Preview

Edna's Suicide In The Awakening

Powerful Essays
Open Document
Open Document
2601 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Edna's Suicide In The Awakening
Feminism in Kate Chopin 's The Awakening

Cecilia Phenix, Yahoo! Contributor Network
May 13, 2007 "Share your voice on Yahoo! websites. Start Here."
More:
Chopin
Flag
Close
Post a comment
Kate Chopin bravely exposed an attitude of feminism to an unprepared society in her novel The Awakening. Her brilliant work of fiction was not recognized at the time because feminism had not yet become popular. Eble claimed that Chopin 's book was considered to be "Too strong a drink for moral babes and should labeled 'poison '" (75). Chopin defied societal assumptions of her time period and wrote the novel, The Awakening, using attitudes of characters in regard to gender, changes in the main character, imagery and Edna 's suicide to illustrate …show more content…
She uses attitudes of characters in her novel toward gender, changes in Edna and her suicide to express her own feminist attitudes. Chopin was shunned from communities as a result of her strong feministic views and great ability to express them.
Works Cited
Adams, Rachael. Introduction. The Awakening. By Chopin. New York: Barnes and Noble, 2003. xv-xxxvi.
Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. New York: Barnes and Noble, 2003. 1-155.
Leary, Lewis. Southern Excursions: Essays on Mark Twain and Others. Baton Rouge: Lousiana State Press, 1971.
McCoy, Thorunn Ruga. "Chopin 's The Awakening." The Explicator 56.1 (1997):26-28. Full-Text. InfoTrac Web: InfoTrac Onfile. Online. Gale Group. Kimbel Library, Conway, Sc. 10 Mar. 2004. .
Natoli, Joseph. Psychological Perspectives on Literature: Freudian Dissidents and Non-Freudians. Hamden, Connecticut: Archon, 1984. 181-197.
Showalter, Elaine. "Feminist Criticism and The Awakening." Introduction. The Awakening. By Chopin. Ed. Nancy A. Walker. Boston: Martin Press, 1993. 158-189.
Wolff, Cynthia Griffin. "Un-utterable Longing: The Discourse of Feminine Sexuality in The Awakening." Studies in American Fiction 24.1 (1996):2-23. Full-Text. InfoTrac Web: InfoTrac Onfile. Online. Gale Group. Kimbel Library, Conway, Sc. 10 Mar. 2004.
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Kate Chopin: An Annotated Bibliography Paper
    • 1204 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Kate Chopin: An Annotated Bibliography Paper

    “Storm Warnings: The Eternally Recurring Apocalypse In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening.” Southern Literacy Journal 47.1 (2014): 68-80. Academic Search Complete. Web. 26 Nov. 2015.…

    • 1204 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Evaluation of Kathleen Streater
    • 821 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Evaluation of Kathleen Streater

    Kathleen M. Streater is author of the article “Adele Ratignolle: Kate Chopin’s Feminist at Home in The Awakening” which was published in the peer reviewed journal, The Midwest Quarterly. After doing an extensive search of Streater’s background, it does not appear she has written any other articles. Although not an expert on the subject of Chopin, Streater makes a unique and convincing argument in her article. She uses expert quotes to bolster her position that “to focus solely on Edna’s radical feminism is to limit Chopin’s exploration of feminism itself” (409). This argument is unique, as the author describes, because many critics dismiss Adele all together as a feminist. Chopin’s depiction of Adele as a “mother-woman” muddies the water because to “become a wife and mother is, on some level, to capitulate one’s self to patriarchal systems” (406).…

    • 821 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Psychological Journey And Gender Issues In Kate Chopin's The Awakening
    • 143 Words
    • 1 Page

