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Kate chopin real influence in the awakening
Gender Issues In Literature
Kate chopin real influence in the awakening
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Edna's Predicament in The Awakening
Dr. Mandelet, speaking more as a wise, older man than as a medical authority, seems to understand Edna's predicament. When Mr. Pontellier asks for his advice concerning the strange behaviour of his wife, the doctor immediately wonders, "Is there any man in the case?" (950). While Edna thinks she is expressing her independent rights, Dr. Mandelet knows her heart is still tied to the need for a man in her life, and to an uncontrolled submission to sexual passion. After her self-proclaimed release from her husband's narrow world of prescribed gender roles, Edna begins to act spontaneously, without considering, as Leonce would wish, "what people would say" (977). During a visit to Mademoiselle Reisz, she boldly displays her new attitude, refusing the more modest hot chocolate in favor of a "man's drink":
"I will take some brandy," said Edna, shivering as she removed her gloves and overshoes. She drank the liquor from the glass as a man would have done. Then flinging herself upon the uncomfortable sofa she said, "Mademoiselle, I am going to move away from my house on Esplanade Street." (962)
However, she will be moving "[j]ust two steps away" (962), she admits, betraying the fact that her feminist step forward will be hindered by at least two steps back. Her new assertiveness will not be enough to shield her from the difficulties of her changing life. Although she expresses herself to Robert in what she deems an "unwomanly" style (990), she is still a victim of societal conditioning, wanting to surrender her identity to another person.
Cristina Giorcelli writes that "Transitional states are inevitably states of inner and outer ambiguity. In her quest for her true self, Edna loses, or enhances with the addition of the opposite ones, her original gender connotations and social attributes" (121). Such a reading, however, risks simplifying the story in its attempt to clarify exactly that which is ambiguous. Although Giorcelli agrees that the story's message is blurred, she seems to contradict herself when she argues that,
Through her androgyny Edna succeeds in achieving the wholeness of a composite unity, both integral and versatile, both necessary and free. Triumphing over sex and role differentiations ontologically implies sub- jugating that which substantiates but curtails, and ethically it entails mastering the grim unilaterality of responsibility.
The bourgeois crisis that Edna endures--the discrepancy between duty toward others and right toward herself[--] .
Edna Pontellier was on her way to an awakening. She realized during the book, she was not happy with her position in life. It is apparent that she had never really been fully unaware However, because her own summary of this was some sort of blissful ignorance. Especially in the years of life before her newly appearing independence, THE READER SEES HOW she has never been content with the way her life had turned out. For example she admits she married Mr. Pontellier out of convenience rather than love. EDNA knew he loved her, but she did not love him. It was not that she did not know what love was, for she had BEEN INFATUATED BEFORE, AND BELIEVED IT WAS love. She consciously chose to marry Mr. Pontellier even though she did not love him. When she falls in love with Robert she regrets her decision TO MARRY Mr. Pontellier. HOWEVER, readers should not sympathize, because she was the one who set her own trap. She did not love her husband when she married him, but SHE never once ADMITS that it was a bad decision. She attributes all the problems of her marriage to the way IN WHICH SOCIETY HAS defined the roles of men and women. She does not ACCEPT ANY OF THE BLAME, AS HER OWN. The only other example of married life, in the book, is Mr. and Mrs. Ratignolle, who portray the traditional role of married men and women of the time. Mr. Pontellier also seems to be a typical man of society. Edna, ON THE OTHER HAND, was not A TYPICAL WOMAN OF SOCIETY. Mr. Pontellier knew this but OBVIOUSLY HAD NOT ALWAYS. This shows IS APPARENT in the complete lack of constructive communication between the two. If she had been able to communicate with her husband they may have been able to work OUT THEIR PROBLEMS, WHICH MIGHT HAVE MADE Edna MORE SATISFIED WITH her life.
When her husband and children are gone, she moves out of the house and purses her own ambitions. She starts painting and feeling happier. “There were days when she was very happy without knowing why. She was happy to be alive and breathing when her whole being seemed to be one with the sunlight, the color, the odors, the luxuriant warmth of some perfect Southern day” (Chopin 69). Her sacrifice greatly contributed to her disobedient actions. Since she wanted to be free from a societal rule of a mother-woman that she never wanted to be in, she emphasizes her need for expression of her own passions. Her needs reflect the meaning of the work and other women too. The character of Edna conveys that women are also people who have dreams and desires they want to accomplish and not be pinned down by a stereotype.
Edna Pontellier in the Awakening represents a woman who stands out from her comfort zone and awakes to realize she is not happy with what everybody else believed was correct or acceptable for society . In this journey of discovering her individualism and independency two important persons helped her to shape this new concept about life; Adele Ratignolle and mademoiselle Reisz. The close relationship that Edna formed with these two women is the key to her awakening. The nineteen century’s women considered friendship as a very important aspect of their lives. The Smith-Rosenberg describe in her article how important was the bond that women created between them and how intimated they were. We can say that Edna and her friends shared
A great deal of Edna's unhappiness is due to the fact that her husband is very firm with her, he treats her with a great deal of "authority and coercion," as is requested by Edna's father, and he strongly believes that she should conform to the Creole society. In accordance with society, Leonce believes that Edna should be the stereotypical housewife who does everything she possibly can for her husband and her children. However, when Edna does something that contradicts this well-established Creole social code, Leonce reveals his disappointment. For example, when Edna is sunbathing at the beach on Grand Isle, her husband approaches her and says, " 'What folly! to bathe at such an hour in such heat! You are burnt beyond recognition.' " Kate Chopin adds that Mr. Pontellier looks at his wife "as one looks at a valuable piece of property which has suffered some damage." Over time, the negative attitude that Leonce has toward Edna causes her to look for security, happiness, and love in other people and places. It is then that she meets, and eventually falls in love with, Robert Lebrun.
