The Awakening by Chopin Kate - Critical Essay

Introduction

Set in a Victorian era, the awakening seeks to reveal the lowly perception of the roles and position of women in the society. The women, among them Edna, Adele, Mademoiselle Reisz, the woman in black cloth, among many others are represented as caged birds conditioned by the society to accept their positions and roles, in an every day "that's all right" chant(Chopin, 1). The women are expected to carry themselves with utter submission and limited autonomy, always living through the paths set to them by society through the thick bars of their metaphoric cages. They are expected to be "mother-women" even if it means giving up their lives for their families; worship their husbands and idolize their children. Edna, however, stands out as a negligent mother with "habitual neglect of the children." Her uniqueness stands out among the Creole women, as she pursues a great deal of autonomy, self-discovery, sexual awakening and independence and solitude, a quest so remarkable that the narrator comments, "How few of us ever emerge from such beginning!" (Chopin 34) Her realization gets her unaware of her ability to exist as an autonomous individual when she finally throws herself to the deep and wide ocean, all by herself, and is able to overcome her "splashing about like a baby!" (Chopin 71) and goes to the length and depth "where no woman had swum before" (Chopin 71). She defies submissiveness with autonomy, meekness with self-confidence and restrictions with self-satisfaction. With women expected "to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels" (Chopin 19). They were to be pure and noble, and utilize their wings, not to fly and explore the world, but instead, to shield their family within their wings of protection caringly. So determined is Edna, towards independence that she views her children as the chains binding her to her misery. She finally literary drowns herself to the profundity of her solitude.

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As the protagonist, Edna represents the tremendous metamorphosis that women have undergone from the Victorian era to the current period, where they enjoy autonomy, leadership and a chance to choose the path they would like to live. Her isolation from the society she currently exists within starts from a fundamental point that she is a Presbyterian from Kentucky while her husband and the other around her were creole Catholics. This is the point where her isolation commences from, and her dire need to be an individual that she is, rather than a member of a structured malfunctioning society yet. Women during these times were like any other possessions a man could have, and this is evident as my Pontellier looks at Edna, after she gets sun burns like "a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage" (Chopin 5). However, this is not how Edna sees herself as towards the end. She mocks the idea of both her husband and Robert treating her as a transferable possession. The other women on the other seem contended with their roles in society. Adele, a friend of Edna's, is the perfect resemblance of what a mother-woman is, and the latter's husbands keep comparing the devotion that Adele has towards her family, with Edna's incompetence. Adele is willing to put every aside, including her extraordinary talent in music, to be close to her children and always at the service of her "brute" husband. Edna, on the other hand, swears explicitly that she can give her all, but not her life.

"In short, Mrs. Pontellier was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being and to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and about her'(Chopin, 33). The caged bird is now striving to spread her wings as wide as she can, just so to see if the cold steel locking her within can melt to her ambition and motivation. Seeking solitude as a result of independence, Edna is willing to go against every culture, traditions, virtue, and norm fabricated by the society to hold her down, irrespective of the repercussions of her actions. Coming from a society where women have exclusively tied to their domestic chores and contentment even where there is no satisfaction, Edna unleashes a new form of self-awareness, and she seeks to give herself all that life can offer, and not what men think is appropriate for her. A necessary compromise replaces her blind submission to her husband. She finds her emotional and sexual desires, and despite the fidelity instilled within the Creole women, she steps out of the confinements and seeks to fulfill her needs. Even though her attempts are futile, the fact she dares to get out of the demarcated path of womanhood present her as a hero in her own making.

As the caged bird presented earlier on, Edna shows dramatic improvement from her state of only speaking "a little Spanish and a language which nobody understood unless it was the mocking-bird that hung on the other side of the door" (Chopin 1) to speak the boldness of the Creole women, who could speak of deep intimate issues and the gross process of giving birth amongst each other and sometimes in the presence of Robert. Edna previously astounded by this awkward openness does not typically get to such gross levels, but she has learned how to speak her heart out freely. Edna is able to draw her emotions as they form, articulate them and share them to the people around her, and when she reunites with Robert, who had traveled to Mexico, she makes the first move, kisses him and openly proclaims her love to him. She also expresses her mind and emotions through art. Through the unarticulated language of art, Mademoiselle Reisz, the mockingbird on the other side of the door, is able to understand Edna, and communicate with her in a way no word could. The connection that these two characters have is out-of-this-world, and after the performance, mademoiselle comments that Edna "was the only one worth playing for" (Chopin 67). They make a connection, and the mood created by the music takes Edna deep into her desire for solitude, as she imagines a young man, naked in the middle of nowhere, staring up at a bird. She identifies with the man in solitude, rather than the bird she has constantly been alluded to.

The male characters within the novel present a coated form of male chauvinism by designing the society they exist within favorable for them and suppress the women. The women are always conditioned to repeat the words 'that's all right" even if it's not, to instill within them a false sense of satisfaction within their roles in society. It is because of this biased system that Mr. Pontellier can so easily spot a misalignment in the behavior of his wife. From the way they talk, behave, dress and respond, men have creatively devised means always to ensure the women remain on their knees with their heads bowed in submission. The men were strongly opposed to the education of women, as the doctor assigned to observe Edna postulated that she might belong to the women union. However, one man stands out amongst the few presents within the plot, Robert Lebrun. He is quite aware of the society's allowances and restrictions to his flirtatious behavior towards women, and he obeys them to the latter, or at least until Edna shows up. Edna, even though married, sees a loving and compassionate man in Robert, two qualities she seems not to notice in her husband. However, even with the immense passion and desire between them, Robert is aware that the society bars him from engaging with the women beyond the flirtations and he leaves for Mexico. This distance, however, does not stop his heart from feeling the intense urge to be with Edna, and when he finally gets back to Grand Isle, they kiss. "How many years I have slept... The whole island seems changed" (Chopin 96). For the few hours that Edna spends time with Robert, her world is completely transformed, and she seems to be living in her mythical world of freedom, love and sexual fulfillment.

Conclusion

Many pieces of literary art have focused on the role that women have in society, from Shakespeare's Hamlet and many others, but the lengths that Chopin reached is a sign of hope to the female population all over the world. Edna represents the few women in society who can go to whichever lengths to get to what they want, however high the price is. The quest for autonomy, solitude, and independence represents the desire for women to have freedom and a vast choice to their actions and words. Although Edna was not active enough to maintain her focus towards her three goals, the fact that she stood against the entire society and refused to be dictated by any individual presents the best case for her. A family is presented as a unit of energy-sucking needy individuals always striving to keep women on their knees. By committing suicide, Edna reveals her final awakening and acknowledgment of its profundity.

Works Cited

Chopin Kate. The awakening; a solitary soul. Hebert S. stone & co. 1899. Pp. 1-303