ipl-logo

Edna Pontellier's Heroic Individualism In 'The Awakening'

794 Words4 Pages

Albert D. Saba
Mr. Amoroso
AP Literature
Period: 3AP
Topic: 1
LAP
The Awakening
A novel by
Kate Chopin

Will the chains and the unspoken pain unshackle through one’s heroic individualism? In the novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Edna Pontellier becomes a heroic figure to herself as well as for women through the search of her self-identity. In the context of the late 1800s, it was very unusual for a female of that time to be as courageous and rebellious as Edna Pontellier portrayed. Edna Pontellier lived in a world where the free will of a woman was considered a fantasy. Thus, the dreamer Edna Pontellier began to uncover the possibilities of women after constant self-assessments initiating a spark to her awakening.

A flying motif also conveys Edna Pontellier, as the feeling of being stripped of her freedom by society continues to broaden. "A GREEN AND YELLOW parrot, which hung in a cage outside the door," (Pg.1) …show more content…

Edna Pontellier possessed something rich and unworthy. Edna’s disregard for the individuals and society’s opinion did not force her to remain oppressed in the parrot’s cage nor become reluctant to the ocean. Edna’s heroic individualism liberated the chains that plagued her from flying and swimming into freedom and the discovery of Edna’s identity. All individuals experience various sorts of transitions in their life, whether it’s emotionally, physically, or mentally. It was Edna Pontellier’s journey of a thousand miles, new experiences and beginnings that led to the benefit of self- rule and sovereignty. The awakening of Edna Pontellier has undergone the ability to accept the end result of the turmoil situations, whether it was a negative or positive, it revealed Edna’s heroism. Despite Edna Pontellier’s nature of her particular situation (time period of the late 1800s) she expressed a great sum of bravery and valor. Edna Pontellier was a hero of her own

Show More
Related

  • How Does Edna Pontellier Build Social Boundaries In The Awakening

    1199 Words  | 5 Pages

    This is evidence that Edna can work for what she wants and Mrs. Ratignolle will be content with where she is at in life. Edna is also seen as “rather handsome than beautiful,” while Mrs. Ratignolle’s beauty was all there” (page 7, 19). Adele Ratignolle is a prime example of a proper woman from this time period and it benefits in showing how special, different, and free-thinking Edna is. It seems that Edna is covetous of Adele Ratignolle and her husband’s relationship; however, the younger wife knows that she wants more to her life than just taking care of a family. These comparisons show how different Mrs. Pontellier is from the regular, household keeping, rule-abiding women of the time.

    Read More

  • Edna Pontellier In The Awakening

    429 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the book the Awakening, the protagonist Edna Pontellier surrendered in the most serious ways, death. From the beginning to the end Edna changed how she acted. When her true character came to the surface Edna decided to surrender. When Edna surrenders and kills herself I believe that it was an act of triumph and that it was her way of finally being free.

    Read More

  • Edna Pontellier In The Awakening

    757 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Awakening Essay Edna Pontellier in The Awakening strives to find her individuality and personal freedom. However, Edna lives in a time when women are expected to live their lives as wives and mothers, not as people with their own volition. When she begins to awaken from her state of submission she finds herself and strays outside the realm of social acceptance in doing so. She does not obey her husband’s will without question, she is not a mother-woman who devotes herself solely to her children. She would rather be wandering the city or painting than taking callers and keeping up the house.

    Read More

  • Edna Pontellier In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    1059 Words  | 5 Pages

    “They were women who idolized their children, worshipped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals to grow wings as ministering angels” (Chopin 8). Mr. Pontellier did not want her to recognize herself as a person, he wanted her to live only for him and his children as a devoted mother-woman should. Returning back home to New Orleans was met with constant fighting because of Edna’s new determination to become her own person. “Mr. Pontellier had been a rather courteous husband so long as he met a certain tact submissiveness in his life. But her

    Read More

  • When The Awakening Quotes

    1269 Words  | 6 Pages

    At first it might seem Edna does not care about her children, but in reality, Edna cares about her children, even if she has to sacrifice her life. But she won’t give up herself as a person. Mr. Pontellier was angry at his wife for not doing what she is suppose to do as a wife. Edna said the her husband, “I feel like painting….Perhaps I shan’t always feel like it”(108).

