Oppression of Female Independence
In a society where women are controlled by patriarchal expectations, true independence is not an option. Kate Chopin witnessed and experienced these restrictions first hand during the 19th century, yet she refused to conform. She detailed this restriction in many of her works, and in The Awakening, her protagonist, Edna, goes against social constraints in a journey of self-discovery. Along the way, Chopin utilizes literary elements to track Edna’s progress while detailing the obstacles Edna faces as implemented by her community. By using contrasting nature imagery and the motif of motherhood within this novella, Kate Chopin reveals the ramifications of female independence in a patriarchal society.
Throughout …show more content…
The reader sees from the beginning that Edna’s role in life, as required by society, is to be a good mother and wife, for “[i]f it was not a mother’s place to look after children, whose on earth was it?” (Chopin 7). With only this role to fulfill on a daily basis, it’s obvious why Edna desires something more in life. However, as she progresses in her journey, she soon realizes that she must break these bonds from her past in order to become a new, fully independent person. It is why Edna looks to Mademoiselle Reisz, a woman who completely lacks any motherly tendencies and instead focuses her energy on her artistic work. She encourages Edna to do the same since “‘[an] artist must possess the courageous soul...that dares and defies’” (Chopin 85-6), giving Edna a chance to escape her past and define herself as a new person. But this escape does not last long as Edna cannot fully separate herself from her previous responsibilities. She begins to even feel guilty for abandoning her children and constantly misses them since “their presence lingered with her like the memory of a delicious song” (Chopin 128). Edna begins to realize how selfish her journey to independence has been and knows this “mother-role, which conflicts with her new-found freedom” (Stone), will keep pulling her back to her past. “She recognizes that she cannot rebel against nature” (Stone), as this bond has become such a defining point of her identity. Instead “she chooses not to live in a world that forces her to value herself first as a mother and second as a human being” (Dyer 17). Even in her final moments before committing suicide, she “thought of her children” (chopin 156), but not as a reflection of guilt, rather as a reminder of a previous life where society tried “to possess her, body and soul” (Chopin 156). Society had tried to
In a society where women are controlled by patriarchal expectations, true independence is not an option. Kate Chopin witnessed and experienced these restrictions first hand during the 19th century, yet she refused to conform. She detailed this restriction in many of her works, and in The Awakening, her protagonist, Edna, goes against social constraints in a journey of self-discovery. Along the way, Chopin utilizes literary elements to track Edna’s progress while detailing the obstacles Edna faces as implemented by her community. By using contrasting nature imagery and the motif of motherhood within this novella, Kate Chopin reveals the ramifications of female independence in a patriarchal society.
Throughout …show more content…
The reader sees from the beginning that Edna’s role in life, as required by society, is to be a good mother and wife, for “[i]f it was not a mother’s place to look after children, whose on earth was it?” (Chopin 7). With only this role to fulfill on a daily basis, it’s obvious why Edna desires something more in life. However, as she progresses in her journey, she soon realizes that she must break these bonds from her past in order to become a new, fully independent person. It is why Edna looks to Mademoiselle Reisz, a woman who completely lacks any motherly tendencies and instead focuses her energy on her artistic work. She encourages Edna to do the same since “‘[an] artist must possess the courageous soul...that dares and defies’” (Chopin 85-6), giving Edna a chance to escape her past and define herself as a new person. But this escape does not last long as Edna cannot fully separate herself from her previous responsibilities. She begins to even feel guilty for abandoning her children and constantly misses them since “their presence lingered with her like the memory of a delicious song” (Chopin 128). Edna begins to realize how selfish her journey to independence has been and knows this “mother-role, which conflicts with her new-found freedom” (Stone), will keep pulling her back to her past. “She recognizes that she cannot rebel against nature” (Stone), as this bond has become such a defining point of her identity. Instead “she chooses not to live in a world that forces her to value herself first as a mother and second as a human being” (Dyer 17). Even in her final moments before committing suicide, she “thought of her children” (chopin 156), but not as a reflection of guilt, rather as a reminder of a previous life where society tried “to possess her, body and soul” (Chopin 156). Society had tried to