When you compare the title of Kate Chopin's The Awakening to that of another work, such as Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the title of the work does not quite describe the contents of it. The Awakening can only be fully understood once the reader has an understanding of the themes and content oft the work. When the reader begins to read the novel, the title more than likely makes no sense whatsoever, and paints an obscure mental image of a person awakening, either psychically or mentally. Once the reader delves into the storied pages of the novel though, they realize that the title represents the main character, Edna Pontillier, and her “awakening, both sexually and metaphorically. The beginning of Edna's “awakening” starts
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In the beginning of the novel, Robert decides to be Edna's assistant, and his advances begin to chip away at the barriers that had be in placed in Edna's mind due to living in the Victorian era as a woman. She begins to liberate herself from the social constructs of the time, and her husband. Robert on the other hand, does not want to pursue an affair, as being a man in the Victorian era forbade destroying someone else's family. Her quest for liberation leads her to killing herself at the end of the novel, as she could not live as a free woman in her time. When she swims out to sea, it represents the infinite freedom of being liberated from the world, while at the same time showing that she would always be alone in her liberation. The title, The Awakening, is more than a label that one might use to find a book, it serves so much more of a purpose. It is used to show the struggle of the main character, Edna, will encounter as she begins her journey to freedom. The reader can only fully understand the title after they discover the themes and true meaning of Edna's freedom, as well as major events in the novel. After discovering these things, the reader uncovers the true meaning the title, and realizes that each event reinforces the message, which is that anyone can escape the social constructs of their time, but the price to pay may be
In the beginning of the novel, Robert decides to be Edna's assistant, and his advances begin to chip away at the barriers that had be in placed in Edna's mind due to living in the Victorian era as a woman. She begins to liberate herself from the social constructs of the time, and her husband. Robert on the other hand, does not want to pursue an affair, as being a man in the Victorian era forbade destroying someone else's family. Her quest for liberation leads her to killing herself at the end of the novel, as she could not live as a free woman in her time. When she swims out to sea, it represents the infinite freedom of being liberated from the world, while at the same time showing that she would always be alone in her liberation. The title, The Awakening, is more than a label that one might use to find a book, it serves so much more of a purpose. It is used to show the struggle of the main character, Edna, will encounter as she begins her journey to freedom. The reader can only fully understand the title after they discover the themes and true meaning of Edna's freedom, as well as major events in the novel. After discovering these things, the reader uncovers the true meaning the title, and realizes that each event reinforces the message, which is that anyone can escape the social constructs of their time, but the price to pay may be