ipl-logo

The Awakening Reality Essay

672 Words3 Pages

The Reality of Edna’s Awakening
Kate Chopin’s The Awakening was a dramatic novella that was based on society and how Edna was treated, love and independence of finding her true self. The author inputs the theme in a numerous amount of literary devices that include round character, irony and a metaphor to exaggerate the theme. This shows how Edna has two sides to herself; the one that tries to fit into society and another side that the public can see as a swell mother.
First of all, Edna wanted to break her place in society as she was part of the “mother- woman” status. Chopin used round character to describe Edna’s dramatic change throughout the novel as she has the “ability to publicly flirt” and go with other men, even though she was originally …show more content…

When Chopin decided to use a metaphor to compare Edna and a struggling toddler, she did not want to be the typical household mom, but as herself in the process of becoming an independent woman. As she was having trouble changing and being a “tottering, stumbling, clutching child” (Chopin, page 46), Edna finally found herself also realizing “its powers” (Chopin, page 46) and decided to be confident with the changes that are happening and be the independent child that “walks for the first time alone, boldly and with over`confidence.” (Chopin, page 46). The author compares the child to Edna, considering that the child may have trouble when they first start learning how to walk, to see that it takes time to get the goal that you want to achieve. What Edna wanted to see was a change within herself, but it did not really benefit her or her family and friends at the end as it consequently caused conflict.
In conclusion, The Awakening was mainly about society, love and the independence of trying to find the true person of Edna Pontellier. Chopin used a numerous amount of literary devices in the novella that include round character, irony and a metaphor to exaggerate the theme. Edna wanted to discover herself in an Awakening by finding love from Robert and trying to escape the patriarchy of her husband, Leonce, but ended up in a conflict against her own loved ones that

Show More
Related

  • Juxtaposition In The Awakening

    999 Words  | 4 Pages

    Edna hates being tied down to society’s standards; therefore, Chopin wants to represents how Edna transforms through the comparison of Edna’s

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    1045 Words  | 5 Pages

    The focus of Chopin 's The Awakening is Edna 's conflict between her expected roles in society and her wants and desires. In this book Edna endeavors for self fulfillment, becomes seemingly impertinent, and ultimately feels cornered by the society in which she lives. Edna 's individualistic wants at first seem healthy, but quickly become out of hand as her thoughts become more chaotic. In her awakening, Edna is consumed by selfish desire. The aftermath of this desire leads her to feel as if she has been entrapped by society, ultimately leading to her destruction.

    Read More

  • Influences In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    2009 Words  | 9 Pages

    The Awakening is written in the third person omniscient point-of-view in order to help readers fully understand any complications in Edna’s transformation; this point of view provides an insight into the reality of Edna’s struggle for authenticity throughout the novel. In referring to being a mother or a wife as a role, it implies that women are just playing a part, pretending to be someone else, suppressing themselves, for the happiness of their family. Also Chopin’s use of the ‘un’ prefixes “acts as a juxtaposing force, drawing the reader’s attention to the emotion or act that Edna aims at, but cannot quite authentically experience” (Beer and Goodwyn). It is a sharp reversal of any new-found self-confidence; it acts as a cruel reminder of how close Edna gets to authenticity but ultimately finds it

    Read More

  • Patriarchy In The Awakening

    630 Words  | 3 Pages

    Edna was an individual, she strived by herself, which led to her being lost from finding who she truly was. As she grew, Edna became more self reliant and “even as a child she had lived her small life all within herself” (Chopin 18). Edna was shy as a child, she focused on herself, not others and supported herself alone. This leads to Edna being lost in who she is, all of her life she has had to focus on providing everything, so her true self is lost.

    Read More

  • Societal Norms In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    1842 Words  | 8 Pages

    Every step she took toward relieving herself from obligations added to her strength and expansion as an individual. She began to look with her own eyes; to see and to apprehend the deeper undercurrents of life. No longer was she content to “feed upon opinion” when her own soul had invited her” (Chopin 95). The character of Edna at the beginning of the novel is drastically different than the character of Edna after her journey of self-discovery as she would have never thought she would be the one to abandon her obligations, which only contributes to how out of the blue her fate was. This quote is a testament to Edna’s journey to find who she was apart from being a wife and mother.

    Read More

  • The Awakening Rhetorical Analysis

    1266 Words  | 6 Pages

    The most rewarding attributes of this experience for Edna would be the feeling of satisfaction of conquering something in a world where woman are seen as nothing; much like a child’s excitement at their newly gained knowledge. In Chopin’s own word she describes “A feeling of exultation overtook her as if some power of significant import had been given her to control the working of her body and her soul” (page27). Although she is not ashamed of who she is becoming there is still a need to hide which is greatly caused by her surroundings. This can be seen when Edna takes her turn reading a shared book that has been passed around the cottages. Reading this book left her wonderstruck

    Read More

  • Edna Pontellier's Attitudes Toward Motherhood In The Awakening

    1044 Words  | 5 Pages

    This novel, The Awakening, is about a woman named Edna Pontellier learns to think of herself as an independent human being. Also, Edna Pontellier refuses to obey against the social norms by leaving her husband Leónce Pontellier and having an affair with Robert Lebrun. Kate Chopin describes societal expectations and the battle of fitting the mold of motherhood in the Awakening by how Edna Pontellier and Adele Ratignolle contribute to their family in different ways. Edna Pontellier’s attitude toward motherhood is that she is not a perfect mother-women. Adele Ratignolle’s attitude toward motherhood is that she is a perfect mother-women.

