How does the novel exhibit realism, naturalism, regionalism, and local color? Look for evidence of each while you read to note of specific examples. The realism in the novel is expressed through sights, the sounds, and the characters. The novel is set in Grand Isle and New Orleans. Grand Isle is beach community and the “narrow bridges”(43) “connected the Lebrun cottages one with the other.”(43). New Orleans was a busy city, with “a constant stream of callers”(100) on Tuesday when women would hold their reception days. Through sound, the novel also expresses realism. On Grand Isle, it was not uncommon for the yellow parrot to yell out “Allez vous-en!”(43). The sound of Mademoiselle Reisz play music made everyone happy, especially Edna because …show more content…
The result of the naturalism in the book is that Edna doesn’t fit in with her current society, so she tries to break free from it and eventually caves to the societal pressures and commits suicide. One could look at it as if it was survival of the fittest and Edna was not fit to survive in the Creole environment, so she left it the only way she thought possible. Regionalism and local color and essentially the same in The Awakening. The often use of French words and phrases like “Pauvre chérie.”(61) or “Blagueur-farceur-gros bête va!”(54). The use of the phrases show that the French settled around the region of New Orleans and the language has been passed down to each generation. Throughout the novel, most characters are referred to as Mr., Mrs., or Madam. The use of these respectful titles was common in the southern region of the United States because of the aristocratic societies that had settled there before, like the French. Even though Edna had married a Creole, she did feel “at home in the society of the Creoles”(52). The Creole society was in the southern US, particularly focused in the New Orleans
The novel begins located on Grand Isle, an island resort off the coast of Louisiana, inhabited by the wealthy Creole families throughout the summer. The men go back to the city to work during the week leaving the women and children. While on the island Edna Pontellier meets a man who pays her special attention, named Robert Lebrun. They spend lots of time together, Edna especially enjoys it beings her husband is always too preoccupied with his business. During the time spent, Edna discovers self-wants, interests, and desires.
This novel's main subject matter is that not everything stays the same and some things can change and you have to accept it. At the beginning of the novel, Lonnie was a very extroverted child and she started to get hushed by Miss. Edna slowly becomes quieter as it states. “Wouldn’t always be telling me to be quiet”
Kate Chopin was born named Catherine O’Flaherty in St.Louis on February 8, 1850. Chopin was brought up in a home dominated by women. Her father, a successful Irish businessman died when she was five years old. Her mother was Eliza Faris came from a old French family that lived closely to St.Louis. Chopin spent her childhood in a attic constantly reading new books as well as being told stories about her great-great-grandmother who was a very successful person.
In the story, the only place where Edna could experience freedom and find her awakening was the sea. Thus, when she commits suicide one can see how the sea was the root for Edna finding her self-discovery. Through suicide individuals can see how it was the only escape for a woman who was living under oppression. Suicide not only shows that oppression was impossible to escape for a woman, but at the the same time it shows that suicide was the only way
It seems then, that Edna must have the mockingbird role-model -- someone who understands her mysterious language as the mockingbird understands the parrot’s. If the parrot stands for Edna, the mockingbird must represents Mademoiselle Reisz, the unorthodox and self-reliant pianist who inspires Edna’s independence in the novel. Like the parrot, Edna is valued by society for her physical appearance, and like the mockingbird, Mademoiselle Reisz is valued by society for her musical talent. Although the parrot and the mockingbird are different, the two birds can communicate since they share (like Edna and Mademoiselle Reisz metaphorically) the common experience of being caged. The metaphor of the pet bird applies not only to Edna and Mademoiselle Reisz but also to most women in the nineteenth century.
