Gender Hierarchy In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

Gender hierarchies are exposed by the use of eating in The Awakening. Literature professors commonly note that “whenever people eat or drink together, it’s communion” (Foster 8). During meals, people tend to share aspects of their life and communicate with one another. Throughout the thorough detailing that The Awakening encompasses, Mrs. Pontellier exposes that she does not worry about her husbands provision of food for the family, while her friends are completely reliant on all sources of income given to them by their significant other. Traditional gender roles reveal that men are the providers for the family, while women are caretakers for the children. The conflict in The Awakening, however, is that Mrs. Pontellier is not interested in the slightest about what gender roles have to say regarding her position in society. The collations which occur within the awakening of Edna unfold her thoughts and feelings on the matter of traditional roles in comparison to those of her friends. In the prime of the plot, Léonce Pontellier displays his attempts in buying the love that his wife and children do not openly express. He commonly delivers and sends “luscious and toothsome (delicacies)” (Chopin 8) to his wife; spoiling her more than she desires. Instead of exposing her inner feelings on the matter of …show more content…
Pontellier endures, it can be observed that she preserves her thoughts and feelings because of what the other women thought about her husband and life, rather than what she wanted for herself. These meals create a relationship between Mrs. Pontellier and the ethics of society. Edna only hears from the other women about what a great life she has, and she does not fret to disagree with these statements and opinions even if it goes against the conflict she battles from within. The aspired awakening that Mrs. Pontellier awaits is restrained through these meals, but begins to unveil as she gains confidence in the independence of