Women Vs. Women In The Awakening
Women in the Early Nineteenth Century vs. Women in The Awakening
There are many different types of women portrayed in The Awakening. The goal of this paper is to compare and contrast the women in the book to the women during the turn of the nineteenth century and the society's reaction to the novel.. The novel shows the social constraints of women in the Victorian era. During this time, women were supposed to be docile, domestic creatures, whose main concerns in life were to be the raising of their children and submissiveness to their husbands. The setting of The Awakening also contributes to the viewpoints as to how women were viewed at the time of the writing. The novel was published in 1899 and set in the Creole section of Louisiana. …show more content…
This journey ended in a frustrated manner when Chopin died of a cerebral hemorrhage on August 22, 1904. At the time of her death, The Awakening was still considered a controversial and dismal piece of literature. Chopin died believing her novel a failure. The Awakening is wedged between the social conversation of the nineteenth century and dealing with sexual themes too questionable for that era. It was not until the early 1970's that her work became esteemed due to the resurgence of women's rights. The different and varied personalities of women in The Awakening show both the conservative and accepted women of the 1890's and those striving for independence. Adele Ratignolle, the lady in black, and the Farival twins represent the accepted norm for the 1890's. Mademoiselle Reisz and Edna Pontellier desire independence and sexual awareness which the Victorian era was not willing to accept. Even today, there are varied opinions as to the woman's place in society and the acceptance of Chopin's characters.
Works Cited
< http://www.bookwolf.com/Free_Booknotes/The_Awakening/Characters-The_Awakening_by_/characters__-the_awakening_by_.html>.
Hart, James. "Creole" The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature. Oxford University Press, 1986. Oxford Reference Online. Monroe County Comm. College. 27 March 2006. .
.
There are many different types of women portrayed in The Awakening. The goal of this paper is to compare and contrast the women in the book to the women during the turn of the nineteenth century and the society's reaction to the novel.. The novel shows the social constraints of women in the Victorian era. During this time, women were supposed to be docile, domestic creatures, whose main concerns in life were to be the raising of their children and submissiveness to their husbands. The setting of The Awakening also contributes to the viewpoints as to how women were viewed at the time of the writing. The novel was published in 1899 and set in the Creole section of Louisiana. …show more content…
This journey ended in a frustrated manner when Chopin died of a cerebral hemorrhage on August 22, 1904. At the time of her death, The Awakening was still considered a controversial and dismal piece of literature. Chopin died believing her novel a failure. The Awakening is wedged between the social conversation of the nineteenth century and dealing with sexual themes too questionable for that era. It was not until the early 1970's that her work became esteemed due to the resurgence of women's rights. The different and varied personalities of women in The Awakening show both the conservative and accepted women of the 1890's and those striving for independence. Adele Ratignolle, the lady in black, and the Farival twins represent the accepted norm for the 1890's. Mademoiselle Reisz and Edna Pontellier desire independence and sexual awareness which the Victorian era was not willing to accept. Even today, there are varied opinions as to the woman's place in society and the acceptance of Chopin's characters.
Works Cited
< http://www.bookwolf.com/Free_Booknotes/The_Awakening/Characters-The_Awakening_by_/characters__-the_awakening_by_.html>.
Hart, James. "Creole" The Concise Oxford Companion to American Literature. Oxford University Press, 1986. Oxford Reference Online. Monroe County Comm. College. 27 March 2006. .
.