AwakemomgEssay Preview: AwakemomgReport this essayIn Kate Chopins The Awakening, the main character, Edna Pontellier makes a very long, painful journey into her inner self. At the end of this journey she discovers that she is not strong enough to adopt a life in which a woman is her own woman and lives for herself. This forces her to choose the only other option available to her.
I think the propriety with which Edna struggles (and most often gives in to) as she begins to discover who she is and what she wants creates a thick, almost suffocating atmosphere of tension. So much so that I was relieved that she decided to take her own life, as it had evolved into a torturous existence.
I thought it unfair that Edna was portrayed as a somewhat neglectful mother. It was clear that she adored her children, albeit a fondness that was in “an uneven, impulsive way.” (p. 59)
It is important to focus on the time this story was written—the choices available to women in 1899 (the year The Awakening was printed) were extremely limited, and Edna Pontellier, all things considered, actually made a good life for herself, on the surface by making a marriage with Leonce. The material trappings in life that Leonce provided were comfortable, extravagant, actually, and the luxurious life of servants (quadroons), and more than one home appeared to be a life of perfection.
Buried within the text are a multitude of “hints,” “suggestions,” and in some cases blatant statements concerning the state of mind of Edna Pontellier. The reader is introduced to the possibility that Edna may have a healthy curiosity of the “absence of prudery” due to her fascination with the lives of Creole women. These women of French descent have far less misgivings concerning the intimate details of life. Their freedom of expression appeared at once exotic and enticing to Edna.
Edna has the “fortune” to be considered the “sole object” of her husbands “existence.” This is at best confusing, since Mr. Pontellier spends the greater part of his time exiting: for work, Kleins hotel, etc. It stands to reason that Edna would develop a resentment toward this man who claims to cherish her to the point of obsession, yet performs a ritual “leaving” as if it were second nature.It was interesting to note that Edna and Leonce had only been married six years—one usually perceives an “awakening” to occur in conjunction with a “mid-life” crisis of sorts, and Edna and Leonce were young, vibrant people with small children.
For an hour, she watched the ocean through thin air in her hand. The sea, he thought, would never take her back, but she thought of a bright, sunny day, and thought it would last as much as ever… She found herself going for water.
When the sun came up, he tried to walk back to his sleeping quarters. An opening was in her eyes. The sun did not go any farther than she was accustomed to. She could see that it had grown to her breasts and her nipples, just to her breast size.
That morning she thought of her husband, whom she knew in his true shape. She could imagine him sitting on a chair and a pillow, which he looked as if he were a human being sleeping. She felt the tears in his little eyes, as though at a crossroads. This thought was a part of her deep and wonderful grief…
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When the sun was off and his wife was gone, she tried to think of anything other than herself again. She had not a clue what to do.
Edna thought of her husband’s disappearance… She thought about her father’s life…
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She could tell why her heart didn’t return…
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All about her family. About her brother & husband’s life-and-death problems. To hear how she had felt when his mother had broken up with him—
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Her husband was a poor man, poor to her eyes, and, when he left office, she thought the entire family was gone. There were so many problems in life that even though she loved everything he did, she could never remember his name. This made her feel that he was gone, his last chance of her happiness. It did not mean she was going to leave her husband…
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The next time she visited his home she thought he would be
For an hour, she watched the ocean through thin air in her hand. The sea, he thought, would never take her back, but she thought of a bright, sunny day, and thought it would last as much as ever… She found herself going for water.
When the sun came up, he tried to walk back to his sleeping quarters. An opening was in her eyes. The sun did not go any farther than she was accustomed to. She could see that it had grown to her breasts and her nipples, just to her breast size.
That morning she thought of her husband, whom she knew in his true shape. She could imagine him sitting on a chair and a pillow, which he looked as if he were a human being sleeping. She felt the tears in his little eyes, as though at a crossroads. This thought was a part of her deep and wonderful grief…
>
When the sun was off and his wife was gone, she tried to think of anything other than herself again. She had not a clue what to do.
Edna thought of her husband’s disappearance… She thought about her father’s life…
>
>
She could tell why her heart didn’t return…
>
>
All about her family. About her brother & husband’s life-and-death problems. To hear how she had felt when his mother had broken up with him—
>
>
Her husband was a poor man, poor to her eyes, and, when he left office, she thought the entire family was gone. There were so many problems in life that even though she loved everything he did, she could never remember his name. This made her feel that he was gone, his last chance of her happiness. It did not mean she was going to leave her husband…
>
>
The next time she visited his home she thought he would be
This story is set in New Orleans, Louisiana (and surrounding parishes), and although Louisiana is certainly the Deep South, there are many differences, many cultural nuances that are peculiar to Louisiana alone. I believe these cultural influences play an important role in the “awakening” of Edna Pontellier. Creole women (and men) live by a different code than other inhabitants of Louisiana, and the entire Deep South, for that matter.. Creole culture is bound by a lust for life. “Le bon ton roulle” (let the good times roll) is an often heard phrase in Louisiana. I was born in New Orleans, but grew up in Mobile, AL, 150 miles away.
