The Awakening: A Short Story

A flying motif also conveys Edna Pontellier, as the feeling of being stripped of her freedom by society continues to broaden. "A GREEN AND YELLOW parrot, which hung in a cage outside the door," (Pg.1)

Kate Chopin uses the process of being exiled throughout her novel The Awakening in order to illuminate this particular piece of work of hers. She twists it in a way where it illuminates her novel to both the readers and to the characters within it. Not only did she do that, but she also uses being exiled to show that performing this action can cause the person who was exiled to become both alienated and enriched. With this particular piece of her work, she uses the character Robert Lebrun as the person this process happens to.

We must come to see the day… not of the white men, not of the

Tom Walker was on his way to his home in the big city of Boston, MA. He was headed home from a busy and stressful day of work. On his way, Tom started feeling reluctant about going home. He knew as soon as he had gotten home, his wife would start whining and complaining. Tom was miserable with his wife because all they did was fight and argue. Instead of going straight home, Tom decided to take a little detour. As he was driving, Tom noticed a path he’d never seen before, so he decided to go down the path. Once on the path, the sky suddenly turned dark. While Tom was driving, he came to a point on the path that was blocked by a tree. Tom got out of his car to remove the fallen tree from the path. Attempting to pick up the tree, Tom notices something carved into the bark. Hand-carved into the bark of the tree was the name “John”. Tom read the name multiple times in his head before coming to the conclusion that it was his co-worker. Suddenly there was a rustle in the bushes and out of the darkness Tom heard a voice.

In The Awakening, Kate Chopin demonstrates the struggle of women to gain independence in society. Edna Pontellier has this epiphany about her marriage to Lèonce before she had broken the vase. The broken vase symbolizes the movement of rebellion abasing social norm, and being treated like an object by her husband.

In the novel, The Awakening, Edna Pontellier commits the final act of embracing death once she comes to the realisation that she would always be chained by her obligation to her children thus being incapable of achieving ultimate freedom. To Edna, death becomes a type of spiritual triumph over and a defiant refusal against society and her children’s constraints. She refuses to regression back to her previous self, the demure, submissive woman she was before she arrived at Grand Isle, before she ever came in contact with the Gulf, her true first and final lover, and discovered her true self.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin is a novel filled with many conflicting perspectives in the mind of Edna Pontellier. Mrs. Pontellier is a complex character filled with different desires and ambitions for what she wants out of her life. Throughout the novel, we get to know the many sides to this character and we see who she becomes and how that leads to her eventual peaceful downfall. Starting from the beginning, she seems to have the same ideals as the typical woman in her time, but she is unhappy and her unhappiness leads to rebellion and the breaking of social norms.

In Kate Chopin 's novel The Awakening and the short story “The Story of An Hour” feminist beliefs overshadow the value in moral and societal expectations during the turn of the century. Due to Louise Mallard and Edna Pontellier Victorian life style they both see separating from their husband as the beginning of their freedom. Being free from that culture allows them to invest in their personal interest instead of being limited to what 's expected of them. Chopin 's sacrifices her own dignity for the ideal of society’s expectations. Chopin 's sad, mysterious tone seems to support how in their era, there was a significant lack of women 's rights and freedom of expression.

In Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening, mother and wife Edna Pontellier experiences a life-changing awakening in late 1800s New Orleans, Louisiana. Edna and her husband Léonce are prominent figures in the Creole society, though Edna has no love for her spouse. While it is unacceptable to have an affair in this time and culture, Edna falls in love with a younger man, Robert Lebrun, while on summer holiday in Grande Isle. Here, she begins her awakening. When the two part ways, the known womanizer, Alcée Arobin, enters her life. She has a physical relationship with him while still married, yet in love with Robert. Edna battles with her emotions to find what she wants in life. Edna finds the outcome to be that she will never be able to have what

Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome, and Kate Chopin’s The Awakening are novels that represent the traps that society has set forth for them. In both novels, suicide is seen as the only way to escape from their constricted circumstances in which these people are expected to live in. The Frome’s and The Pontellier’s have very similar circumstances, such as blaming each other for their problems, and having marriage’s which they are not happy in. “Her marriage to Leonce Pontellier was purely an accident, in this respect resembling many other marriages which masquerade as the decrees of Fate.” (29, Chopin)

The First and Second Great Awakening brought forth religious and social movements that impacted the American culture, appealing to the individual. Occurring in the early 18th century, the First Great Awakening was born within the 13 British Colonies with the Revolutionary War on the horizon. Decades later, the Second Great Awakening flourished under revivals and reforms, impacting the 19th century and years to follow. Despite being born out of different climates, The First and Second Great Awakening was characterized by the rejection of rational thinking for emotional preaching that reached the heart and soul, inspiring change in the negative perception of reason and positive perception of emotion and individualism in religion as well as the

The Enlightenment began in Europe in the 18th century; American colonists believed that God’s greatest gift to mankind was reason which allowed people to follow the moral teachings of Jesus. The Enlightenment challenged the role of religion and divine right and this helped Colonial America to see that it was possible to challenge God and divine right. The movement challenged the role of God and allowed people to see that they were important and had the ability to shape their own lives. The Great Awakening ended up weakening the importance of clergy as believers started relying on their own conclusions.

Besides English settlers there were numerous other representatives of the European countries settling in the new land. And as the Puritans came to practice their own believes so did other nationalities, as explained in the study material. In my own interpretation America represents change and the believe system as well as the way religion was previously practiced was now changing. This change was greatly influenced by the intellectual movement called Enlightenment, which started in Europe and this influence had bearing on the Great Awakening. Besides Puritans now there were Catholics in Maryland, Quakers in Pennsylvania and the Episcopal Church in the southern states. Just as new economic opportunities started to develop there was no longer a need for the strict rules of Theocracy and many of the new religious branches embraced the idea that not only the select few predestined by God are worthy of saving.

Léonce Pontellier plays a critical role in Kate Chopin’s novel “The Awakening.” While it is possible to view him as an oppressor, this would not do justice to the complexities of his personality. Mr. Pontellier’s physical presence in the story decreases as Edna seeks to distance herself further and further from him, but the his effects on her continue to be highly visible. Léonce’s character is significant because he represents someone who has fully bought into the expectations and roles to be played by a man in the Victorian Era, providing contrast to Edna as she rejects those constraints.

In the end (lines 142-162) Charles can not find his book, which makes him yell for Katherine, but when she comes to help him, he can not recognize her. He does not know who she is, and asks her what she has done to his wife. He is very upset about his book being gone, which makes Katherine scared and uncomfortable. (Line 146) “His anger makes her start, like tasting sour milk.” His anger scares her, probably because she has never seen him react this way before. When he can not recognize her as his wife, she completely freezes (line 153): “She feels aware of her arms, how they dangle stupidly by her sides.” Katherine is complete shocked that he can not recognize him. She can not move or think straight, which is why she only manages a whisper