    Read More

  • Sexism In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    1336 Words  | 6 Pages

    This patriarchal domination was exactly what Edna resented about society. Edna had also come from Kentucky, as state that represented a culture much different than that of the Creole’s and Chopin points out this juxtaposition multiple times throughout the novel saying, “Mrs. Pontellier, though she had married a Creole, was not thoroughly at home in the society of Creoles” (Chopin 12) As she continued to search for independence and freedom from the constraints of her marriage, motherhood, and social expectations, she came to a loss. She soon realized that she could make a decision for herself and that was ultimately her decision to end her life, a decision that she felt would lead her to the independence and fulfillment that she so

    Read More

  • Edna Pontellier's Awakening

    290 Words  | 2 Pages

    The rebirth of the unknown outshines wisdom and understanding of the social aspects of life. Through life experiences an individual’s conscience is filed with unanswered questions being chained down to society. The life of a woman during the 1800s has chained down to responsibilities and duties to fulfill. In the novel “Awakening by Kate Chopin ‘protagonist Edna Pontellier is victimized by the rules and aspects of society that seem to overshadow self-identity. Throughout life 'Knowledge comes with understanding'.

    Read More

  • Edna Pontellier's Awakening

    325 Words  | 2 Pages

    The rebirth of the unknown outshines wisdom and understanding of the social aspects of life. Through life experiences an individual’s conscience is filed with unanswered questions being chained down to society. The life of a woman during the 1800s has chained down to responsibilities and duties to fulfill. In the novel “Awakening by Kate Chopin ‘protagonist Edna Pontellier is victimized by the rules and aspects of society that seem to overshadow self-identity. Throughout life 'Knowledge comes with understanding'.

    Read More

  • What Does Water Symbolize In The Awakening

    946 Words  | 4 Pages

    Edna begins as a wife unsatisfied with her married life and responsibilities as a mother. This entrapment is symbolized as a green and yellow parrot in a cage that has the right to make all the fuss it wants, although still stuck in a cage, void of the interactions that it longs for. The confines of Edna’s marriage are preventing her from flying out into the world so she can experience it for herself. Edna must escape from her caged existence and find her wings in order to soar. Building strength as an independent woman, Edna finds great value in her relationship with Mademoiselle Reisz who is an artist and inspirational female figure to Edna.

    Read More

  • Bird Symbolism In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    193 Words  | 1 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • How Is The Awakening Related To Edna's Declaration Of Independence

    297 Words  | 2 Pages

    Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, is a story about a protagonist named Edna Pontellier. Throughout the novel, Edna is striving for some form of independence. However, she had no way to obtain it as she felt trapped by her marriage. Eventually, Edna was finally “awakened” and started to act on her discovery of her true-self. This true-self was one that did not live vicariously through her kids or her husband.

    Read More

  • What Is Edna Pontellier's Role In The Awakening

    1252 Words  | 6 Pages

    In the novel The Awakening by Kate Chopin, the main character, Edna faces many challenges that she has to overcome. While trying to overcome them, she makes decisions that not only effect her life, but the lives of others. Edna Pontellier is a woman that grew up in the late 1800s who tries to break away from the normal gender roles of this time period. She does this by separating herself from her home, husband, children and by acknowledging her sexual desires. A lot of people do not agree with Edna's actions because they feel as if she is abandoning her children and ignoring her responsibilities.

    Read More

  • Who Is Edna Pontellier In The Awakening

    430 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the story, “The Awakening,” by Kate Chopin, the main character, Edna Pontellier truly goes through an “awakening”, or self-discovery throughout the story. It is quite interesting how at a glance, Edna is seen as an elegant and devoted wife and mother, but in reality, she was not satisfied with both her marriage and her current lifestyle, and yearned to be an independent woman. It is clear that this story is ideal to teach in American Literature for several reasons. First and foremost, the story was a psychological journey rather than a physical one. For this reason, a reader must analyze and make sense of the thoughts and feelings that Edna shared throughout the book to come to conclusions about how she has gone through an “awakening.”

    Read More

  • Edna Pontellier's Transformation In The Awakening

    1095 Words  | 5 Pages

    I can’t make it more clear; it’s only something which I am beginning to comprehend, which is revealing itself to me’. Not only is Edna's emerging sense of self revealed in this chapter, but also revealed is her unwillingness to give up this self that is becoming better known to her during this summer of awakening. Her sense of self is based on the sum of her private thoughts and unspoken emotions. Such thoughts constitute a self apart from her identity as a mother, an identity based on externals: certain behaviors, attitudes, and activities constitute motherhood for Edna, rather than an innate sense of connection with or responsibility for her children.

    Read More

  • Edna Pontellier's Criticism In The Awakening

    248 Words  | 1 Pages

    In 1899, Kate Chopin introduced the world to one of the most dynamic fictional women in history in her revolutionary novel, The Awakening. A defiant, passionate, self-aware heroine, Edna Pontellier is the woman I would choose to converse with. At the time of its publication, The Awakening received unrelenting criticism for Edna’s bad parenting, disloyalty to her husband, promiscuity, and decision to take her life due to the overwhelming isolation she felt. I would like to ask Edna what she thinks of these criticisms.

    Read More

More about Edna Pontellier's Heroic Individualism In 'The Awakening'

Open Document