    Psychological Journey And Gender Issues In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    In Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening” Kate explores a depressed high class woman’s psychological journey and gender issues towards enlightenment and end up committing suicide as she couldn’t open up herself to anybody who could help her in the situation she was going through. The position of women in society in 19th society was limited to household activities, taking care of children, and work according to the husband to please him all the time. Edna, who is self-aware and she wants to live her life in her own way rather than dancing on tunes of her husband to fulfil his desires. The Awakening supports women to obtain independence physically, emotionally, and financially which was impossible for the women of 19th century.…

    • 143 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    Introduction To Writing Rac The Fish Analysis
    • 1902 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Introduction To Writing Rac The Fish Analysis

    When writing literary criticism one must ponder upon the significance of the topic to the literary canon as a whole. While there may not be a single definitive answer to how significant a topic is, one can question if the topic has been neglected or rejected by Western literary circles. If the answer is “yes,” then it is the critics’ duty to refashion the spotlight on the text. It was not until the 1970’s where feminism influenced the revival of texts authored by women. Historically conditioned suppositions of male superiority has allowed the sex to dominate certain genres of literature, moreover men are given recognition for ideas that are thought of as revolutionary and original where, in fact, silenced female authors have reflected upon, and even perfected those thoughts. Henry Louis Gates Jr. writes in Introduction to Writing…

    • 1902 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Summary Of Kate Chopin's The Awakening
    • 551 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Summary Of Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    This novel began in 1897 and was completed on January 21, 1898 by Kate Chopin. It’s original title was A Solitary Soul but later it was published as The Awakening by Herbert S. Stone & Company in Chicago on April 22, 1899. By writing this novel Chopin developed some important questions regarding intellectual or moral evolution and on how people used to think back in the 1800’s. As she describes the social expectations on the individual, the role of fidelity to marriage, and some traditional sex roles in marriage. However, this novel began a national scandal for its indecency and eventually got banned from libraries. However this book might have been seen as outrageous back then but now it really is not far from the way that people see it…

    • 551 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Is Edna Pontellier's True Identity In The Awakening By Kate Chopin
    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Is Edna Pontellier's True Identity In The Awakening By Kate Chopin

    In Chopin’s time, individuality for women was not a thought as it was believed that a woman’s place was in the home raising her children. Chopin emphasized that although Edna was fully aware of this she wished to lead a different life and eventually sought to live a more masculine life to have her own identity; however, in the end, the nature of motherhood overcame Edna and once she realized that she can never lead a male life she decided to end her life so that she could finally be freed. Kaplon was stating that in this era a woman could not be herself and that her destiny was immediately fated for her, thus some women such as Edna could only find escape from inevitable motherhood through…

    • 739 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    What Is Edna's Role In The Awakening
    • 975 Words
    • 4 Pages

    What Is Edna's Role In The Awakening

    In her novel, The Awakening, Kate Chopin depicts a woman much like herself. In the novel, the reader finds Edna Pontellier, a young wife and mother who, like Chopin, struggles with her role in society. The Victorian era woman was expected to fill a domestic role. This role requires them to provide their husbands with a clean home, food on the table and to raise their children. They were pieces of property to their husbands, who cared more about their wives’ appearance than their feelings. Edna initially attempts to conform to these roles, her eyes are gradually opened to possibilities of liberation. Throughout the novel, many aspects to Edna’s awakening are revealed. Edna’s emotional awakening and change in perspective on romance lead to…

    • 975 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    Comparing Kate Chopin's The Storm And The Awakening
    • 1827 Words
    • 8 Pages

    Comparing Kate Chopin's The Storm And The Awakening

    Immoral. Sensual. Daring. These words reverberated into a woman’s world while society forcibly stamped their disapproval and rejected the Kate Chopin outright. Unconventional, intelligent, and gracious, she matched society with her quick Irish wit and charmed anyone who knew her. Not satisfied with the women’s role in society, she provocatively stirred emotions, thoughts, and ideas in her writings. Two such classic examples are “The Storm” and The Awakening. The idea for a woman to have sexual desires, human connections, and forthright adultery shocked and revolted the society she lived. This unconventional, innovative poet did not deter away her own personal thoughts and feelings from her judgmental peers. She relied on and stayed…

