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Juxtaposition In The Awakening

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Chopin is widely known for the support of female independence and self-fulfillment, and in her most influential and famous work, The Awakening, she depicts Edna’s desire to explore and find her true self, which was often condemned in Chopin's time period as it was against societal standards. In Chopin’s writing, she incorporates plentiful amounts of figurative languages to portray Edna’s rebellion which include symbolism, foreshadowing, and juxtaposition. Out of the many methods Chopin used to depict Edna’s rebellion, the sea was a very prominent allegory to represent her freedom, rebirth, and her escape from expectations in society. The sea helps Edna achieve her desires and pushes her to see the potential to fill her life with excitement …show more content…

Ever since Edna’s awakening, her life has become more black and white on melancholy days and more colorful and vibrant on bright, jolly days; there was no in between. For example, when Robert left for Mexico, Edna realized that he had “taken the brightness, the color, the meaning out of everything.” (Chapter 16) She was distraught by the fact that the man she was infatuated with for the past couple of weeks who stayed by her side for most of the hours in each day just left without any excusable explanation while her marriage to her husband was completely accidental and on the brim of falling apart. There was a big difference in how Edna accepted her marriage with Léonce in the beginning compared to the end. Before Edna left for the beach, she had given her ring to Léonce and slipped it on her figure without hesitation. But in Chapter 17, she took her wedding ring and “stamp[ed] her heel upon it, striving to crush it.” (Chapter 17) These two particular scenes were very important to the development of the story and Edna’s path of rebellion. Ever since Edna’s awakening, she has slowly begun showing independence and oppose the fact that she is her husband’s prized possession. Edna hates being tied down to society’s standards; therefore, Chopin wants to represents how Edna transforms through the comparison of Edna’s

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