What Is Edna Pontellier's Role In The Awakening A Feminist Essay

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In the late 18th century and early 19th century women's rights in American society were not of much importance. Women we known for maintaining and running the house. They were not allowed to future their education. Men would look at women as property not as a human. "The Awakening" written in late 18th century by Kate Chopin read under the feminist criticism perspective, Edna Pontellier a protagonist in search for her inner identity reaches out to the open world breaking the barrels of society where there are few changes towards women rights.
Edna Pontellier is a married woman with 2 children, who has a different objective in her future life. She wants to be different from all the women in the society and breaks societal rules in order …show more content…

Mr.Pontellier tells Edna, ““You are burnt beyond recognition, “he added, looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage.” (Chopin 7). Mr.Pontellier looked at every married woman as a part of a property and the owner being the husband. Edna got married to Mr.Pontellier at a very young age. Studies have shown that “Child marriage … destroy childhoods,” (Chopra). In case of Edna her early marriage to Mr.Pontellier have resulted her to have no motherly affection towards her two sons. Edna left her sons and her husband for various reasons such as “expression in unprecedented levels of cruelty direction against women.” (Sirleaf) and for the want to be successful through education. In the world we live in today, “history will judge us not by what we say in this moment in time, but by what we do next to lift the lives of our … women.” (Sirleaf). Women are treated as property when they are enslaved in the societal regulation. Mr.Pontellier treated Edna as his slave not as his wife or the mother of his sons. He takes advantage of him being a man and daily abuses Edna. It was time that Edna spoke up for “women having equal rights” (Yousafzai) by leaving her old life and entering a new life about her only. Her new life included no impacts of the societal rules and regulation. It should be “the last time that a girl is forced

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