While at the Grand Isle, Edna meets several contrasting characters who help develop her defiant thoughts eventually leading to her awakening. One of her closest friends, Madame Ratignolle, is described as the ideal mother and wife; she is attentive to her husband and cares for her children above all else. Ironically, Edna feels the opposite way; she would “give up the unessential; [she] would give [her] money, [she] would give [her] life for [her] children; but [she] wouldn’t give [her]self” (40). When she revealed this opinion to Madame Ratignolle “a rather heated argument [followed]; the two women did not appear to understand each other or to be talking the same language” (52). Edna’s attitude toward her children compared to Madame Ratignolle’s is the first of many rebellious
She gets extra jealous when he writes to Madame Lebrun, but not to her. Later, Edna returns back home to New Orleans as a whole new woman. She declares herself independent, and tries to forget Robert by seeking out Alcee
When she comes back from the island, this new outlook on life clashes with her husband’s old world values, and he endeavors to stop what he sees as utter madness. At one point, a family doctor recommends to Léonce that Edna spend time at her ancestral home, far away from the water, to return her behavior to what he knows as normal. Edna expresses a dislike of and actively avoids certain parts of society, but cannot fully separate herself from the motherly duties forced onto her by traditional gender roles, unlike her muse Mademoiselle Reisz. These duties, ultimately, prove to be the fetters that cause Edna to sink downward, and lead her to end her life in the same ocean where it truly
It is common for people in everyday society to conform to society’s expectations while also questioning their true desires. In the novel, The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, the main protagonist Edna Pontellier is said to possess, "That outward existence which conforms, the inward life that questions." In other words, Edna outwardly conforms while questioning inwardly. Kate Chopin, uses this tension between outward conformity and inward questioning to build the meaning of the novel by examining Edna’s role as a wife, mother, and as nontraditional woman in the traditional Victorian period. Edna outwardly conforms to society’s expectations by marriage.
family and from pursuing her own interests. Unhappy with her conditions, Edna rebels against them, however this results in her not being accepted in society. Thus, Edna deliberately sacrifices her freedom in a way which Edna’s value of free nonconformity. The sacrifice goes hand-in-hand with the meaning of the work as a whole that there is no place in society for those who do not conform to its expectations. A misogynistic and sexist time, the Victorian Era envisage and encloses women into a certain image that they are meant to be devoted, subordinate and more-or-less obsessed with their husband and family.
She wrote a short story The Awakening, which took place in New Orleans and told the struggle of Edna, a housewife and a mother, whether she should follow her heart or respect the tradition. She made the choice of rebelling the past and she started to seek for herself. It was an extreme role, once she realized what she is then she abandoned everything she had in the past; and she wanted to be set free from her family role and motherhood. “The years that are gone seem like dreams—if one might go on sleeping and dreaming—but to wake up and find—oh! Well!
However, Creole women were expected to be chaste, and would behave in a unreserved manner. The exposure to such openness is what frees Edna from her previously repressed emotions and desires and motivates her to become more independent. Because they are women, Adele and Edna do not have much freedom, as in comparison to men. However, Edna gains more freedom that is much closer to that of men when she abandons her household and social responsibilities. Edna’s refusal to follow and obey social conventions, allows her to spend her time on painting and sketching.
This description makes one consider this grand timeworn mansion sitting with farm field surrounding it, right in the middle of a historic plantation. Leaving the reader with a sense of what American’s lives were in
The Awakening is a novel written by Kate Chopin that follows a woman named Edna Pontellier on her journey to self-awareness. Edna lived a comfortable lifestyle with her husband and two children in Louisiana during the 19th century. Despite obtaining all aspects to a perfect life, Edna became dissatisfied after meeting Robert Lebrun in Grand Isle. Robert sparked a desire for unlawful lust as well as a yearning for independence in a society full of conformed standards. Edna was unable to handle the pressures associated with achieving personal freedom which ultimately led to her death.
A Small Place authored by Jamaica Kincaid is consistent with these words. Her work showed great passion illustrated through rude language to demonstrate her experiences. She, one of many people, experienced struggle and pain throughout her childhood. Now she shares the story of Antigua, her home. By viewing through the Postcolonial, Marxist, and New Criticism lenses, the reader is able to perceive Jamaica Kincaid’s perspective on the changes.