ipl-logo

Bird Symbolism In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

193 Words1 Page

In Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, we are introduced to a woman named Edna Pontellier. She is a wife, a mother, and a homemaker who struggles to fit in the ideal “Victorian woman” mold. The expectations of women during the Victorian era was for women to be devoted to her husband, children and her home and it was frowned if a woman were to devote some time for the benefit of herself. The women were like caged birds; unable to use her wings for flight. Throughout the novel, Edna’s dissatisfaction with her life becomes apparent and we see Edna’s journey to independence and self-discovery. Chopin uses bird symbolism and metaphors to reflect Edna’s journey and her true desires. The bird is used as a symbolic element used to represent Edna and

Show More
Related

  • Birds In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    304 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, birds symbolize Edna Pontellier’s journey toward ultimate freedom. In the beginning, birds represent Edna feeling trapped and oppressed. For instance, the opening of the novel includes a parrot in a cage squawking at Leonce to ‘go away.’

    Read More

  • How Does Kate Chopin Use Birds In The Awakening

    1177 Words  | 5 Pages

    Chopin includes another bird metaphor in a conversation between Edna and Alcee Arobin, one of her lovers. Edna muses about a prior exchange with Mademoiselle Reisz, telling Alcee how Reisz compared Edna to a bird, one that must "soar above the level plane of tradition a prejudice" (88) with "strong wings" (88). Reisz recognizes the struggle within Edna, encouraging escape, but Edna turns down the notion even though she notes later that she did not fully understand Reisz's comment at the time. Chopin indicates that Reisz metacognitively understands Edna's femininity better than Edna does. Edna continues to ponder the metaphor, marking a turning point in the story where she takes charge of her

    Read More

  • Symbolism In Catherine Called Birdy

    631 Words  | 3 Pages

    Catherine owns a number of caged birds in her chamber. The birds symbolise freedom and the cages she keeps them in symbolises lack of freedom. “I told all this to the cages of birds in my chamber and they listened quite politely. I began to keep birds in order to hear them chirping, but most often now they have to listen to mine”. Symbolism helps show how her perspective changes as she matures.

    Read More

  • Edna Pontellier's Attitudes Toward Motherhood In The Awakening

    1044 Words  | 5 Pages

    This novel, The Awakening, is about a woman named Edna Pontellier learns to think of herself as an independent human being. Also, Edna Pontellier refuses to obey against the social norms by leaving her husband Leónce Pontellier and having an affair with Robert Lebrun. Kate Chopin describes societal expectations and the battle of fitting the mold of motherhood in the Awakening by how Edna Pontellier and Adele Ratignolle contribute to their family in different ways. Edna Pontellier’s attitude toward motherhood is that she is not a perfect mother-women. Adele Ratignolle’s attitude toward motherhood is that she is a perfect mother-women.

    Read More

  • Outward Conformity In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    825 Words  | 4 Pages

    Edna fully understands that society would brand her as a terrible woman, but she does not view herself as a bad person. There is an external and internal difference that Edna hopes to one day reconcile. Chopin, instead of creating tension within Edna, created tension within the society and Edna with her newfound independence does not mind how society classifies her. Decisively, it can be concluded that the tension between outward conformity and inward questioning builds the meaning of the novel by examining Edna’s role as a wife, mother, and as nontraditional woman in the traditional Victorian period.

    Read More

  • Birds And Other Things We Placed In Our Hearts By Timmy Reed

    1259 Words  | 6 Pages

    In Timmy Reeds short story, “Birds and Other Things We Placed in Our Hearts,” there is a significant amount of imagery and symbolism through the authors use of style, characterization, and theme. The profound use of symbolism in the authors style of writing greatly captures the use of imagery throughout the story. The beginning sentence of the story reads, “As our chests hollowed out, we filled them with birds” (Reed). This beginning sentence is simply stating that the hearts of humans have withered away, leaving them feeling empty, and to fill that emptiness they filled their cavity with birds.

