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Literary Analysis of the Awakening by Kate Chopin

The Awakening, written by Kate Chopin, revolves around the narrative of a woman who is on her way to freedom. Edna Potenllier, the primary protagonist of the story, is confined in her role as a wife and mother and only finds interest in her romantic interest. While she sees Robert as the only savior, in the end, he is the primary protagonist in her shortcomings. Edna views Robert as an avenue or path towards freedom which makes her remain rebellious towards society. The search for freedom results in her demise (Timkio). Chopin, throughout the narrative, relies on various imageries to clarify the interaction and relationship between Edna and Robert and to whom that he is indeed the primary reason behind her destruction and freedom. In the narrative, Chopin uses symbolism and imagery to showcase how the 19th century feminism changed the face of women roles in the society since it focuses on Edna’s obsession of being independent and remain in control of their body.

The Awakening narrative is an instance of a story revolving around nineteenth-century feminism. Self-ownership is an essential theme in the narrative, which is sometimes acknowledged as bodily autonomy. It played an instrumental role in 19th-century feminism since it portrayed women’s freedom and liberty to remain in control of their own identity and body. In some instances, it is called first-wave feminism since it focuses on showing that women could achieve their rights and freedom by declining to permit other people, especially men, to control or manage their bodies (Gray, 54). They mostly concentrated on women’s freedom to decline sexual interactions with their husbands. In essence, the feminist perspective argued that the woman’s service as mother and wife entitled them to their body ownership, and hence, they had the right and freedom to refuse to engage in sexual matters or get pregnant.

In the narrative, the heroine of the Awakening also longs to have direct control of their body. She focuses relentlessly on working towards having authority and control over their body. Edna resists the adoption of her body as an object by her husband, who tends to stare at her body as an individual’s looking at a valuable or useful personal property (Gray, 54). She tends to confront her husband in search of freedom. She mentions that she is “not free” and needs to get the freedom she deserves to remain together as husbands and wives. Her responses here are a clear indicator of what the first-wave feminists believed. She vows that “she will never again belong to another than herself.”

Edna also attempts to discover self-definition by establishing a third-lifestyle choice and starting to behave like a man. She sees that men are permitted to fully live their lives without bearing the burden or control from others. She also sees men as individuals who have an individual self-defining moment and develop a personality through their engagement in the business and corporate world. In her quest, she experiences this feeling the first time when launce visits New York, whereas Etienne and Raol visit Iberville to live with their grandmother. Edna explores her newfound lifestyle in the story, where she starts selling paintings and gambling at the racetrack (Gray, 55). Her search for independence has taken her to the capitalist world since she lived a life closely associated with nineteenth-century women until this realization. By participating in the masculine world, she generates her income, and she rents the house in the process. Chopin, in the narrative, problematized traditional expectations and roles for women and men by showcasing the dilemmas that occur when one engages in challenging situations by behaving in a non-conformist manner.

Edna’s narrative is also filled with an extensive level of symbolism. For instance, the sea in the story is the essential symbol. It symbolizes rebirth, cleaning, and baptism. Chopin portrays the sea as a freedom space that is a sphere lying outside the environment and situated away from a male-dominated society. For Edna, the sea also functions as an empowerment source and a refuge place. For instance, at the start of the novel, it incentivizes s and seduces her. She also indicates that its requests are not only amazing and loving but, they are also significant. As such, Chopin also explains the sea using maternal characteristics, making him ultimately compare it to a woman. While Edna in the narrative is yearning for such freedom and comfort, she feels uncomfortable in the seawater. Unless she is with someone else, she feels ungovernable dreads. As such, Chopin uses Edna’s swim alone to portray an important moment in the Awakening. By learning to do it on her own, it helps her control her body. In doing so, she discovered that she could depend on no one but herself. Edna, while swimming, is also given a strong reminder of the universe’s vastness and her standing within it (Elz, 16). She ponders about her importance. She also switches to death as an instrumental factor. After several weeks when she thinks about what happens in the process, she is also reminded about her freedom in the sea. When Robert leaves, and her solitude remains plain, she resolves to return to the sea womb. For instance, Edna is requested to swim into the gulf without her clothes during the last novel scene, which signifies a clear picture she needs to have.

Chopin also commences the narrative using a cages parrot. The animal has been domesticated and caged for a long time and is used for entertainment purposes only. Like the parrot in the narrative, Edna is seen as her husband’s property since he is only seen as a valuable entertainment item for his friends and to showcase his value to the community (Clark, 336). As soon as she moves outside her husband’s house, the new house is called the Pigeon housed not only because it resembles it, but it is minute in size. However, surprisingly, she enjoys a lot of freedom in the pigeon-house and enjoys a reasonable level of independence (Elz, 14). Nonetheless, she manages to escape the control and escape her husband’s cage and trap, which makes it another aspect of confinement in the novel. Although she enjoys independence and freedom in the pigeon-house, she is still restricted by society’s limitations in a male-dominated society (Clark, 336). Generally, while the symbol indicated in the novel appears at different points of the narrative, both can be linked to some elements of unhappiness and imprisonment. Besides, the novel ends without explicitly indicating whether she is intended to take or drown her own life.

