Grand Isle

Mahatma Gandhi, leader of the Indian independence movement once said, “It’s the action, that is important. It may not be in your power, it may not be your time. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. [. . .] You may never know what results come from your actions. But if you do nothing, you have no result.” The novel, The Awakening, written by Kate Chopin, was published in 1899, during the time when the Industrial Revolution and the feminist movement were beginning to…

Despite living in a modern world, social convictions are still present in some countries, especially one that limit women from doing certain things that men can do. '' The Awakening'' by Kate Chopin, set in the Victorian Era tells the story of Edna Pontellier as she breaks away from social norms and pursues her own ambitions which ultimately lead to her death. Furthermore, Edna's death illustrates her rebellion as a form of self-expression. Edna's need for having affairs…

Throughout the novel, Chopin uses imagery to show that society is oppressive. Two of the most important images that Chopin uses repeatedly throughout the course of the novel is the image of the sea and the image of birds. The imagery of the sea is repeated in The Awakening and comes to be a major symbol of Edna awakening. “The sea is a symbol of Edna's subconscious” (Anastasopoulou 23). The first time that she manages to swim on her own, is used by Chopin to represent the first major step that…

Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening tells the story of Edna, a married woman, who falls in love with another man, Robert, in 19th century Louisiana. The chosen passage takes place after Edna’s trip to the beach with Robert where she contemplates why she chose to go out with him. The usage of literary devices, metaphors, symbolism, and alliterations help evoke the overarching themes of freedom and solitude, convention versus individuality, and the theme of reflection. To begin with, in this excerpt…

Kate Chopin’s 1899 Novel The Awakening, encompasses itself on defying the stereotype of a “Mother-woman”and a woman trying to fit into strict cultural demands. The protagonist Edna Pontellier ruined many expectations of what a woman should be like in the nineteenth century. The Awakening not only embraces the process of self-discovery, and conflict between an individual and society, but also includes family as major theme throughout the novel. Chopin geniously captivates the reader by giving…

The Awakening In today’s society the feminist movement has improved since the 1960s and 1970s.Many scholars and critics have showed much interest to Kate Chopin’s literature. This particular story shows a life of a married woman and the struggles of her family, husband and her desires for love and freedom she has long been searching for. The short story “The Awakening” has a symbolism throughout, but there is one particular one that is very important to the story in order to understand the…

Author, Kate Chopin, in her novel, The Awakening, composes a story about a woman named Edna who is in a passionless marriage and is realizing her sexuality. Director, Mike Newell, in his film, Mona Lisa Smile, illustrates a story about a woman named Katherine who is an art professor at Wellesley College teaching female students about breaking out of society’s roles. Chopin’s purpose is to bring to light to how some housewives felt trapped in the lives they were supposed to live during the 1890’s…

Oppression of Female Independence In a society where women are controlled by patriarchal expectations, true independence is not an option. Kate Chopin witnessed and experienced these restrictions first hand during the 19th century, yet she refused to conform. She detailed this restriction in many of her works, and in The Awakening, her protagonist, Edna, goes against social constraints in a journey of self-discovery. Along the way, Chopin utilizes literary elements to track Edna’s progress while…

Independence and the individuality were important to the way Chopin developed the two main characters in both the novel and short story. Women being oppressed in their marriage was a main theme within the literary pieces. Though Chopin represented their personality and life differently. Edna Pontellier in The Awakening made the decision to find her individuality after she was married and had two children. She made the conscious choice to have an affair with another man when she was still…

With The Awakening being published in the year 1899, it can be deemed as an early work of feminism several years prior to the successes of the first wave feminist movement which granted women the right to vote in 1920. Chopin’s work could potentially have been inspired by the first wave feminist movement which proposed legislation in 1878. I think Chopin is finding inspiration from the first wave feminist movements and she is reflecting her progressive views onto the main character Edna. Edna…