The Strive for Independence

In the novel, The Awakening, Edna Pontellier, the main character, is married to a Creole named Leonce with whom she lives in New Orleans. As the novel opens, they are vacationing in Grand Isle with many other rich couples. Edna is not originally from the Creole lifestyle, so she is not immediately comfortable with being open. However, she starts talking to Adele, another Creole wife, who starts to show her how to open up. As they talk more, Robert, a very young, good-looking attendant, shows up and begins to take a fancy to Edna. While they are at Grand Isle, Edna seems to find herself. Once they leave, Edna starts to become more independent. We begin to see these types of independent women at the turn of the twentieth century. Throughout the novel, we see Edna turn from a dependent woman and housewife, such as Adele, to the powerful and independent woman of the twentieth century.

In the past women were not thought of highly as individuals. Due to the “domestic sphere”, women were considered little more than domestic slaves. People during those times mostly associated their jobs with cooking, cleaning, and taking care of the children. Women were expected to do this because it was deemed unworthy for men to do such little acts. In the 1900’s, men went to work, brought home the money, and rested when he got home from work. Men loved having wives like Adele. She “idolized their children, worship [her] husband, and esteemed themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels” (Chopin 1258). Adele is the perfect example of how women are confined to the domestic sphere. She always conformed to what her husband said and did what she was told. Although they both have a passion, such as music or painting, Adele h...

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... to become equals with men and succeeded.

Works Cited

"Adele Ratignolle in The Awakening." Shmoop: Study Guides & Teacher Resources. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. .

"A Look at Working Women in the Early 20th Century." Utah History to Go. Web. 23 Mar. 2011. .

Chopin, Kate. "The Awakening." The Norton Anthology of Literature by Women: the Traditions in English. Eds. Sandra M Gilbert and Susan Gubar, New York: W.W. Norton &, 2007. Print.

Phenix, Cecilia. "Feminism in Kate Chopin's The Awakening, Page 2 of 6." Associated Content from Yahoo! - Associatedcontent.com. Web. 24 Mar. 2011. .