Natural Images In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

Natural Images in The Awakening Symbolism can be a powerful literary device used to convey or better demonstrate themes within stories. They are used in countless famous works by authors to represent everything from freedom and innocence, to suffering and oppression. A prominent example is Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, a novella that explores the restricted and confined lifestyle of a young woman wishing to break free. Chopin reaches readers through using symbolic natural images within her story to communicate her abhorrence towards the restrictive structure of society. Historical context and background involving the natural symbols within Kate Chopin’s The Awakening weave together the components of independence and development introduced …show more content…
They are often representative and symbols of transformation, liberty, and adaptability. Most South African tribes believe and teach that “they represent the process of opening to a higher wisdom and knowledge” (“Sacred Symbolism of Birds”). To obviously state, birds are not limited to a single location considering they can glide through the air, walk on land, and stay afloat on waters. This plain observation justifies their meaning in South African tribal culture because they are gifted with the ability to know how to fly, walk, and drift on waters. Coupled with the South African tribes’ imagery of adaptability, Native Americans also characterize birds as the portrayal of development and freedom. As mentioned previously, freedom and independence are viewed as the birthright of birds by the reason that they are not limited to solely one plane to travel and reside on. They prove to be both versatile and conformable, crediting the meaning they are given of “change”. Through many cultures, including the ones of South African tribes and Native Americans, birds are historically recognized as connotations of liberty, transformation, and the ability to be