Physical Manifestations In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

In the words of Franklin D. Roosevelt, “If civilization is to survive, we must cultivate the science of human relationships - the ability of all peoples, of all kinds, to live together, in the same world at peace.” It has been proven time and time again that humans are social creatures at heart; without meaningful connections to others, they will wither and perish. Despite this, many are unable to forge such connections, and instead place boundaries around themselves, like many characters do in The Awakening. In life and literature, these barricades often have physical manifestations. In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, clothes and fabric are symbols for distance and disconnect in order to reflect an inability to express emotion and have worthwhile …show more content…
However, Edna once again breaks the mold with her amatory nature. She loves Robert, and when he departs for Mexico, she can’t even find the motivation to get dressed, “She started to dress again, and got as far advanced as to remove her peignoir. But changing her mind once more she resumed the peignoir and went outside and sat down before her door.” (Chopin 43) Her clothes represent an inability to have meaningful relationships, so she can’t endure getting dressed because it will mean she must grieve his absence as a friend and not as a romantic partner. In fact, unable to hold in her distress, “Edna bit her handkerchief, striving to hold back and to hide, even from herself as she would have hidden from another, the emotion which was troubling--tearing--her.” (Chopin 45) She blatantly admits how she was trying to hide her true feelings from herself and the world, and it’s no coincidence that she used fabric to hold herself back. Later on in New Orleans, long past Robert’s exit, Edna meets the handsome Alcée Arobin. They engage in a brief, lustful affair as Edna tries to cope with her awakening feelings of independence and love. However, when he initially makes his affections known, she is denies his and her own sentiments, preferring to live in denial. She runs through the pouring rain to Mademoiselle Reisz for comfort, resulting in the following, “Her clothes were dripping with moisture.” (Chopin 78) The weight of her clothes is the weight of her decision to reject Alcée’s advances. She was spurned in love before, and has no inclination to make that mistake again. Instead, Edna allows her clothes to protect her from feeling the agony of a broken heart once