Birds in many narratives are an instrumental source of symbolism and imagery. In his quest, Edna is likened to the caged bird and hopes that one day she will be freed. Although Mr. Potenllier in the narrative is annoyed by the parrot’s constant chatter, Edna feels that they deserve to make the noise (Elz, 15). As such, Edna is caged, and she is doing everything possible within her power to be freed. Mr. Potenllier is hurt by the constant quest of her wife for freedom, and she permits herself to enter into a relationship with Robert despite the resistance and wishes of Potenllier (Clark, 337). Like the caged birds that do not worry or bother about their effect on others, Edna does not even feel sorry or concerned about the impact the relationship with Robert may affect her husband. Before killing herself, Chopin uses an image of a bird with a broken wing wondering in the air in difficulty. Edna is likened to this bird since her death; she was disabled and heading to her end through the water. Edna makes a decision to commit suicide which leaves the audience wondering whether she had any other alternative. In other words, her freedom is not complete since it is the sole reason behind her death. It is also important to think about caged birds as decorative and beautiful (Clark, 336). They also provide songs and entertainment from time to time. In the narrative, they are seen as ornamental, and this is how Edna sees women, mostly the wealthy and privileged women in Victorian society. They are viewed as ornamental beings, slacking deeper needs, desires, and substances. A woman in the story informs Edna that the only bird that will break the barriers of prejudice and tradition will be the one that will solve abut the plain level. In other words, this phase showcases the challenges that any woman in society will experience in breaking the rules of society.

Edna’s situation in the novel focused on presenting her as an individual who was disobedient and against the societal rules in which she resided. She showed little interest in her marriage and children. Her conduct was apathetic to the responsibilities and duties of a wife and mother. She focused heavily on her independence which was directly the opposite of the Creole expectations on women. She was not the kind of woman that could perform domestic responsibilities and obligations responsibility (Gray, 55). As a result, she was rebellious. While she loved her children, she failed to handle her responsibilities since she was more interested in meeting her desires. According to Chopin’s assertion, “Even though she was married to a Creole she was not thoroughly connected to the Creoles society…” As a result, her trueness and Awakening are proclaimed and revealed through her demise at the end of the narrative. However, Chopin indicated to the reader that Edna completely comprehended how essential it was for her to act as an independent person instead of being bullied and blurred by the unhappy life with children and a husband.

The feminist discourse witnessed in the nineteenth century was an oppositional framework that played a crucial role in eliminating any obstacles hindering women's fulfillment. The genomic institutions of the nineteenth century were instrumental in presenting women in society as objects in motherhood and marriage, which made them exist as sexuality and maternity vessels, which also provided them with a little chance for independence. Self-ownership was the primary element during this period since it showcased women's right to have complete control of their identity and body. The primary elements in this assertion did not only focus on sexual freedom and other facets of personhood. It concentrated on their position in society. Chopin. The assertion of the first Awakening Edna experienced in the narrative is a true testament to the 19th century feminist assertions (Gray, 54). Chopin states that Mrs.Pontellier was starting to accept and devoice her status in the universe and the society at large as a human being. Her realization is evident that her status in the male-dominated society is still minute, which offers her a chance to pursue her objective of seeking independence. In other words, the women's obligations in the narrative are embedded in an ideological structure since her Awakening permits her to rebel against various issues in the male-dominated society. He is also seen experimenting with an opposite role in search of her dominant independence. Because she fails in her role as a mother based on the patriarchal society, she realizes that she may not fit into any other role as a woman (Elz, 14). As a result, she only sees her only escape through death which culminates in her committing suicide at the setting where her real and actual Awakening in the narrative is symbolized; at sea.

In the novel, many phrases relating to birds are adopted to identify the female members of the society. Whenever individuals ask themselves whether women are conceived in society, it is apparent that how women are identified showcases individuals' conceptions about them. Most concepts used to describe women showcase them as nonhumans or less superior beings in society (Elz, 14). For instance, some of the birds mentioned in this novel to describe women are the mocking bird and the Pigeon (Clark, 336). Surprisingly, all the birds used in the narrative are domesticated either as pets or as a source of entertainment which showcases how humans are depicted in society. None of them are shown as a symbol of nobility or intelligence (Gray, 54). This is a true depiction of how women during the 19th century were depicted in a male-dominated society.

In conclusion, in the narrative, Chopin Relies on various literary styles such as symbolism and imagery to indicate how the 19th century feminism changed the way women views their body and roles in the society. The author uses Edna’s obsession with her independence and self-control to showcase how women in the 19th century were portrayed in male-dominated society. Regardless of their efforts and achievements, they were presented or seen as less superior individuals compared to men. The feminist movement happened when Middle-class women in the United States were unsatisfied with their unfulfilled potentials as soon as they accessed progressive ideologies through travelling and reading in the wake of the French revolution, enlightenment and the industrial world. As such, the narrative about Edna’s progress is a story focusing on how the primary objective of western feminism was to be realized and achieve liberty and freedom disregarding fraternity and equality.

Works Cited

Clark, Zoila. "The bird that came out of the cage: A Foucauldian feminist approach to Kate Chopin's The awakening." Journal for Cultural Research 12.4 (2008): 335-347.

Elz, A. Elizabeth. "" The Awakening" and" A Lost Lady": Flying with Broken Wings and Raked Feathers." The Southern Literary Journal 35.2 (2003): 13-27.

Gray, Jennifer B. "The Escape of the" Sea": Ideology and" The Awakening"." The Southern Literary Journal 37.1 (2004): 53-73.

Timkio, Mike. Kate Choplin, Early Feminist. MasterFileElite