    Read More

  • Outward Conformity In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    825 Words  | 4 Pages

    Edna fully understands that society would brand her as a terrible woman, but she does not view herself as a bad person. There is an external and internal difference that Edna hopes to one day reconcile. Chopin, instead of creating tension within Edna, created tension within the society and Edna with her newfound independence does not mind how society classifies her. Decisively, it can be concluded that the tension between outward conformity and inward questioning builds the meaning of the novel by examining Edna’s role as a wife, mother, and as nontraditional woman in the traditional Victorian period.

    Read More

  • Edna's Characterization In The Awakening

    467 Words  | 2 Pages

    Some of Edna’s most obvious decisions immediately question her weakness to handle pressure. Edna’s inability to show compassion and care for her children challenge this normalcy for a mother of the time period; Edna considered her children “like antagonists who had overcome her; who had overpowered and sought to drag her into the soul's slavery for the rest of her days” (Chopin 115). The children almost seemed like a burden, or a detriment to her. Edna’s doctor visit nearly foreshadows this mindset, where the doctor notes that

    Read More

  • External Expectations In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    889 Words  | 4 Pages

    As people grow old they tend to realize the mistakes they have made in life and try to make up for them. These realizations are mostly internal; however, there could be some external manifestations. The Awakening, by Kate Chopin shows how Edna has a realization that having a family is not what she wanted in life. Chopin is able to create a feeling of suspense and excitement through this event by illustrating Edna’s inner thoughts, including her past, the way she starts to act towards others and demonstrating the steps she takes towards freeing herself up. A reflection of Edna's past is described in the novel in order to represent how she wants to go back to her old self.

    Read More

  • Edna's Roles In The Awakening

    1386 Words  | 6 Pages

    Moreover, when her children tumbled, she will not pick them up just let them get up on their own. In contrast to Adele, Edna is not contributing herself to her family as well as Adele. Edna tries to fit in as the role to be a good mother, but, she cannot definitely, to be a mother-woman cannot fulfill her eagerness to be a special, independent and egocentric person. In Chapter XVI, Edna said to Adele, she would give her money and her life to children, but never herself. And that is what she is trying to understand and recognize.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Patriarchy In The Awakening

    884 Words  | 4 Pages

    In The Awakening, Edna represents desire, impulse, and rebellion. While Adele represents the socially accepted woman, she is submissive, obedient, and a homemaker. This drastic contrast facilitates Chopin's emphasis on Edna’s rebellion, and how drastic it was for the time period. “Edna's experience of self-discovery, "tangled" and chaotic and therefore "vague" or hard for her to comprehend, touches upon a core issue, of individual variation and the uncertainty involved in its creation, expression, and consequences.” (Glendening).

    Read More

  • Analysis Of Othello's Jealousy In 'The Awakening'

    500 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening” shows a controversial protagonist, Edna Pontellier. The character in the novel showed different expectations for women and their supposed roles. One literary critic, Megan Kaplon showed how this novel can be viewed as a struggle of the world or society around her. Edna in the story is trying to find freedom and individuality Kaplon mentions that “one of her most shocking actions was her denial of her role as a mother and wife.”

    Read More

  • Character Analysis: The Awakening By Kate Chopin

    784 Words  | 4 Pages

    Kate Chopin’s The Awakening is a piece of fiction written in the nineteenth century. The protagonist Edna is a controversial character, Edna rebels against many nineteenth - century traditions, but her close friend Adele was a perfect example in terms of a role of a woman, mother and wife at that time. Chopin uses contrast characters to highlight the difference between Adele and Edna. Although they are both married women in the nineteenth century, they also exhibit many different views about what a mother role should be.

    Read More

  • The Character Of Edna Pontellier In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    628 Words  | 3 Pages

    A woman with an independent nature can be described as rebellious, passionate, and courageous. In Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, the reader is introduced to Edna Pontellier, a female who epitomizes the qualities of a woman with such an independent nature. Living in a “patriarchal society” that expects women to be nothing more than devoted wives and nurturing mothers, Edna attempts to seek out her true identity as it becomes apparent how unsettled she feels about her life. Throughout The Awakening, Edna Pontellier, dissatisfied with her duties as a mother and wife, decides to pursue her own interests and express her true identity, resulting in an awakening and her finding the courage to make the changes she deems as necessary. Edna Pontellier had two young boys, Etienne and Raoul, who were ages four and five, respectively.

    Read More

More about The Awakening Reality Essay

Open Document