LEARN MORE...

The Awakening- A bried analysis of Edna Pontellier

Content type

User Generated

Subject

English

Type

Essay

Uploaded By

cebsrffbeb1

Pages

Showing Page:

1/2

A brief analysis of Edna Pontellier

Kate Chopin's novel The Awakening reveals the mindset of 19

century Creole

upper-class society. It is a social circle that, aside form its sophisticated

privileges, still does not detour females from the male-dominated oppression that

is almost expected in marital a#airs. Yet, Chopin challenges these views by

suggesting that women, even within the historical context of the story, can opt to

defy the status quo and the social expectations bestowed upon them.

Main character Edna Pontellier is the epitome of such women trapped inside a

su#ocating reality. She is a woman who has no other option but to succumb to

what is expected of her gender. She is to court, to marry, to birth, to nurture, to

age, and, ultimately, to die as a digni)ed matron; the ultimate sacri)cial act of

sel+ess and maternal devotion. Yet, there is a )re lurking beneath the surface of

this otherwise typical wife and mother. It is the insatiable hunger for freedom

born from unful)lled dreams, unexploited passions, and con+icting emotions.

Chopin cleverly juxtaposes Pontellier’s character traits to those of Edna’s

cherished friend, Mademoiselle Reisz. An unmarried and eccentric artist, Reisz

represents the woman that Edna would have liked to become; one who

challenges the sanctimonious perceptions of women as a mere, childbearing

machine. Mademoiselle Reisz’s diverse outlook on life is what ultimately piques

Edna’s curiosity about her own identity: is she truly the woman that she believes

to be, or is there someone else trapped within her, desperate to break free from

construed paradigms?

The very )rst chords which Mademoiselle Reisz struck upon the piano sent a keen

tremor down Mrs. Pontellier's spinal column... Perhaps it was the )rst time she was

ready, perhaps the )rst time her being was tempered to take an impress of the

abiding truth.

The want and need of liberation entails that Edna and Mme. Reisz have done

what no other women has in their immediate circle: they have given herself the

chance to mature, albeit at di#erent rates and for di#erent reasons. They have

also acknowledged their true desires while defending the right to express them in

every way they wish. This, however, is second nature to Mademoiselle Reisz. Is

this also the case with the newly self-aware Edna?

Edna’s multiple attempts to )nd herself grow from subtle to radical in a relatively

short lapse of time. Her )rst signs of rebellion involved verbally challenging her

domineering husband, or slamming her wedding right down on the +oor. But as

she continues to search for her identity, lets herself fall deeply in love with a

Showing Page:

2/2

Unformatted Attachment Preview

A brief analysis of Edna Pontellier Kate Chopin's novel?The Awakening?reveals the mindset of 19th century Creole upper-class society. It is a social circle that, aside form its sophisticated privileges, still does not detour females from the male-dominated oppression that is almost expected in marital affairs. Yet, Chopin challenges these views by suggesting that women, even within the historical context of the story, can opt to defy the status quo and the social expectations bestowed upon them. Main character Edna Pontellier is the epitome of such women trapped inside a suffocating reality ...
Purchase document to see full attachment