Being a woman, she is completely at the mercy of her husband. He provides for her a lifestyle she could not obtain on her own and fixes her place in society. This vulnerability stops Edna from being truly empowered. To gain independence as a woman, and as a person, Edna must relinquish the stability and comfort she finds in the relationship with her husband. Mr. and Mrs. Pontellier's marriage comprises a series of power plays and responds well to Marxist and Feminist Theory. Leonce Pontellier looks "…at his wife as one who looks at a valuable piece of property…". He views her as an accessory that completes the ideal life for him. Edna, however, begins to desire autonomy and independence from Leonce, so true to the feminist point of view.
Every 20th of January, the United States undergoes the passing of power from one president, to another. On this specific election, Donald J. Trump was elected as president. He has received much criticism from opposition, but much praise from his supporters. Although a very controversial person, Trump gave a great speech that was based on uniting the people as one. Trump used multiple rhetorical strategies such as repetition, pauses in speech, and listing are just a few of them. Adding hints of populism, his speech was one that touched many citizens. While very controversial, Trump’s inauguration speech was one that was based on the people, not the elite, about bringing back what made America great, and uniting everyone as one.
The most prevalent and obvious gender issue present in the novella was that Edna challenged cultural norms and broke societal expectations in an attempt to define herself. Editors agree, “Edna Pontellier flouts social convention on almost every page…Edna consistently disregards her ‘duties’ to her husband, her children, and her ‘station’ in life” (Culley 120). Due to this, she did not uphold what was expected of her because she was trying to be superior, and women were expected to be subordinate to men. During that time, the women were viewed as possessions that men controlled. It was the woman’s job to clean the house, cook the meals, and take care of the children, yet Edna did none of these things. Her lifestyle was much different. She refused to listen to her husband as time progressed and continually pushed the boundaries of her role. For example, during that time period “the wife was bound to live with her husban...
how quickly women succumb to their "roles", and how easily people can. be shaped to consider a different and all too meaningless set of morals. The sexy of the sexy. Edna is strategically alienated in the novella so as to be the
Imagine being in a long and deep sleep. You’ve been snoozing for a while now. You’re dreaming of all your favourite things. Suddenly, bang! Your slumber is disturbed and you can’t manage to return to your wonderful dream. Well, we know of a character who experiences this; Edna Pontellier in Kate Chopin’s novella, The Awakening (1899). Edna develops a fantasy life that is beyond her reality and eventually realises it is unattainable due to Creole paradigms of womanhood. She attempts to defy these expectations but deduces that she can’t through the conflicting perspectives of those around her. Some support her but some confine her and it is her final reflection of this conflict that determines her tragic actions. This notion of individuals
At the beginning of the novel Edna’s position in life is that of wife and mother. It is expected by society that she is devoted and serve her husband and children. This is particularly evident when her husband says to her “ If it was not a mother’s place to look after children, whose on earth was it?” (7).
Edna Pontellier is a child discovering her very sense of self. Her attitude toward her own children emphasizes the she is not the typical “mother-woman” (p. 29). This is one of the key elements in identifying Edna’s “awakening.” Unlike the other women, such as Madame Ratignolle, she has not accepted her role unquestionably. This passage is an insightful window into the beginnings of Edna’s new thoughts.
Edna’s feeling of confidence is highlighted as the author uses feministic beliefs to allude to the character’s “awakening”. The author points out that Edna is unique in her willingness to embark on the journey of self-expression and discovery. The character begins to open up not just to herself but to readers as well, who begin to see her in a different
What ensued was a wave of blatant criticisms directed to the previous government and his political counterparts. ‘For too long, a small group of people in our nation’s [the United States’] Capital has reaped the rewards of government’; ‘Washington flourished— but the people did not share its wealth’ (Trump, 2017); Trump unreservedly accused the previous administration of being self-seeking and negligent towards the voices and woes of the citizenry. He separates himself from the likes of the previous administration and attempts to create an image— he stands steadfast for the citizenry and opposes the bureaucratic state. Trump furthers his speech by promising American citizens that they will regain powers and authority that were absorbed by politicians and Washington after his inauguration; this is especially evident when he stated ‘January 20th 2017, will be remembered as the day the people became the rulers of this nation again.’ Through said comments, Trump attempts to further build his ethos; by suggesting that he is dissimilar from the establishment, President Trump could garner and secure greater support from citizens who are anti-establishment / dissatisfied with the status
Edna finds herself defying her husband, like she has done in the past with her father by marrying a catholic man that he did not approve of. Edna finds herself to be truer than she was acting to be. Mr. Pontellier was upset by her actions but followed what the doctor advice, “letting her do as she liked” (Chopin 119). This would be the awakening that opens her eyes, that makes her feel as if she has control over herself. Carley Rees Bogard says that, “Her first effort to assert herself, her first act of rebellion is to refuse to make love to her husband for whom she has never felt a desire”. Although, “too much emphasis has been placed on her sexual experience and not enough attention has been paid to her other efforts to become a person in her own right…” (Bogard). Edna starts to show that she believes t...
In conclusion, higher education is superior for everyone’s future and it is not as expensive as some think, it pushes people to be happier and more intellectual, and college is worth it when there is a better job to pay back all the years of higher education. When the child’s future life becomes the present and it is time to be an adult and start thinking about college, they should