Women in the late 1800s had few opportunities for self-expression due to the limitations of law and traditional views. During the Victorian Era women were expected to be the ideal wife and mother. However, Edna’s character challenges the social order by going against the norms of society. Some of the symbolism that connects to Edna’s character are music, birds and her children. When Mademoiselle Reisz plays the piano it releases Edna’s enslaved soul therefore, she has a taste of freedom which she never knew they could have. Her character encourages women of the Victorian Era to set themselves free from the cages they have been living in. Additionally, Edna is a loving mother however she will not sacrifice her desires as a woman for them. In …show more content…
the book “The Awakening” by Kate Chopin a central theme is understanding one’s self-identity against social expectations. Mademoiselle Reisz music untapped Ednaś wild spirit as she played the piano.
In “The Awakening” Chopin comments, “It was then in the presence of that personality which was offensive to her, that the woman, by her divine art seemed to reach Edna’s spirit and set it free.” (Chopin, 120) Edna was envious of Mademoiselle Reisz because, she was in every aspect what Edna truly wanted to be. Mademoiselle Reisz was unmarried, childless, and an artist therefore, she was distinctive to other women in the Victorian Era. During the Victorian Era the use of art as self-expression or self-exploration was constituted as social rebellion. As a result, of Mademoiselle Reisz playing the piano it placed her as an outcast in the Creole society. Her music symbolizes social rules and regulations in the society. Mademoiselle Reisz utilizes music as a form of artistic expression to not only entertain others but, to evoke new or unexplored emotions within oneself as it had with Edna. As Edna listened to Mademoiselle Reisz playing the piano it unleashed a part of herself that she had kept hidden. Edna’s long repressed emotions are released as Mademoiselle Reisz music plays which sets her enslaved soul free. When Mademoiselle Reisz played the piano Edna ceased to conjure images of solitude, longing, hope or despair instead the passion of being able to truly express herself aroused her soul. As Edna begins to gradually awaken she hears what a piece of music means to her rather than creating images to …show more content…
accompany the sound of the music. Edna was very fond of her children however, she would not sacrifice her desires as a woman for them.
In “The Awakening” by Chopin states, “I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn’t give myself.” (Chopin, 72) Edna was expected to perform her domestic duties, care for the wellbeing and happiness of her children. She is uninterested in occupying her time with maternal task like checking on the health of her children. Her children had consumed the majority of her life so she wanted to relieve herself of the commitment and burden of being a mother. Edna is willing to die for her children but, she will not give up her independence or solitude for them. These women were suppose to be selfless and only think of abiding to their obligations to their husband and children. Edna was hesitant to form relationship of a sensual nature with Robert because, it was deemed unacceptable in society to have a love affair. Edna discovers that her heartfelt relationship to Robert has rekindled her emotional and sexual desires. She wants to display her deep affection and intimacy with Robert directly without the fear of society's disapproval. Edna metaphorically relates to a child due to the fact, she undergoes a rebirth as she discovers the world from a different
perspective. The broken bird symbolizes Edna because, does not have the strength to defy society's social order. In “The Awakening” Chopin mentions, “A bird with a broken wing was beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water.” (Chopin, 113) Edna demonstrates a desire for freedom, desire to elude her roles as a mother and wife, and from her husband Leonce who keeps her in a social cage. She is freeing herself from the cage that had kept her numb to any passionate or lustful emotions as a result, she is experiencing the kind of love she had always desired in her childhood. She expresses her desire for independence in New Orleans by moving into her new home which she referred to as the pigeon house. Edna wants to enjoy the feeling of freedom and independence in her new home therefore, she does not include household items from her husband only what she owns. While the house provides her with independence and solidarity which allows her to escape from the gilded cage that Mr.Pontellier house had created. However, the pigeon house is not the solution Edna had anticipated due to the fact, the house becomes another cage which restricts her freedom. Her inability to separate her former life from her new life has her reliving the entrapment she felt in Leonce’s company and house. Edna finds herself in a state of imprisonment because, she feels as if she is still in a gilded cage when the birdcage has already been opened. Mademoiselle Reisz knows Edna wants to escape from the Creole society however, she does not believe she will have the strength to fly away from society’s conventions and responsibilities as a mother. Mademoiselle Reisz is omniscient in predicting Edna’s future because, she is warning her that her flight away from the Creole society may not be successful. Some of the symbols that shapes Edna’s character in “The Awakening” are music, birds and her children. The text demonstrates how Edna resonates with these elements which has a double entendre such as, her solitude, individuality and freedom. Edna’s experience with Mademoiselle Reisz music shows her how self-expression is a way of social rebellion. Then, her willingness to sacrifice her life for her children but not herself reveals that she is not willing to give up her independence. The broken bird relates to Edna because she does not have the courage to defy the social convention. As a result, Edna has to live with the consequences of being in her own solitude.
Kate Chopin’s The Awakening takes place in the late 19th century, in Grande Isle off the coast of Louisiana. The author writes about the main character, Edna Pontellier, to express her empowering quality of life. Edna is a working housewife,and yearns for social freedom. On a quest of self discovery, Edna meets Madame Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz, falls in and out of love,and eventually ends up taking her own life. Kate Chopin’s The Awakening shows how the main character Edna Pontellier has been trapped for so many years and has no freedom, yet Edna finally “awakens” after so long to her own power and her ability to be free.
