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Naturalism In The Awakening

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Naturalism is a broad term which is used to describe a period in time as well as a type of literature. Literacy naturalism is defined as “a type of literature that attempts to apply scientific principles of objectivity and detachment to its study of human beings. Unlike realism, which focuses on literary technique, naturalism implies a philosophical position: for naturalistic writers, since human beings are, […], "human beasts," characters can be studied through their relationships to their surroundings”. (Campbell) Naturalistic writers used a version of the scientific method to write their novels; through using an objective study of human beings they discovered their instincts and passions. Naturalistic writers wish to discover the laws which govern human lives, such as heredity and environment. “The Awakening” by Kate Chopin is therefore in every sense a naturalist novel as it contains such elements. The protagonist, Edna Pontellier, is surrounded by a world with which she does not fit in; she is a victim of sociological pressures, pressures that result in her perishing. While she is slowly trying to escape the norms of society at the time, everyone around her is closing in on her and she is therefore forced by her environment to take steps she would not otherwise take. Thus an important feature of a naturalist novel comes to light; “the determination by personal traits and by social forces in the family, the class and the milieu” Deutschstunden). Edna’s self-realisation

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