Analysis Of Edna Pontellier's The Awakening

She simultaneously loves and resents her children because, while she is their mother, she feels that they have taken away her freedom and self-purpose. As Edna journeys in her awakening, she strives to find meaning for herself as Edna, not her children's mother. To prove she is more than just a mother, she distances herself from normal motherly responsibilities. “He reproached his wife with her inattention, her habitual neglect of the children. If it was not a mother's place to look after children, whose on earth was it?”(Chopin, 15) Edna's neglect of her children stems from others expectations for her to submit to and look after her

Lucy despises this notion almost as much as she loathes her mother and struggles with it daily. One concept she finds very repulsive is the importance of a woman’s image. She is disgusted by Dinah’s obsession with beauty and comments that “among the beliefs I held about the world was that being beautiful should not matter to a woman, because it is one of those things that would go away” (Kincaid, 57). Later on she mentions that “for the first time ever [she] entertained the idea that [she] might be beautiful”, but declares that she will “not make too big a thing of it” (Kincaid, 132). Lucy’s rejection of society’s emphasis on appearance frees her from the insecurities that are brought upon by a self-image based on looks.

Her attempts at tricking the inspector falls short as her own sister and her husband deny her pursuit and disdain her. “…women get strange ideas at times…she is a dangerous and shameless woman” (73). This statement about Aunt Harriet by Joseph Strorm is a prime example of how women are expected to remain detached and dispassionate about their personal, emotional struggles and have no intervention about how she is placed in

I don’t feel able. And I know John would think it absurd. But I must say what I feel and think it in some way—it is such a relief! But the effort is getting to be greater than the than the relief.” (Gilman 5) This entry states that her voice is obviously being denied by her husband so she is desperate for someone to hear her, even if it’s the pages of her daily logs. With this, she also states her actual interacts with her husband to take record of how they go to give proof of her subjectification by even her spouse.

Connie in Joyce Carol Oates’s story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been” desperately wants to be independent from her family, while Gregor Samsa in Kafka’s “The Metamorphosis” pathetically yearns for inclusion. In this story, Oates pays special attention to the mother-daughter relationship and the lack of meaningful communication between them. Connie's mother is an image of the future Connie doesn't want – the life of a domestic housewife. Connie has a love-hate relationship with her mother, with whom she identifies, but at the same time she has to distance herself from her mother in order to establish her independence. On the other hand, The Metamorphosis, a story by Franz Kafka, is about a man who has been transformed into a giant beetle

She judges other people to make herself feel more superior and normal and to hide her true character. Later on as Miss Brill observes a young couple, “the hero and heroine, of course, just arrived from his father’s yacht” (p.188), she comes to the realization of who she truthfully is. This wholly destroys Miss Brill, causing her to change her typical plans and go home in grief, “But to-day she passed the baker’s by, climbed the stairs, went into the little dark room-her room like a cupboard… she unclasped the necklet quickly; quickly, without looking, laid it inside. But when she put the lid on she thought she heard something crying” (Mansfield 189). Terry White sums up the story of “Miss Brill” by writing, “Like the insidious illness that seems to be creeping to life inside her, Miss Brill is abruptly forced to confront the reality that her imagination seeks to escape”(White) The short story “Miss Brill” is very relatable and real.

Elizabeth Cary’s The Tragedy of Mariam makes many valid points about women’s identities in marriage. Mariam’s choices throughout the play reflect her understanding of the fact that in the world she lives there is no space for a chaste, honest, independent woman. The standards that a woman of the time are impossible and Mariam’s attempts to grapple with them are doomed to fail. After experiencing the freedom of self expression afforded to her after she believes her husband has died she is unwilling to re-enter the position of a subordinate. Mariam is aware the death is the only way to maintain the self she has created.

While as informed by the author Beloved has no good intentions but only to cause Sethe pain, Seth can’t because she is blinded by her aim to make it up “to her daughter.” Blinded by her love for her daughter, Sethe continually shares information about her past with Beloved which ultimately serves as a catalyst for the materialization of unpleasant memories she had lived to suppress. While Denver, Sethe’s child relates well with Beloved under the impression that she is creating a bond with her, she is oblivious to the fact that beloved is using that opportunity to make her mother suffer and destroy her. Through highlighting the experiences of these characters at this point, Morrison sets out to use the trauma theory to show the implications of trauma and the actions people result to to go through their experiences. In this case, the author shows guilt as an outcome of trauma and how Sethe blinded by her guilt gets exploited and even at some time her pain get intentionally added. Informed by the insights of the trauma theory, the author shows the far-reaching implications of trauma where in the case of the characters, they become reckless and oblivious even in situations where other people seek to abuse and cause them harm (Kreyling

I can’t make it more clear; it’s only something which I am beginning to comprehend, which is revealing itself to me” (52). By calling her own life “unessential”, Edna recognizes that her roles in society as a wife and mother have never been characterized by any more than superficial behaviors and activities. After having an “epiphany” about her identity, Edna still understands her obligation to protect and care for her children, but now refuses to sacrifice her true, individual identity in the process. Edna’s awakening is evident in her desire to be her own person. She does not wish to be identified in relationship to other people, but rather to be valued for her own unique thoughts and

Elizabeth, despite the fact that she still fulfills her societal roles to a slight extent, still contrasts her mother in that she balances care for others with her own well-being, indicating that she remains sympathetic without sacrificing her own needs to fit the expected role of women at the time. In contrast, both Elizabeth and the rest of her sisters are limited by Mrs. Bennet’s influence on their life decision. Author Sylvia Myers takes a far more critical approach on the role of Mrs. Bennet in comparison to her daughters in deeming her the “bad mother” through hindering the lives of her daughters. Myers asserts that Mrs. Bennet desires only for her daughters to fulfill their societal expectations, rather than reach their own full potential (Myers 228). She lacks the same free will which Elizabeth displays in her growth as a character, and therefore directly opposes Austen’s vision of an ideal woman.