The relationship Edna has with Mademoiselle Reisz guides her transformation from a wife and mother to a single woman. Reisz acts as a role model for her, someone who does not conform to society’s expectations. Mademoiselle Reisz lives how she wants and accepts both positive and negative consequences of her lifestyle. From the first time Edna sees her play, she admires Mademoiselle Reisz. “The woman, by her divine art, seemed to reach Edna’s spirit and set it free” (623). The music she plays helps calm Edna’s spirit. Mademoiselle Reisz allows Edna to read the letters Robert wrote to her and she supports her in her decision to follow her heart and be with Robert. In doing so, she kindles the passionate flame Edna has for Robert. As Edna wishes t...
Chopin’s Impromptu arouses "the very passions ... within [Edna’s] soul"(p.34). The harmony, fluidity, subtle rhythm and poetic beauty of the Romantic composer make Edna loose herself in the music that stirs her emotions. The art completes, for her, what nature cannot bring to a finish. The exquisite, looping, and often fiery melodies of the Impromptu make a cut in Edna’s mind through the conventional beliefs about people and society. Because she is not a musician, her listening is based on intuition, allowing for a direct apprehension of the music by the soul and leading to a confrontation with the reality itself — the reality of "solitude, of hope, of longing, ... of despair"(p.34). This is the beginning of Edna’s awakening, for such emotions, especially despair, are not an end but a beginning because they take away the excuses and guilts, those toward herself, from which she suffers. This revelation of previously hidden conflicts gives birth to dramatic emotions within Edna. It is so powerful that Edna wonders if she "shall ever be stirred again as...Reisz’s playing moved" her that night (p.38).
In The Awakening, Chopin sets up two characters main characters and a subsidiary female character to serve as foils to Edna. The main characters are Adele Ratignolle, "the bygone heroine of romance" (888), and Mademoiselle Reisz, the musician who devoted her life to music, rather than a man. Edna falls somewhere in between the two, but distinctly recoils with disgust from the type of life her friend Adele leads: "In short, Mrs. Pontellier was not a mother-woman." Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz, the two important female principle characters, provide the two different identities Edna associates with. Adele serves as the perfect "mother-woman" in The Awakening, being both married and pregnant, but Edna does not follow Adele's footsteps. For Edna, Adele appears unable to perceive herself as an individual human being. She possesses no sense of herself beyond her role as wife and mother, and therefore Adele exists only in relation to her family, not in relation to herself or the world. Edna desires individuality, and the identity of a mother-woman does not provide that. In contrast to Adele Ratignolle, Mademoiselle Reisz offers Edna an alternative to the role of being yet another mother-woman. Mademoiselle Reisz has in abundance the autonomy that Adele completely lacks. However, Reisz's life lacks love, while Adele abounds in it. Mademoiselle Reisz's loneliness makes clear that an adequate life cannot build altogether upon autonomy. Although she has a secure sense of her own individuality and autonomy, her life lacks love, friendship, or warmth. Later in the novel we are introduced to another character, her name is Mariequita. Mariequita is described as an exotic black-eyed Spanish girl, whom Edna looks upon with affectionate curiosity. Unlike the finely polished heroine, Mariequita walks on "broad and coarse" bare feet, which she does not "strive to hide". This strikes Edna with a refreshing sense of admiration. To her, the girl's soiled feet symbolize naked freedom, unconstrained by the apparel of civilization. Thus, Edna finds her rather beautiful. Mariequita is more like an unrefined version of Edna, that is, her instinctual self. At times, Mariequita ventures to express the thoughts that are secretly buried in Edna's unconscious.
Additionally, Edna’s sacrifice helped her established an identity for herself. “I would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn’t give myself, I can’t make it more clear; it’s only something which I am beginning to comprehend, which is revealing itself to me” (Chopin 57). She realizes how much she valued herself and how she would handle herself. As well as, this emphasizes on the meaning of The Awakening, of how women are able to define themselves as something more than a
In The Awakening, Kate Chopin depicts the varying definitions of women and their role through her three major female characters, Edna Pontellier, Madamoiselle Reisz and Madame Ratignolle. In the late 1800s, the role of women was strictly being caretakers for both their children and husbands. Edna Pontellier attempts to fit into society’s expectations by marrying Léonce Pontellier and raising two children, yet she struggles with feelings of oppression as she suffers through her unwanted role. Mademoiselle Reisz, a talented musician, is unmarried and childless, rejecting all of society’s ideals. Edna’s friend, Madame Ratignolle, greatly contrasts the two as she represents the model Louisiana women. However, while Edna, Madamoiselle Reisz and Madame Ratignolle each depict a different idea of woman’s role in society, none of these three women reach their full individual potential.