    • 1827 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Edna's Suicide In 'The Awakening'
    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Edna's Suicide In 'The Awakening'

    In Kate Chopin's novel The Awakening,Edna’s suicide was the best thing she could do because it was her escape from reality. When the narrator sounds to start like Edna at the end, this allows us to have sympathy and side with Edna in almost all situations. Chopin draws many similarities with Edna but only when Chopin is in her ideal world. We know this because Chopin actually says, “Perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all one's life.” Many critics have argued whether this was an escape or not, so was it?…

    • 544 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Birds In Kate Chopin's The Awakening
    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Birds In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

    In the Awakening, Kate Chopin explores the desires of a woman who is being oppressed by a patriarchal society and societal expectations. The protagonist, Edna,dreams of living a life that is free and true to herself. The motif of birds and wings are used to illustrate Edna’s struggle with marital oppression and marital awakening. Chopin suggests that the only way for the oppressed woman to achieve her dreams is to break away from social expectations placed upon married women.…

    • 770 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Symbols In The Awakening
    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Symbols In The Awakening

    In doing so, Chopin indicates the realization about the consequences of Edna’s love through the young lovers and the lady in black.…

    • 835 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Best Essays

    Edna's Inequality
    • 3185 Words
    • 13 Pages

    Edna's Inequality

    The late 19th and early 20th centuries were a time of great struggle within American society. Politically, there should have been equality, for all people were given the same rights by law. However this certainly was not the case in reality, for society was not accepting of any change; there was in fact prevailing inequality. Kate Chopin challenged this reality with her bold, unconventional ideas, but was scorned by the traditional view of society when she first published her novel, The Awakening in 1899. This novel reflects the author’s own personal life experiences and through the protagonist Edna Pontellier and also portrays her views on the cultural, political and social norms of this century through Edna’s actions, as well as her emotions towards herself, society and the other characters in the novel. The struggle for gender in this time period was often depicted as a physical…

    • 3185 Words
    • 13 Pages
    Best Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Theme Of Pride In Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston
    • 621 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Theme Of Pride In Their Eyes Were Watching God By Zora Neale Hurston

    In 1899 Mrs.Chopin published her final novel, The Awakening, although it was widely accepted, it shocked people because of the strong leading female role. Kate Chopin had wrote this book when the feminist movement was just beginning in America, during this time in some states women were still classified as property. The Awakening is about a young woman, Edna Pontellier, who thinks about herself as a rebel and she has an affair with her husband, Léonce, cheating on him with the Alceé Arobin. During Edna’s “Awakening” she learned many things, like how to express love and compassion, and how to express herself through art. This offended a lot of people because Mrs.Chopin had written about controversial topics like feminism, during the time she wrote this the feminist movement was recently starting to…

    • 621 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Awakening
    • 1040 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The Awakening

    Anais Nin, a French-Cuban author and activist, once asked a liberating question concerning the feminine role of society: “How wrong is it for a woman to expect the man to build the world she wants, rather than create it herself?” Nin supplements a good portion of thematic endurance for which arises in Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening,” illustrating the prevalent subsidy of individualism over traditional standards. Although such context as individuality spurs itself among the highest motifs of classic literature, society’s portrayal of impeding tolerance within “The Awakening,” reflected by that of Edna and Robert, accumulates through the themes of independence, identity and the disillusion of affection. These fractions of significant ideas utilize the overall negativity of suppression versus expression, a statement in which Enda endures through death and circumvent self-knowledge.…

    • 1040 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    The Awakening
    • 1293 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Awakening

    There is nothing that Edna Pontellier wants more than to be unbounded and free from society’s expectation of women. In “The Awakening”, Kate Chopin clearly exhibits her personal stance on women’s roles through the main character. The characterization of Edna allows her personal passion to alter her personality and make several prominent changes to her lifestyle.…

    • 1293 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics