The Awakening by Kate Chopin Essay - 2440 Words

The Awakening by Kate Chopin Kate Chopin is one of the first female writers to address female issues, primarily sexuality. Chopin declares that women are capable of overt sexuality in which they explore and enjoy their sexuality. Chopin shows that her women are capable of loving more than one man at a time. They are not only attractive but sexually attracted (Ziff 148). Two of Chopin’s stories that reflect this attitude of sexuality are The Awakening and one of her short stories â€Å"The Storm†. Although critics now acclaim these two stories as great accomplishments, Chopin has been condemned during her life for writing such vulgar and risquà © pieces. In 1899 Chopin publishes The Awakening. She is censured for its â€Å"positively unseemly†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦show more content†¦The first way in which Chopin is able to portray an awakening by Edna is through her relationship with her husband, Leonce. Chopin describes Leonce as a likable guy. He is a successful business man, popular with his friends, and devotes himself to Edna and the children (Spangler 154). Although Edna’s marriage to Leonce is â€Å"purely and accident†, he â€Å"pleases her† and his â€Å"absolute devotion flattered her† (Chopin 506). However, it is clearly obvious to the reader the Leonce acts as the oppressor of Edna (Allen 72). When the reader first sees them together, Leonce is looking at his wife as â€Å"a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage† (Chopin 494). The most important aspect to Leonce is making money and showing off his wealth. He believes his wife’s role to be caring for him and his children. Therefore, the first step toward her freedom is to be free of his rule. Edna is able to accomplish this first by denying Leonce the submissiveness which he is accustomed to. She does this by abandoning her Tuesday visitors, she makes no attempt to keep an organized household, and she comes and goes as s he pleases (Chopin 536). The next big step in gaining her freedom from her husband is when she moves into a house of her own while Leonce is away taking of business. She does not even wait to see what his opinion of the matter is (Chopin 558). It is quite evident the only thing Leonce worries about is what people are going toShow MoreRelatedThe Awakening By Kate Chopin1479 Words   |  6 PagesKate Chopin’s controversial novel, The Awakening, ignited turmoil because of her blatant disregard of the established 19th century perspective of women upholding strictly maternal and matrimonial responsibilities. Edna’s candid exploration of the restrictions on women through her liberal behavior in a conservative Victorian society makes her a literary symbol for feminist ideals. Despite denunciation from other people, Edna chooses individuality over conformity through her veering from traditionalRead MoreThe Awakening by Kate Chopin1102 Words   |  5 Pagesveracity of this q uote as both find their independence by boldly exceeding the norm. Their stories were fashioned during a period of great change and both characters are hallmarks of the hope and power women were unearthing at the time. The Awakening by Kate Chopin and Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy are novels concerned with the transformation of women’s roles in society. Their protagonists, Tess and Edna, are not outright feminists, but they are acutely aware of the limitations imposed uponRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin1919 Words   |  8 PagesIn the novel, The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, we see how much of an importance the men in Edna’s life serve as a purpose to her awakening. Chopin is known to write stories about women who are unsatisfied with their lives while living in a life that is dominated by men. Other than Edna, the main men characters are typical men of the late 19th century era. Chopin shows how these three men are diverse from one another. The Creole men are Là ©once Pontellier, Edna’s husband, Robert, Edna’s mystery man numberRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin901 Words   |  4 Pagescandidly. Kate Chopin is honorably amongst this group of authors. Her works divinely portrayed the culture of New Orleans and the lives of Louisiana s Creole and Cajun residents. Chopin openly express her views on sex, marriage, and the injustices of women during the time. Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, best exemplifies the contextual achievement of realism through the rejection of conformity, the exploration of love, and the weight of social opinion on individual choices. The Awakening is publishedRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin1222 Words   |  5 Pages The Awakening By: Kate Chopin Emely Maldonado AP LIT Period 3 Topic 3 Maldonado 1 Displacement The late 1800s and the 1900s was a prison for woman’s individuality. During this time period, stereotypical views of women were commenced by society and men. In the era that the novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin was published, the gender roles were graved in stone, men would work to maintain their family and women would adhere to the house-hold duties. Dissatisfaction with theRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin1193 Words   |  5 PagesDavian Hart The Awakening By: Kate Chopin AP Literature Topic 3 Hart 1 Over the course of time the male species has always been the gender to attain the more favorable conditions. Numerous cultures heed to the belief that the man is the provider and head of his family. This machismo nature can condition the mind to believe that a man should feel superior to a woman. The continuous cycle of male superiority flows down from father to son subconsciously. Do to this unceasingRead MoreThe Awakening, By Kate Chopin887 Words   |  4 Pages Feminism has been a term used by many authors and writers for centuries, symbolizing women being able to use freedom the way they want to, not the way others want them to use it. Edna Pontellier, the main character in Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening, experiences an â€Å"awakening† in her life, where she discovers her position in the universe and goes in this direction instead of what others like her husband Leonce tell her to take, similar to the style of feminism. â€Å"In short, Mrs. Pontellier was beg inningRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin1427 Words   |  6 Pagessuffering an imposition (Moderata). Throughout history, the inherent inferiority of women to men has often been cited as a way to deter women from becoming an individual and pursuing more in life. This notion is a prevalent issue in The Awakening by Kate Chopin; in which Edna fights to live her own way and is ultimately unable to survive in the cage of society. Not only has this supposed inferiority effected women for generations, but it has created inequality in our society today; especially inRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin1633 Words   |  7 Pages1. Title of text (underline novels/plays) author’s name The Awakening by Kate Chopin 2. Characterization Character Development (a) 1.Edna Pontellier- Edna is the main character of the novel who is married to a businessman. Edna is a dynamic character because at the beginning of the novel, she conforms to society by being the â€Å"perfect† mother and wife; however, Edna suddenly realizes that she is no longer happy with the way she was living her life and began to become independent only for herRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin915 Words   |  4 PagesMany of Kate Chopin’s writings are trademarked by her unique, deliberate word choices. Chopin uses phrases that do not make sense and seem to contradict themselves to get across a point. In two of her stories, â€Å"The Story of an Hour† and â€Å"The Awakening,† Chopin’s word usage highlights the idea of self-discovery. â€Å"The Awakening† and â€Å"The Story of an Hour† share similar themes. â€Å"The Awakening† is the story of a woman in the late 1800s discovering her apathy for her traditional female role as a wife