In the mid-19th century, Sigmund Freud developed the psychoanalytic theory which argued that personality is formed by the structures of the human mind: the ego, the ID, and the superego. He stated that people are motivated and driven by their hopes, dreams, fears, and needs. Psychoanalytic criticism asserts that literature, like dreams, reveals secret unconscious desires and anxieties of the author. Kate Chopin, author of The Awakening, was born in the 19th century, a time where women had to abide by a certain standard of living and acting, such as cooking, cleaning, and tending to the needs of her children. In this novel, protagonist Edna Pontellier challenges societal pressure by defying her motherly duties and responsibilities and engaging
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This is known as the reality principle. The reality principle considers the pros and cons of an action before deciding to act upon or abandon an impulse; and, the ego develops in order to make sense between the unrealistic and the realistic (external) world. Symbolism in The Awakening is meant to show a representation of something larger than what is physically written. It further emphasizes the difference between the unrealistic world and the realistic world. Birds, in the novel, represent freedom; more importantly, Edna’s freedom from societal pressures. She lives in a trapped world: as a woman, she is burdened with the expectations of what a woman is supposed to be; as a mother, Edna is held accountable if her children fall ill, or if anything happens to them. A bird soars above earthly rules and constraint--too high to be brought down by the demands of society. But the bird with broken wings represents the fact that Edna never will be as free as an uninjured bird. In order to achieve this, Edna must be determined and willful. Mademoiselle Reisz explains to her, “‘...the bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth’” (138). Chopin’s use of symbolism expresses the hopes of Edna. Like the passage says, Edna must have strong will and a level head in order to defy the expectations that people associate with being a woman. This further emphasizes Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis because it proves that what truly motivates Edna is her passion--influenced by the ego--to defy societal
This is known as the reality principle. The reality principle considers the pros and cons of an action before deciding to act upon or abandon an impulse; and, the ego develops in order to make sense between the unrealistic and the realistic (external) world. Symbolism in The Awakening is meant to show a representation of something larger than what is physically written. It further emphasizes the difference between the unrealistic world and the realistic world. Birds, in the novel, represent freedom; more importantly, Edna’s freedom from societal pressures. She lives in a trapped world: as a woman, she is burdened with the expectations of what a woman is supposed to be; as a mother, Edna is held accountable if her children fall ill, or if anything happens to them. A bird soars above earthly rules and constraint--too high to be brought down by the demands of society. But the bird with broken wings represents the fact that Edna never will be as free as an uninjured bird. In order to achieve this, Edna must be determined and willful. Mademoiselle Reisz explains to her, “‘...the bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth’” (138). Chopin’s use of symbolism expresses the hopes of Edna. Like the passage says, Edna must have strong will and a level head in order to defy the expectations that people associate with being a woman. This further emphasizes Freud’s theory of psychoanalysis because it proves that what truly motivates Edna is her passion--influenced by the ego--to defy societal