The Sea In The Awakening

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In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, the sea is rendered as a huge symbol of empowerment. I believe that the sea is not only where Edna experiences her final awakening, but is paramount to the confidence to defy societal expectations that she has worked to build up over the course of the piece. Therefore, the sea’s importance in this piece can be seen as the epitome of her awakening, warranting it not only a symbol of empowerment, but also a symbol of freedom and escape. Not only is it important to recognize the symbolism of the sea, but it is also important to realize the implications that such a symbol has. The only reason the sea has such symbolism is because of Edna’s discourse throughout the piece in relation to society. She simply represents a repressed figure trying to resist the system in place. As a result, this argument’s significance lies in the deep rooted problems of society. Society in my opinion is in heavy need of change not only during Edna’s time period, but also in contemporary time because of the still existing gender equality disparity and capital exploitation. Edna’s first and last words before suicide about the sea are “The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring…” (Chopin 20). These words manifest Edna’s …show more content…

Edna internally believed in equal standing for women. However, in her society, she was locked in as a laborer to her husband from the start because in reality, the laborer “belongs to capital” before even indulging in the system because capitalism has become so ingrained in her society (Marx 666). As it turns out, Marxism critical analysis meshes almost perfectly with feminist ideology. The concepts of “capitalist” and “worker” that Marx describes in “Wage Labor and Capital” match up with the roles of men and women respectively during Edna’s time period

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