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Katherine O Flaherty And The Awakening

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Awoken
To say the 19th century American writer Kate Chopin was ahead of her time would be a grave understatement. This is a woman that pushed boundaries at a time where women were viewed and expected to act in a completely different way than what is known today; her works are extremely relevant- even to have been published in the 1890s- in today’s world, a world where many prominent female figures continue to take steps to shake the standard.
Kate Chopin was not born as a Chopin, but rather to the name Katherine O’Flaherty; she was of french descent on both sides of her family, a fact important given her very writing style in her wide array of successful work was noted to be heavily inspired by that of French Literature. Nonetheless, through a social event in St. Louis (for the high class, I might add) Kate met Oscar Chopin of Natchitoches Parish (that’s right, here in LA) and, as cliché as it sounds, it was love at first sight. A love that …show more content…

Traditional in the sense that for the longest time (not to pretend the notion is not alive and well today), women were expected to live in a manner that satisfied that of the family and the husband- the woman and her desires being of the least importance. Insert Edna Pontellier of the The Awakening, a character described perfectly by CliffsNotes as “[someone who] undergoes a significant change in attitude, behavior, and overall character throughout the course of the novel, as she becomes aware of and examines the private, unvoiced thoughts that constitute her true self.” Reading the plot of The Awakening, and learning of Pontellier’s conflict and development throughout this story of self discovery, to the 21st century eyes it is a theme that doesn’t seem so “controversial”. Alas, by the standards of the late 19th century, this was likely considered “the devil’s

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