Kate Beckinsale

of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings.” – Kate Chopin Kate Chopin is a well-known writer of the 19th century that was perhaps most commonly famous for centering her works on intelligent women. She had an amazing ability that allowed her to write about the feelings of these women. It is through these feelings, we learned about the conflicts and hardships that these women were faced with every day (Kate Chopin: Writing Styles). Kate Chopin's The Storm is filled with conflicts and…

Throughout “The Story of an Hour” Kate Chopin, uses symbolism to portray Mrs. Mallard progressing state of mind. The story opens with a woman be told of her husband’s death. She is first rushed with automatic sorrow, with Chopin describing her as “weeping […]at once, with sudden, wild abandonment”(Chopin, 353). Then alone she explores the prospects of being independent, changing her entire view of her newly discovered independence. She begins to see her husbands death as a liberation and an…

Examples of Freedom in the Awakening "After a refreshing bath, Edna went to bed. And as she snuggled comfortably beneath the eiderdown a sense of restfulness invaded her, such as she had not known before."(Chopin 25). Throughout chapter twenty-five Leonce and the kids are going out of town which means Edna will be home by herself. Edna is relived by this. She acts as though her family was a burden and she no longer has responsibility. When they leave she runs around the house as happy as can be…

There are multiple definitions to having an “awakening.” In Webster’s dictionary the definition states, “coming into existence or awareness.” In a metaphorical sense, an awakening could be whatever the person makes it. In the case of Edna Pontellier, she is awakened by the romance of a man other than her husband. This romance, also understood as her true happiness, costs her the marriage she has built over the years, but helped her gain strength as a woman. The focus has been placed on Edna’s…

The Awakening, by Kate Chopin is about men and women back in the Victorian Era. During the Victorian Era, women were supposed to stay home and take care of the chores and kids. Men during this time were the money makers and had all the rights and freedom. Edna Pontellier, challenges the way women are supposed to act by rebelling against her husband and starts following what she wants for once. In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, every man that has ever been involved in Edna’s life has tried to…

3. One recurrent theme in feminist literature is the concept of freedom as an elusive force, which is never ultimately achieved to the point of satisfaction. Discuss this theme as it relates to The Story of an Hour or The Yellow Wallpaper. Within Chopin's The Story of an Hour the nature of freedom definitely seems to be regarded as an elusive force which only seemed obtainable after the main character thought she was free from her marriage and husband. Louise’s marriage obviously seems to…

Is one truly a feminist if the only woman they care about is themselves? When Edna in the book the Awakening exerts her power as a white woman onto the female minorities, should this text still be considered empowering towards all woman? Although most readers of the Awakening have argued that Chopin’s novella is a compelling piece of feminist literature, closer examination reveals that secondary female characters of color are either sexist archetypes or nameless servants, whose struggles are…

Reading The Cat’s Table was an eye opener for me as I watched Michael Ondaatje’s young characters make bad decisions and learn from their mistakes. The young narrator named Michael, narrates his 21-day journey at the age eleven as he travels across the world to live with his mother, someone he has really no relationship with. He encounters people on the ship who become his friends that later on help shape him as a person. Ondaatje continuously demonstrates Michael’s innocence which leads to…

The idea that what one values can be determined by what he or she sacrifices is a commonly accepted idea throughout not just literature, but also life in general. In The Awakening, the protagonist, Edna, became the perfect example of a character who's beliefs are shown by her actions. From the beginning, it was made clear that Edna valued the freedom to express individuality as well as the right to independence. Many of her sacrifices, such as giving up her fidelity in order to sexually please…

Originally included in Kate Chopin’s third collection of short stories A Vocation and a Voice, “The Story of an Hour” was one of many of her works rejected by publishers in the late nineteenth century due to Chopin’s social criticism and the inclusion of feminist ideas. However, it was later published in at least two anthologies, dating 1974 and 1991, and Chopin became a figure of eighteenth-century feminist literature. “The Story of an Hour” is about Mrs. Louise Mallard, a young woman who in…