The Awakening Rhetorical Analysis

At the turn of the 19th century, self-identity was becoming an issue for women who did not wish to follow the examples set forth by society. Today, despite multiple movements for freedom of expression and fluid terms for self identity, many women continue to struggle with the notion of identity in the 21st century due to the rigid codes of society. Such need to conform to the strict standards of society mold the individual to execute actions which would otherwise never be taken. Needless to say the actions taken are in accord to the tacit social pamphlet, intended to be followed faithfully. This pamphlet includes a predetermined identity which contradicts all urges to become unique from the population.

In the book “The Awakening” by Kate Chopin, the main character Edna Pontellier, is faced with many troubles. One of her troubles is the internal conflict of her facing herself and realizing her own identity. She is constantly under pressure to be the person she is expected to be by her peers, friends, and family. She ultimately does being to break free and find her identity even if it did mean that she must kill herself in order to do so. Edna is constantly under pressure from all of the people around her.

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.

Hailey Hudson 2 January, 2018 AP Lit and Comp Mrs. Schroder An Analysis of Alienation in The Awakening In Kate Chopin’s classic novella The Awakening, the development of Edna Pontellier serves to shine a light on the strict societal morals, values, and gender roles of the late 1800s. Edna is an outsider in nearly every sense of the word, and as the story progresses, she begins to accept this part of her and take her search for fulfillment to an entirely new level. The fallout from these actions, the rifts opened between her and those closest to her in life, ultimately proves too arduous, and leads to her death.

The central conflict in The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, is not a physical confrontation, although it surely finds expression through physical interaction with others. In actuality, the most crucial conflict is the metaphysical turmoil churning within Edna Pontellier as she manages two competing foci- first, the “outward existence which conforms,” and second, the “inward life which questions.” Indeed, the transformation of Edna from a timid housewife into a philandering independent may be entirely attributed to this clash, which upheaves the stable, yet unfulfilling foundations of her domestic life and drastically alters the entire mindset of the protagonist. Stated in full, the conflict between Edna Pontellier’s desire to conform and longing

Over the years, numerous covers of Kate Chopin 's novel, The Awakening, have been created since the novel was originally published in 1899. The covers differ in appearance and each cover reflects its own important symbols and themes that are portrayed in The Awakening. However, some are more effective than others and allow for a deeper insight into the novel. For example, Enriched Classics’ cover with a bird in the cage and Edna gazing out into the wilderness, provides insight into the symbol of the birds and Edna’s desire for freedom and escape. This cover allows for better understanding of the novel than Rafi Romaya’s cover of a seashell.

Title: The Awakening Author: Kate Chopin Setting: Grand Isle and New Orleans in the early 19th century Genre: Tragedy Historical context: The Awakening takes place when women were seen as a man’s possession. Mr. Pontellier looks at Edna as a possession. Women were expected to stay devoted to their husband and children and remain a stereotypical housewife whose main job is to clean, cook and care for the children. (Adele) Edna rivals against these standards as she challenges society 's expectations of women during the early 19th century.

In the final chapters of The Awakening, Chopin utilizes Edna’s confirmation of her freedom and her actions that facilitate her escape from society to promote the work’s theme that advocates for an increase in female equality through the denial of societal expectations and oppression. After Adele’s childbirth, Mandelet contrasts Edna with the “unimpressionable women” whom Adele should have requested instead of her, characterizing Edna’s dependence on outside opinions (111). However, while Mandelet’s words correctly identify Edna during her time previously living with Leonce and her children, his analysis fails to account for her increased independence that she establishes throughout the book with her resistance to Leonce’s commands. These actions

In the novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, the main character, Edna Pontellier, makes the decision to become a completely independent by straying away from the restraints placed onto her by her husband, children and society. In the end of the novel, the audience is left to determine why Edna decides to commit suicide. The predominant reason Chopin reveals throughout the novel is the idea that suicide is a way for Edna to escape the confined life she was living and truly become the free woman she is dreaming of becoming. Since Edna lived during a time during women were oppressed in every way possible, Edna’s search for freedom is limited.

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 seductive “never ceasing, whispering, clamouring” waters of the sea called to Edna with promises of freedom and rebirth as soon as she stepped foot on Grand Isle.