SYNTAX
The sentences in The Awakening are mostly long and complex. The narrator is formal and uses little to no fragmented statements or rhetorical questions. There is a lot of parallel structure and repetition. The majority of sentences are periodic, but loose sentences are used, like the last few in passage 1 above. There is not much variety to the sentence pattern. The rhythm of the language is formal and consistent. This portrays the rigidity of society in which the book takes place well.
CONCRETE DETAIL/IMAGERY
The most recurrent images in The Awakening are the comparisons between light and dark. The Pontellier house is described as dazzling white. The night sky is dark and murky when Doctor Mandelet “discovers” Edna’s secret. Edna’s father has the following description: “His hair and mustache were white and silky, emphasizing the rugged bronze of his face (Chopin 68).” The author makes a point to contrast the white and the bronze, the silky and the rugged. The function these opposites are to emphasize the fact that, in Edna’s society, there was no grey. All things are either light or dark, acceptable or unacceptable, pleasant or unpleasant.
SYMBOLISM
There are many symbols, big and …show more content…
The reader is never lead to believe that there will be a happy ending. Everything is described objectively without copious amounts of emotion. “She grew daring and reckless, overestimating her strength (Chopin 27),” “The pigeon-house pleased her. It at once assumed the intimate character of a home (Chopin 94).” With these two quotes, the reader can see into the subjectiveness of Edna’s actions and emotions, but the narrator stays objective. The reader knows that Edna feels bold and reckless, but the reader also knows that she is pushing her strength and will not be able to swim much farther. The reader sees that Edna is happy with the pigeon-house but also recognizes it is only assuming the image she is
The sentences in The Awakening are mostly long and complex. The narrator is formal and uses little to no fragmented statements or rhetorical questions. There is a lot of parallel structure and repetition. The majority of sentences are periodic, but loose sentences are used, like the last few in passage 1 above. There is not much variety to the sentence pattern. The rhythm of the language is formal and consistent. This portrays the rigidity of society in which the book takes place well.
CONCRETE DETAIL/IMAGERY
The most recurrent images in The Awakening are the comparisons between light and dark. The Pontellier house is described as dazzling white. The night sky is dark and murky when Doctor Mandelet “discovers” Edna’s secret. Edna’s father has the following description: “His hair and mustache were white and silky, emphasizing the rugged bronze of his face (Chopin 68).” The author makes a point to contrast the white and the bronze, the silky and the rugged. The function these opposites are to emphasize the fact that, in Edna’s society, there was no grey. All things are either light or dark, acceptable or unacceptable, pleasant or unpleasant.
SYMBOLISM
There are many symbols, big and …show more content…
The reader is never lead to believe that there will be a happy ending. Everything is described objectively without copious amounts of emotion. “She grew daring and reckless, overestimating her strength (Chopin 27),” “The pigeon-house pleased her. It at once assumed the intimate character of a home (Chopin 94).” With these two quotes, the reader can see into the subjectiveness of Edna’s actions and emotions, but the narrator stays objective. The reader knows that Edna feels bold and reckless, but the reader also knows that she is pushing her strength and will not be able to swim much farther. The reader sees that Edna is happy with the pigeon-house but also recognizes it is only assuming the image she is