Identity In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

Women in the nineteenth century were powerless in decision-making. They belonged to their husbands or their fathers and were considered nothing more than possessions. Desiree is just like those women. When Desiree is old enough to marry, a well-known man named Armand Aubigny falls deeply in love with her. Chopin describes his affection that he feels for Desiree as sudden and deep, the way every Aubigny fell in love (242). This shows both the irrational and spontaneous personality of Armand. According to scholars, the marriage negotiations between Armand and Desiree’s father are far more like a transfer of power, instead of celebrating Desiree becoming an adult (Koloski 117). This proves that nineteenth century women had no say in their own
Later in the story Desiree starts to find identity in who she belongs to. First she finds identity in who she belongs to. Scholars note when Desiree is discovered by Monsieur Valmonde she is crying for her father who she depended on, later she trusts Armand in the same way and he discards her (Koloski 116). This shows Desiree dependence on the men in her life. She first finds identity in her birth father who abandons her, then in her husband who rejects her for her skin color. Another scholar pointed out women including Desiree find their identity in being a “prized-possession” and belonging to the men they depend on (Skaggs 26). This also proves the powerlessness of women and their inability to be independent from men. When Desiree discovers her child is mixed she becomes desperate. Skaggs noted that all Desiree wants is her life with Armand back, she wants to be his wife and the mother of their mixed child (26). This shows Desiree’s desperateness to keep her life and her identity in
The world is never as simple as black and white. Koloski points out the irony in Armand’s belief with the fact that the entire world if filled with mixed races and people like La Blanche and even himself (115). This shows how impossible and narrow-minded Armand and even the world around him is. Another writer says that Armand’s attempt to force the world to be segregated is what eventually destroys him, and how love can overcome the rules (Wolff 115). This shows how love can overcome but Armand refuses accept change. Because of Armand’s inability to accept change he loses everything. Koloski suggested that Armand loses more than his wife and his child, he also loses his sense of superiority (25). This shows how Armand’s attempt to separate his life from the life of blacks backfired and instead ruined his own life. Another writer suggested that Desiree unintentionally devastated him, first with the false observation of her race then the actual discovery of his own (Peel