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Feminism in "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin The name of Kate Chopin is now associated with rise of feminist literature in America, even though The Awakening has only impacted minds of many people, long time after it was being written. Along with Virginia Wolf, shes rightly considered to be the forerunner of womens liberation movement in America, at the turn of the twentieth century. The Awakening is Chopin's most important work. Even though, she used to promote feminist ideas in her earlier short stories, her socio-political stance was never been considered as posing danger to the foundations of American contemporary society, before publication of this novel. Chopin's novel is largely autobiographical. It is the story of highly intelligent and independent Edna Pontellier in search of her suppressed identity.
After having been married for many years, Edna realizes that her whole life was nothing but following the behavioral pattern, which society has imposed on her. Edna's husband Leone loves her, but it doesnt prevent him from thinking of her as certain commodity. He takes care of his business, without being able to spend much time with her. As time passes by, Edna realizes that shes not being only emotionally deprived her immediate sexual desires are left without satisfaction, as well. This leads her to consider having an affair on the side.
Edna gets romantically involved with Robert Lebrun, the son of Madame Lebrun, who owns holiday resort, where Edna used to spend summers. Gradually, their sensual affair grows into something bigger Edna realizes herself being in love with Robert. Yet, their love cannot be fulfilled, in full sense of this word, because two lovers are bounded by the principles of conventional morality. After leaving the resort, Edna finds herself being increasingly withdrawn from her matrimonial duties.
Back in New Orleans, Edna begins to take lengthy walks, while trying to figure out whether shes destined to find earthly happiness. She also becomes increasingly attracted to music and art. With help of her voluntary mentor Mademoiselle Risk, Edna becomes aware of many beautiful things that she never thought existed. Pursuing intellectual activities also stimulates Edna's anomalistic instincts. At last, she understands that she better take from life all that it can offer.
There are an unmistaken Renaissance motives in her newly discovered vision of the world. Nothing is immoral and shameful as long as its natural. Edna comes to the conclusion that only three things in this world have the property of moral prerogative health, beauty and intelligence: 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.
This may seem like a ponderous weight of wisdom to descend upon the soul of a young woman of twenty-eight perhaps more wisdom than the Holy Ghost is usually pleased to vouchsafe to any woman (Chopin, Chapter VI). This signifies the beginning of Edna's awakening. Still, for the people who surround her, she appears to be as simply acting in socially unresponsive manner. This results in many filthy rumors about Edna, beginning to circulate the city. It spoils Edna's pleasure from taking control over her true nature Gradually, Edna's awaken sensuality prompts her to strive towards the realization of her emotional attachment to Robert. Yet, the irony here lies in the fact that the same person, who helped Edna getting rid of her moral superstitions, backs down when he realizes that Edna's is being serious about wanting to spend the rest of her life with him.
Chopin wants to show us that womens conventional morality is only skin deep, despite that majority of people think otherwise At the time The Awakening was written, womans sexuality used to be considered as only the attributive factor. Chopin shows us woman as highly sexual creature - men are being sexual only from time to time, while women are always sexual. Women subconsciously strive towards sexual tension in their relations with men. Instead of opening itself up to Edna, Robert acts very manly he indulges in intellectualizing, he tries to rise above his emotions, in order to analyze them. The ultimate feminist gesture, on the part of Chopin in her novel, is that she shows Robert as being much more feminine under the weight of circumstances then Edna, unlike her, he proves himself being unable to break away from the ties of society. In the end, we see Edna as fully awaken individual she realizes that beauty often coexists with ugliness and courage with cowardice.
Even though, Edna's well developed intuition allows her to foresee events; it renders her powerless to alter their course. As time goes by, she begins to consider herself as having only one goal to attain freedom. Every step which she took toward relieving herself from obligations added to her strength and expansion as an individual. She began to look with her own eyes; to see and to apprehend the deeper undercurrents of life. No longer was she content to feed upon opinion when her own soul had invited her (Chopin, Chapter XX). In a way, Edna's transition can be compared to the mental evolution of Nietzschean Zarathustra from being child, through becoming man, towards realizing itself as lion.
The closer we get to the end of the novel, the more we can find allegorical observations in it. Author continuously refers to birds that fly freely over the head This corresponds with Edna's mounting desire to become free. She returns back to Grand Isle, where she first fell in love, and simply swims away into the sea. She cant find more radical way to deal with impossible odds, but a suicide. As she swims towards her fate, shes being dawned: The years that are gone seem like dreams if one might go on sleeping and dreaming but to wake up and find!
well! Perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all ones life. (Chopin, Chapter XXXVIII). It wasnt very hard to foresee that Edna's life was going to end up tragically, from very beginning of The Awakening. This is due to the fact that socio-political realities in America at the time, allowed women very little freedom. The puritan morality still remains a factor that accounts for the whole states in America to vote against progress. Even now we have Bible thumper's that accuse women of being carriers of original sin.
Therefore, the outcome of Chopin's novel could hardly be positive. Nevertheless, Edna's tragedy can be viewed as metaphysical victory of liberated individual over outdated social concepts. In my opinion, it is wrong to evaluate The Awakening from purely feminist prospective, as it filled with ideas of universal importance. Edna doesnt strive towards pursuing excellence in the fields of science or art, while being opposed by retrogrades. She simply wants to attain happiness with a man she loves. This can hardly account for something revolutionary, on her part.
Her desire is totally natural the only manly thing about her is the strength of her character The first critics of Chopin's novel used to point out at its anti-Christian spirit. We can only speculate now about the risk that Chopin was undertaking, by making The Awakening available to the public. This novel can be viewed as representing the true feminist idea, which is not tainted by pathological drives to act and live like a man. We wrongly associate womens liberation movement with their burning desire to be allowed to wear mens pants, while its something absolutely different. I think that Chopin's novel is better viewed along with other great writings of contemporary era. It was written in time when Western civilization began liberating itself from the poison of Christianity.
We associate this period now with an unrestricted expansion of philosophical thought and rapid progress in all fields of science. Only later feminism has obtained its classical definition, therefore Kate Chopin fits more under description of humanist thinker then hysterical proponent of universal equality. The Awakening is a great work of truly great individual
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Research essay sample on Feminism In The Awakening By Kate Chopin