Mademoiselle Reisz is first introduced at a party when she plays the piano for Edna Pontellier. Edna is described as being "very fond of music."(25) Music is described as having a way of "evoking pictures in (Edna’s) mind" and causing her to have visions of naked men, the beach, her children, and many other images, which in turn, she attaches various names to. (25) As Mademoiselle plays, a series of physical changes affect Edna. For example, upon the first chord, Chopin describes it as sending "a keen tremor" (26) down (Edna’s) back, and eventually, the piece moves her to tears. Days later, Mademoiselle Reisz and Edna coincidentally meet, and Mademoiselle invites Edna to visit her in the city. This invitation starts the beginning of a great acquaintanceship.
She pursued activities that would allow her to become more individualistic, such as painting or art. Chopin decides to have Mrs.Pontellier’s character explore art, so she can address Mrs.Pontellier’s relationship with herself and her struggle to become an expressive artist. Throughout this short period Mrs.Pontellier constantly visits an accomplished female artist, Mademoiselle Reisz, who has abandoned the suppressive ideals of her time. Mademoiselle Reisz remarks, “I do not know you well enough to say. I do not know your talent or your temperament. To be an artist includes much; one must possess many gifts-absolute gifts-which have not been acquired by one’s own effort. And, moreover, to succeed, the artist must possess the courageous soul”(Pg.63). Chopin includes this, to show how Mrs.Pontellier is becoming ambitious and developing personal goals and interests. The significance of this pursuit of creativity is to reveal the importance of becoming her true self, in order to produce her own signature art. The underlying message is that to be an artist, one must have their own style, perspectives, opinions, and self assertiveness. Mrs.Pontellier however, is stuck between being a devoted mother and wife, or an artist who defies the standards upon her. Alongside this, Chopin conveys that with the absence of her husband, she has the opportunity to reflect on who she
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 Character of Mademoiselle Reisz in The Awakening "The very first chords which Mademoiselle Reisz struck upon the piano sent a keen tremor down Mrs. Pontellier’s spinal column. It was not the first time she had heard an artist at the piano. Perhaps it was the first time she was ready, perhaps the first time her being was tempered to take an impress of the abiding truth." (26) Madam Reisz was a predominant factor in the life of Edna, compelling her to arouse her courage and supplying her with the proper motivation to do so. She was admired by Edna, impelled to be an artist by her.
Another aspects of the story is that once Edna’s awakening begins to take place, she is on a roller coaster of emotions, from the manic exuberance of listening to music and the sounds of the water, her connection to robert--it’s as though all her senses are opened up. Between times, however, she is really depressed, as though all the color that Chopin imparts so beautifully in the descriptions of the other scenes, has become dull and uninteresting. Then, she is flung into an emotional upheaval when she reads Robert’s letter to Mlle Reisz, as the latter plays Wagner. Clearly, these kinds of emotions cannot be borne by a woman whose cultural structure does not admit the building of her own that it might sustain the weight and number. She is overwhelmed. She must escape, and she does, for her situation now is powerfully reminiscent of the “joy that kills” in “Hour.”
One form of art which is predominant in The Awakening is piano playing. Piano playing symbolizes a woman’s role in society. In Edna’s society, artistic skill, such as piano playing and sketching, were accomplishments which ladies acquired. They were merely enhancements to their education, not possibilities for occupation. Women artists, whether they were musicians, painters, or writers, had a difficult time being accepted in society (Dyer 86). Kate Chopin presents two women who are foils to Edna: Madame Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz (Koloski 117). Both of these women play the piano; however, their purpose and motivations are vastly different. The way in which they view their piano playing reflects their values.
In Chopin's Awakening, the reader meets Edna Pontellier, a married woman who attempts to overcome her "fate", to avoid the stereotypical role of a woman in her era, and in doing so she reveals the surrounding. society's assumptions and moral values about women of Edna's time. Edna helps to reveal the assumptions of her society. The people surrounding her each day, particularly women, assume their roles as "housewives"; while the men are free to leave the house, go out at night, gamble, drink and work. Edna surprises her associates when she takes up painting, which represents a working job and independence for Edna.
...they represent concerning women’s roles in society. Adele plays to entertain her husband and friends at parties, whereas Reisz plays for the art of the craft, always striving to be more proficient and more artistic. Mademoiselle Reisz easily sees past Edna's front, welcomes Edna into her life, and helps usher in the biggest change of Edna's life. Mademoiselle Reisz and her personality serve as the catalyst for the changes that Edna makes in her life. Edna strives to be Mademoiselle Reisz concerning her element of independence, while Leonce Pontellier, Edna’s husband, would like her to be more like Adele Ratignolle, and it is Edna who is striving to find the delicate balance in the middle.
The fact that Edna is an artist is significant, insofar as it allows her to have a sensibility as developed as the author's. Furthermore, Edna is able to find in Mlle. Reisz, who has established herself as a musician, a role model who inspires her in her efforts at independence. Mlle. Reisz, in confiding to Edna that "You are the only one worth playing for," gives evidence of the common bond which the two of them feel as women whose sensibilities are significantly different from those of the common herd. The French heritage which Edna absorbed through her Creole upbringing allowed her, like Kate Chopin herself, to have knowledge or a way of life that represented a challenge to dominant Victorian conventions.