The Awakening

Of Edna, The Awakening states, “She would, through habit, have yielded to [her husband’s] desire; not with any sense of submission or obedience to his compelling wishes, but unthinkingly, as we walk, move, sit, stand” (Chopin). Blinded by society’s portrayal of women as…

Society and culture often pressure women to fit a certain image or fill a specific role leading to many issues concerning women. In "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin, Chopin tends to express the idea of motherhood as an important aspect throughout the novel. "The Awakening" serves as a feminist literature that portrays how in the late 19th century, women such as Edna faced several issues: not realizing who they are as a human being, realizing that they have no place in society, and having a…

Intro/Thesis: The Great Awakening and the American Enlightenment sparked the American Revolution by creating a revolution of ideas about equality and a common identity. The importance of oneness and an egalitarian Nation was prominent in both movements, and helped shape the American identity. Through the Great Awakening and the American Enlightenment, social barriers broke down. The common people held the power; traditional authority dissolved, and America’s society no longer resembled Great…

curious person, this caused me to question if all Reverends in this time period preached this way and question if I truly understood Reverend Edwards. To begin, Reverend Edwards’ sermon was during a period of time that is referred to as “The Great Awakening”.…

find herself by pursuing her feelings and passions and is consistently admonished to abide by societal norms but evidently chooses to end her life to get away from it all. In The Awakening, Kate Chopin uses sex and sexism to reveal the devastating effects of the societal standards placed on women. In The Awakening Kate Chopin begins to reveal the emotional effect that societal repression places on women. Chopin exposes the true despair and depression that was lying in the…

Patricia S. Yaegar argues that The Awakening must be viewed through a linguistic lens. She says that “Edna inhabits a world of limited linguistic possibilities… for interpreting and re-organizing her feelings, and therefore of limited possibilities for action” (200, Yaegar). Edna tries to leave this limited location and “explore feelings which lie outside the prescribed social code” (200, Yaegar), but fails because she can’t think of herself existing outside of the systems of language of which…

The Second Great Awakening had a greater impact on America. In the early 19th century, religious revivals changed the nation’s religious views. Preachers shared their messages however they could to as many as possible. Residents of urban cities and rural farmlands went to these religious revival camp meetings, gatherings for several days; men, women, and children taking in what the itinerant preacher were preaching. These revivals spread through the United States like a wildfire, creating new…

and listen to the husband at all times? Women have desires as much as men do, for example Edna from Kate Chopin’s The Awakening explores her desires. Breaking the role of an average woman, Edna thrived although living the she wanted but soon goes to far as she gives herself to sexual pleasure, even so she still lived a life some women wished they had. Kate Chopin’s The Awakening should be kept in high school curriculum because it teaches woman independence, even through the breaks of morality.…

meaningful connections to others, they will wither and perish. Despite this, many are unable to forge such connections, and instead place boundaries around themselves, like many characters do in The Awakening. In life and literature, these barricades often have physical manifestations. In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, clothes and fabric are symbols for distance and disconnect in order to reflect an inability to express emotion and have worthwhile…

awakened being demanded"(Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.). The text supports the theme by explaining how Edna is finding a sense of self. Edna's "newly awakened being" describes her new life that she has created for herself. She has managed to find her identity within this new being. "She would not join the groups in their sports and bouts, but intoxicated with her newly conquered power, she swam out alone" (Chopin, Kate. The Awakening.…