The Themes Of Kate Chopin's The Awakening

Through all of the hate and negative criticism, The Awakening finally gets the attention and admiration that it deserves. The title explains everything, as a woman named Edna Pontellier goes through her own self-awakening. Edna follows the traditional roles of ‘womanhood’ until she realizes that they are just not fit for her and leaves everything behind to start anew. Though society denies her of being the woman she wants to be, she makes as many adjustments to her life as she can to be her true self. She leaves all of her family behind so that she can be her true self, claiming that she is just not fit for the generic woman’s life. Written by Kate Chopin, many of her works cross boundaries of what women were supposed to write like back then. Writing and publishing a novel such as The Awakening was very hazardous back in the nineteenth century. When first published, this novel was heavily frowned upon by most people. However, times have changed and this novel is now gaining all the positive publicity that it deserves. This novel shares many themes and motifs, mostly surrounding feminism, especially in the South, which people did not appreciate back then. This novel crosses many more boundaries than feminism, such as suicide and sexuality. Through the plot, themes and motifs, relatable characters, and background, this novel is extraordinary and deserves to be read and analyzed for many more years. Many of Kate Chopin’s works are based on her perspective as a Southern