Henry James And Kate Chopin's The Awakening

Chopin first portrays Madame Pontellier through her want for individuality by making her own choices. Edna then decides to show her idea of a strong woman by going against her domestic chores and perusing art. Lastly, Edna is portrayed as a woman who wants equality through her choices to express her sexual desires. One of Kate Chopin’s characters, Edna is portrayed as a feminist throughout the story. All through the story, Chopin presents Edna as an aspiring independent Victorian woman who goes against this eras concept of a wife, mother, and woman.

As the book travels on Edna defines this role less and less, as well providing several thoughts formally against it. Other characters in the Awakening such as Mademoiselle Reiz, also do not stand well as perfect examples of how 1800th century women were supposed to behave. Adele was written by Chopin as a friend, alone, in concept that she would provide readers with the standard for American women during this era. Adele loves her life and “She is what all women in her society should be like; she puts her husband and children first, centering her life around her family and her domestic duties(Miller).” Adele is also perceived as woman of self-sacrifice showing almost no interest in her own ambitions, or her own cares.

There are many ideas as to what makes a feminist icon. Samantha Brennan discusses about a childhood female character that represents feminism and a body-confident role model. In her article "Miss Piggy's Feminism, Redefining Human Relationships through Martial Arts" Brennan creates an educational diction through viewing how Miss Piggy from The Muppet Show has the potential to be a feminist icon. Writing with a proud and didactic tone throughout her article, she shows how Miss Piggy's character is a good choice as a feminist icon. Brennan states that at a younger age she did not look up to Miss Piggy but as an adult she sees the qualities that the character has as a feminist icon.

In chapters 21-26 of The Awakening by Kate Chopin Edna Pontellier begins a new relationship with another player of the town. She soon realizes that she is truly in love with Robert and decides to move out of her house. This would allow her to finally be free from her husband, and she would not need his money or support to live her life. Enda becomes extremely close to Mademoiselle Reisz, because in many ways they are similar. Mademoiselle Reisz is an independent woman which is what Edna is longing for.

Throughout the nineteenth century, the age of Edna Pontellier, a female`s role in society was restricted to worshipping her kids and conforming to her spouse. Kate Chopin's The Awakening encompasses the disappointment and achievement in a female's life as she endeavors to survive these stringent cultural demands. Disregarding the stereotype of a "mother-woman," Edna fights the pressures that require her to follow a submissive and dutiful routine. Though Edna's eventual suicide misrepresents her struggles against a tyrannical society, The Awakening upholds and promotes feminism as a method for women to acquire individual identity. Birds play an imperative role in Edna's development.

Edna Pontellier was indeed a heroic woman due to her act of independence. Edna Pontellier was not only heroic but brave. Edna Pontellier separated from her husband and moved into a new residence by herself which inspired other women from her community thus she was heroic. She was able to communicate with her husband and inform him that she is abandoning her home and was able to manage herself without approval from her husband, Edna Pontellier was an inspiring, brave, heroic, and independent woman. Kate Chopin portrays the idea of femininity on the count of the inequality towards women in the time

In The Awakening, Edna represents desire, impulse, and rebellion. While Adele represents the socially accepted woman, she is submissive, obedient, and a homemaker. This drastic contrast facilitates Chopin's emphasis on Edna’s rebellion, and how drastic it was for the time period. “Edna's experience of self-discovery, "tangled" and chaotic and therefore "vague" or hard for her to comprehend, touches upon a core issue, of individual variation and the uncertainty involved in its creation, expression, and consequences.” (Glendening).

Edna goes from being a timid housewife to an autonomous young woman who tries to change her role in society. When Edna first arrives in Grand Isle, she is a typical woman of her era. She is shyer than most women and is very

In the beginning of the novel, Edna is introduced as a woman who “failed

One element being demonstrated in the story is the theme. The theme is important for setting an ambience within the story. An analysis on Kate Chopin’s “The Storm” demonstrates the theme of freedom, happiness, and adultery. The first theme Chopin demonstrates is the freedom of women in the nineteenth century. Many women

Edna is battling against the societal and characteristic structures of parenthood that drive her to be characterized by her title as wife of Leonce Pontellier and mother of Raoul and Etienne Pontellier, rather than being her own, self-characterized person. Through Chopin 's attention on two other female characters, Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle

This short story is an embellishment to illustrate the impact of the Rest Cure. “The story is not intended to drive people crazy, but to save people from being driven crazy, and it worked,” Charlotte Perkins Gilman declared (Siegel, 2008). Similar to Lauren Hale, countless women are able to resonate with Gilman and “The Yellow Wallpaper” (2008). Lauren Hale explains being able to identify with the main character due to her own journey of motherhood and insanity thereafter. Charlotte Perkins Gilman successfully incorporated a realistic insanity into the main character of the short story as well as exposing the mental health diagnoses and cures for the 19th century.

“There was nothing which so quieted the turmoil of Edna’s senses as a visit to Mademoiselle Reisz. It was then, in the presence of that personality which was offensive to her, that the woman, by her divine art, seemed to reach Edna’s spirit and set it free.” (Chopin

Since Northanger Abbey is set in the 19th century, it is realistic image of young female instead of the common Gothic novel. A typical gothic novel is filled with danger, challenges and violence; however, Austen creates a satire of gothic novels and thus makes the storyline and characters more realistic. Such as protagonist Catherine has no special talents and achieves her goal of getting married to a wealthy man and maturing as a person during the course of her adventure. In conclusion, Northanger Abbey by Austen is a realistic coming of age novel in the 19th century. Catherine commences as a naïve young girl whom like most youth mistakes fiction with reality.

Many individuals believe that we live in a perfect environment, without all of the violence or prejudice. The feminist group rejects that idea since the views of women in society is the man’s tool. To fight back this ideal, the people write stories with female protagonists who challenge the social norms, one example being Kate Chopin’s The Awakening. The novella gives life to the motherly Adele Ratignolle, the unconventional Reisz, and the stubborn protagonist Edna Pontellier. Mrs. Pontellier is a rebellious woman trapped in a strict culture who finds freedom during her vacation in Grand Isle.