, the movement was masked by the social attitudes entering into the 1900’s. She tells this story in the form of a novel, in which is told in a third person view, that is very sympathetic for Edna Pontellier, the protagonist. This is a review of the journey Edna takes in her awakening and evaluate the effectiveness this novel takes in introducing, continuing, and ending Edna’s awakening.
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.
In comparing the three authors and the literary works of women authors Kate Chopin (1850 -1904), The Awakening, Charlotte Perkins Gilman's (1860-1935), The Yellow Wallpaper, and Edith Wharton's (1862-1937) Souls Belated, a good number common social issues related to women are brought to light and though subtly pointed out are an outcry against the conventions of the time. In these three stories, which were written between 1899 and 1913, the era was a time in which it seems, that women had finally awaken to realize their social oppression and were becoming rebellious in their pursuit of freedom from the male-dominated societal convention in which they existed. They commenced viewing their social stature as unjustly inferior and realized that these conventions placed deterrents on their intellectual and personal growth, and on their freedom to function as an independent person. All three of these women authors have by their literary works, have voiced their strong unfavorable feelings about the patriarchal society in which they lived.
Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre chronicles the growth of her titular character from girlhood to maturity, focusing on her journey from dependence on negative authority figures to both monetary and psychological independence, from confusion to a clear understanding of self, and from inequality to equality with those to whom she was formerly subject. Originally dependent on her Aunt Reed, Mr. Brocklehurst, and Mr. Rochester, she gains independence through her inheritance and teaching positions. Over the course of the novel, she awakens towards self-understanding, resulting in contentment and eventual happiness. She also achieves equality with the important masculine figures in her life, such as St. John Rivers and Mr. Rochester, gaining self-fulfillment as an independent, fully developed equal.
Breaking away from society’s “so-called” customs/norms incorporates a large array of valor, inspiration, and most importantly, individuality. Society places normalities upon its people in order to maintain stability and often times, tradition. More specifically, gender roles, such as women raising children; men being the only source of profit, must also be broken in order to establish uniqueness and distinction in a conventional- themed culture, such as Victorian society. Kate Chopin’s The Awakening is perhaps the only novel that fully illustrates the struggle that is leaving Victorian ideals and tradition from a woman’s perspective. Although often considered a feminist text, The Awakening can be viewed as a novel that depicts and promotes individuality using symbolism. Instead of plastering readers with dull literalism, Chopin uses symbols, such birds and music, to relay subtle ideas. Within each fictive part, Chopin provides symbolism that readers must comprehend in order to appreciate the novel as a whole.
Actually, well into this book I was afraid it was going to be another one of those English countryside, woman-gets-married novels. I was reminded of a friend's comment a few years back to "avoid the Brontes like the plague." But of course there is a little more than courting going on here. For example, if you compare Jane with one of Jane Austen's young women coming into society, you have a bit more adventure, roughness, and connection to nature. I don't think a Jane Austen character would wander around the forest, sleeping without cover in the wilds of the night to prove a moral point. Jane Eyre can get dirt under her fingernails--that's the difference. You also get more emotion in Jane Eyre, you feel with her, deep hate (for Mrs. Reed), religious conviction (with ...
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.
Pain, misery and disappointment are all a significant part of this world’s concepts of both life and love. A prime example of this is displayed in Charlotte Bronte’s novel, Jane Eyre, where the protagonist, Jane, suffers through a particularly difficult life; her love is constantly stripped from her the moment she is relishing it most. With Bronte’s introduction of Bertha Rochester, Jane’s never-ending cycle of disappointment and loss of love.
A Critical Evaluation of Jane Eyre Although Jane Eyre grows and matures, Margaret McFadden-Gerber views her as a relatively emotionally stable young feminist. Through the duration of the novel, Jane demonstrates her "self-love" that is often an influential emotion leading to drastic and hasty reactions. In the very opening few chapters, Jane takes a stand for herself and presents her bruised ego, pride and maturity. Sara Reed, her aunt, dismisses her place in the family as Jane is physically and emotionally removed from her "family's" activities.
In the stories The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, “Story of an Hour” also by Chopin, and “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, we see just how women’s expected gender roles affect these women. In The Awakening, we meet Edna Pontellier, who struggles with her social and gender roles. In “Story of an Hour” we see a woman who is glad she is free from her husband. In “The Yellow Wallpaper” a woman fights for her happiness. Through the author’s portrayal of these characters, we see how feminism affects the actions of the characters and how the woman changes.