Kate Chopin s The Awakening - 935 Words

Kate Chopin’s â€Å"The Awakening† can arguably be considered a feminist piece, but regardless of whether it is or not, the short story unmistakably describes how life was for women in the late 1800’s. Her story is a great example of the sexist views of the time and existing social roles for each gender. The literature includes a large interplay between society and gender roles, which affected the reader’s response to the plot and other literary devices such as imagery back then and even today. Chopin creates a round character, Edna Pontellier, who is the main character of â€Å"The Awakening† in a way that divides her readers between those who find her disagreeable and those who find her inspiring or even normal and honest. Those who find her obnoxious usually do so because of her thoughts revealed to the reader admitting that â€Å"The children appeared before her like antagonists who had overcome her; who had overpowered and sought to drag her i nto the soul’s slavery for the rest of her days† (Chopin 171). For the same reason she is an honest character that the reader can trust, she is disliked for not conforming to social roles, especially the ones unwritten about how to be a mother. Unlike the ideal mother, Madame Ratignolle Edna proclaims to her and the reader: â€Å"‘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’† (Chopin 73). These expectations of Edna, to give everything up for her kids and to always think theShow MoreRelatedKate Chopin s The Awakening1553 Words   |  7 Pagesare evident throughout The Awakening by Kate Chopin. Chopin uses contrasting characters such as Edna Pontellier and Adele Ratignolle to further embody the differing aspects of feminism. Adele Ratignolle represents the ideal woman of the time period, a mindless housewife working to serve her family, whereas Edna signifies an inde pendent and daring woman who does not conform to society’s beliefs. These two women’s differing characteristics and personalities allow Chopin to further compare and contrastRead MoreKate Chopin s The Awakening1497 Words   |  6 PagesEdna Proves that Society Does Not Control Her In Kate Chopin s novella, the awakening, Chopin portrays a story of how the protagonist, Edna Pontellier, undergoes a realization that she has been dumbfounded by the way society assert roles for women. Mrs. Pontellier s awakening stirs up issues in her marriage with her husband. For Mr. Pontellier does not understand why his wife is acting different as someone who does not share the values and duties that society withholds women to. Edna even fallsRead MoreKate Chopin s The Awakening Essay1450 Words   |  6 Pagesâ€Å"The beginning of things, of a world especially, is necessarily vague, tangled, chaotic, and exceedingly disturbing† (Chopin 67). Change: the most frightening word in the English language; it has never came quickly, never came easily, never come without casualties. Throughout history, countless revolutions have fought with blood, sweat, and tears for the acceptance of new ideas to foster change within mainstream culture. Naturally, there is always a resilient resistance to revolution, the norm thatRead MoreKate Chopin s The Awakening1875 Words   |  8 Pageswomen s rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men.† The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, was written in 1890 during the height of the women s suffrage movement, and essentially the public felt that the author â€Å"went too far† due to â€Å"the sensuality† of the protagonist (Toth 1). The â€Å"male gatekeepers† that scrutinized her work saw her piece as a statement that â€Å"the husband is a drag†, and that traditional American values should be forgotten (Toth 1). In truth, Chopin did notRead MoreKate Chopin s The Awakening2531 Words   |  11 PagesDress to Impress Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening depicts sexual affairs, inner struggles, and the conquest of motherhood that most women face today. The conquest of motherhood involves the battle between being a supportive wife and selfless mother. The story revolves around the characters’ dialogue and appearances described beautifully throughout the novel by Kate Chopin. The story is a familiar one that, sadly, most women can relate to: A woman is married without knowing what true love is. HerRead MoreKate Chopin s The Awakening1685 Words   |  7 Pagesconforms, the inward life which questions† (Chopin 18). The Victorian Era created a clear distinguishment between male and female roles in society, where women were expected to behave feminine-like, be responsible for domestic duties and have little involvement in society. This created a heavy oppression upon females and as a result forced many of them to remain entrapped in a male dominant society, in fear of being outcasted . In the novel The Awakening, Kate Chopin depicts how Edna’s defiance of VictorianRead MoreKate Chopin s The Awakening1981 Words   |  8 Pagesthe 1800s The Awakening by Kate Chopin published in 1899 is a novel that can teach the true meaning of family, the importance of friendship, and the value of independence. Chopin teaches the true meaning of family by showing how Edna receives no support from her own family and struggles to succeed without them. Chopin shows the importance of friendship when Edna has no one by her side until she meets a woman named Adele and a man named Robert. The primary area that Chopin focuses on is the satisfactionRead MoreKate Chopin s The Awakening1198 Words   |  5 Pageswoman’s freedom is the driving force behind Kate Chopin’s contextual objections to propriety. In particular, The Awakening and â€Å"The Story of an Hour† explore the lives of women seeking marital liberation and individuality. Mrs. Chopin, who was raised in a matriarchal household, expresses her opposition to the nineteenth century patriarchal society while using her personal experiences to exemplify her fe minist views. Katherine O’Flaherty, later Kate Chopin, was born to Eliza and Thomas O’FlahertyRead MoreKate Chopin s The Awakening1870 Words   |  8 Pagessymbolizes the Marxist cause. A multitude books throughout history and the current day are representing the groundbreaking thoughts of Marxism, and they help to demonstrate how vile Capitalism truly is. In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening there lie countless subtleties of Marxism and its standards. Chopin skillfully injects the ideals into the novel through characters’ actions and behaviors. Three characters in particular represent the evils of Capitalism in the teachings of Marxist, and those charactersRead MoreKate Chopin s The Awakening882 Words   |  4 PagesThe article I have chosen to respond to was â€Å"Adele Ratignolle: Kate Chopin’s Feminist at Home in â€Å"The Awakening†Ã¢â‚¬  by Kathleen M. Streater. In this article, Streater argues that the feminism of Adele Ratignolle was overshadowe d by the radicalism of the main character, Edna Pontieller. Although Ratignolle was not as extreme or romantic as Pontieller, Streater argues that Ratignolle was more of an equal in the home than readers would suggest. Introduced as the â€Å"mother-woman,† Adele Ratignolle chose