    Read More

  • Ocean Symbolism In The Awakening

    925 Words  | 4 Pages

    Kate Chopin conveys the feelings and internal conflict of Edna Pontellier through using the ocean as a symbol of Edna’s awakening and rebirth, and birds as symbols of how women felt trapped by gender roles during this time. These symbols convey the overbearing and oppressive standards women were held to throughout the nineteenth

    Read More

  • Feminism: An Explication Of Shay Alexi's Song Of The Pretty Bird

    677 Words  | 3 Pages

    The author uses this line to make an exaggeration about the extreme change of the pretty bird’s current self and its past. It shows how, unlike the current pretty pink bird, her past self was smart and capable of doing many great things. Overall, the poetic devices integrated allow for us to share the bird's view and feelings. Meaning/Theme-

    Read More

  • Attitudes Toward Motherhood In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    617 Words  | 3 Pages

    In The Awakening by Kate Chopin, she uses attitudes towards motherhood to convey a contrast in Madame Ratignolle and Edna Pontellier’s mothering techniques. In this book, Chopin describes that women are only useful for marriage, having kids, cooking, cleaning, and other sexist roles. A perfect woman was seen as someone who “worships” their husbands and caters to all. The women’s main goals in life would to be married and have children, and if this did not happen they were seen in society as nothing and that they did not reach their expectation as women. Edna’s rebel towards these expectations allow her to live the life she wants and to find herself.

    Read More

  • Edna's Roles In The Awakening

    1386 Words  | 6 Pages

    In Kate Chopin’ s novel, The Awakening, there are three identities inside of the female leading role, Edna Pontellier, being a wife, mother and own self. Edna was born in 19th century at the Vitoria period, a patriarchy society, women have low freedom to achieve personal goal. She married with Léonce Pontellier, a wealthy man with Creole descent. After having a child, her life is still unchangeable and as bored as before. Until she encountered Robert Leburn, Mademoiselle Reisz, and Alcée Arobin, her value of self-cognition has changed.

    Read More

  • Adele And Edna Pontellier In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    519 Words  | 3 Pages

    Within the novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Madame Ratignolle’s character possesses traits that emphasize, by contrast the characteristics and behavior of Edna Pontellier. Despite being close friends within the novel, Adele and Edna have contrasting views and behaviors that illuminate the theme of female freedom and the tradition of female submission and male domination. Madame Ratignolle and Edna Pontellier are close friends, but their views toward raising children differ fundamentally. Madame Ratignolle would sacrifice her identity to devote herself entirely to her children, household, and husband, whereas Edna would not. Besides their views towards raising children, how they raise their children also differs.

    Read More

  • Motherhood In The Awakening

    919 Words  | 4 Pages

    Kate Chopin’s The Awakening was written at the end of the nineteenth century, where many roles for women began to change; therefore, the it appears to have been a turning point for females (“The Role of the Wife and Mother”). These changes in female roles were mostly due to the actions of women themselves, motivated by their desires to break away from the limits imposed on their gender The nineteenth century was a critical point in time for women, in regards to their roles in society (“The Role of the Wife and Mother”). In The Awakening, Edna goes through noteworthy changes in the course of the novel, which reconstructs her into a woman who goes against societal ideals regarding motherhood and marriage . In the 1890s, motherhood was viewed

    Read More

  • The Awakening And Story Of An Hour Analysis

    822 Words  | 4 Pages

    In Kate Chopin 's novel The Awakening and the short story “The Story of An Hour” feminist beliefs overshadow the value in moral and societal expectations during the turn of the century. Due to Louise Mallard and Edna Pontellier Victorian life style they both see separating from their husband as the beginning of their freedom. Being free from that culture allows them to invest in their personal interest instead of being limited to what 's expected of them. Chopin 's sacrifices her own dignity for the ideal of society’s expectations. Chopin 's sad, mysterious tone seems to support how in their era, there was a significant lack of women 's rights and freedom of expression.

    Read More

  • The Awakening Bird Symbolism Essay

    791 Words  | 4 Pages

    Chopin ties the bird falling back to all previous bird related symbolism, especially when Mademoiselle Reisz checks out Edna’s wings. This final mention of birds is extremely significant. Throughout Edna’s entire story birds have always been present. Birds have been telling the reader what she is struggling though. When a bird can’t fly Edna’s story, essentially her struggle, is over.

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Othello's Jealousy In 'The Awakening'

    500 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening” shows a controversial protagonist, Edna Pontellier. The character in the novel showed different expectations for women and their supposed roles. One literary critic, Megan Kaplon showed how this novel can be viewed as a struggle of the world or society around her. Edna in the story is trying to find freedom and individuality Kaplon mentions that “one of her most shocking actions was her denial of her role as a mother and wife.”

    Read More

More about Bird Symbolism In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

Open Document