Without a voice
On August eighteenth, in nineteen twenty, women won the right to vote, this however did not take place until a long time after many women already suffered, since society dictated the way women must live. “The Awakening”, by Kate Chopin is a Victorian era novel which took place before women gained any semblance of rights. The novel exemplifies how women are treated, and how they have little to no rights within this era. The women within the story have little to no voice in their own lives.
The main character of the story, Edna, marries Leonce Pontellier simply because he is Catholic and her Protestant father does not approve. A woman must marry out of her family’s household to start her life; she did not possess the ability to leave of her own accord. Within the story, Edna later states, “Her husband seemed like a person whom she married without love as an excuse” (pg.77). Edna does not love Leonce, but she does love the idea of breaking away from her …show more content…
Edna’s awakening is initialized by a man, Robert. Her journey starts from her wanting to leave her father, which causes her to marry Leonce, who is a pushing force in her reason for rebelling against society’s constraints and general lack of women’s rights. Despite her rebellion being rather daring, in the end it is all because of men. Edna realizes this fact in the very end, that no matter what she tries to accomplish, how many small freedoms she gains, she can never be rid of society’s hierarchy of men. Instead of letting her life be manipulated by society and those around her, she takes her own life in a form of last stand to show that her life is her own to have, or to not have. There are little to no rights for women in this era, some accept that fact and live with it, others rebel against it with their very lives, however, others decide to not live at
On August eighteenth, in nineteen twenty, women won the right to vote, this however did not take place until a long time after many women already suffered, since society dictated the way women must live. “The Awakening”, by Kate Chopin is a Victorian era novel which took place before women gained any semblance of rights. The novel exemplifies how women are treated, and how they have little to no rights within this era. The women within the story have little to no voice in their own lives.
The main character of the story, Edna, marries Leonce Pontellier simply because he is Catholic and her Protestant father does not approve. A woman must marry out of her family’s household to start her life; she did not possess the ability to leave of her own accord. Within the story, Edna later states, “Her husband seemed like a person whom she married without love as an excuse” (pg.77). Edna does not love Leonce, but she does love the idea of breaking away from her …show more content…
Edna’s awakening is initialized by a man, Robert. Her journey starts from her wanting to leave her father, which causes her to marry Leonce, who is a pushing force in her reason for rebelling against society’s constraints and general lack of women’s rights. Despite her rebellion being rather daring, in the end it is all because of men. Edna realizes this fact in the very end, that no matter what she tries to accomplish, how many small freedoms she gains, she can never be rid of society’s hierarchy of men. Instead of letting her life be manipulated by society and those around her, she takes her own life in a form of last stand to show that her life is her own to have, or to not have. There are little to no rights for women in this era, some accept that fact and live with it, others rebel against it with their very lives, however, others decide to not live at