...Rites of Passage 02/18/10 The Awakening The Role of Art in Edna’s Life Throughout The Awakening by Kate Chopin, art becomes a symbol of freedom for Edna. Even though Edna uses art as an escape from her husband, Léonce Pontellier, it also symbolizes failure. Edna believes that if she becomes an artist she will achieve the independence that she desires. She learns about the power that art can have on someone from Mademoiselle Reisz. Mademoiselle Reisz views art as a test of individuality. Edna is unable to pass the test because she incapable of defending her individuality against society and social rules. As Edna makes progress in her paintings and illustrations, she also grows as an individual. Music also becomes a symbol of freedom for Edna. Through the arts, Edna is able to create an independence from her husband. In The Awakening, Edna sees the role that music plays in women’s lives through Mademoiselle Reisz and Adèle Ratignolle. Having two different women that play music, allows Edna to see two paths that she can take to achieve her art and independence. Edna’s friend, Adèle Ratignolle, plays the piano to keep her husband and children happy. Edna enjoys when Adèle Ratignolle plays the piano, but she prefers listening to Mademoiselle Reisz because she thinks Reisz pieces are powerful. When she listens to Mademoiselle Reisz, she discovers unexplored emotional territories. Chopin writes “The very first chords which Mademoiselle Reisz struck upon the piano sent a keen...
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...generations. Edna Pontellier showed us that living outside the norm is not a horrible situation and emerging from such a routine...
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...In Kate Chopin’s, The Awakening, Edna Pontellier is used to highlight the oppressive, sexist roles imposed on women in 19th century Louisiana. Wife and mother of two, she is expected to be a perfect “mother-woman” like the creole women her family is surrounded by in Grand Isle. She is not prepared to sacrifice every fiber of her being for her husband, children, and home. Edna continually sacrifices her desires in order to keep the perfect Victorian household, so common in french creole communities. As time goes on, Edna no longer can conform to society’s norms, preferring to committing suicide rather than endure the burden of her time. At the beginning of the novel, we see that Edna has given up on her teenage desires, settled down with Mr. Pontellier, and had two children, reluctantly accepting her role in society. Edna gave into the...
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...The Awakening by Kate Chopin depicts the “mother woman” archetype juxtaposing Edna Pontellier’s desire to become independent and free of the limits of women in society in the 1900s. This juxtaposition of conformity and independence causes tension and drives the main conflict of the novel. Edna vacillates between consenting to the ideals of society and struggling to become independent and freethinking. Edna’s wavering perception of womanhood affects her relationships with other characters, who act as catalysts for Edna’s growth as a woman. She fosters friendships with Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz, whose stark differences in personality and lifestyles cause a crisis of confidence for Edna, as she cannot truly escape from the confines of being a woman in an...
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...Female Empowerment in Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening” Anjana Dhir BA Englisch KF, Geschichte NF 3. Semester Table of Contents 1. Introduction 3 2. The French – Creole society of Louisiana 4 2.1 Cultural background 4 2.2 French-Creole women 5 3. The Role of Women 6 4.1 Edna vs. Madame Ratignolle 7 3.1.1 “A Valuable Piece of Property” 7 3.1.2 Edna – The Unusual Woman 9 3.1.3 Adèle Ratignolle – The Archetype Woman 14 3.2 “Mother Woman” – The Patriarchal Ideology 16 4. Chopin’s Imagery 18 5. Conclusion - Edna’s Suicide 19 6. Bibliography 21 1. Introduction A certain ungovernable dread hung about her when in the water, unless there was a hand nearby that might reach out and reassure her. But that night she was like a little tottering, stumbling, clutching child, who of a sudden realizes its powers, and walks for the first time alone, boldly and with over confidence. […] A feeling of exultation overtook her, as if some power of significant import had been given her to control the working of her body and her soul. She grew daring and reckless, overestimating her strength. She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before. This scene in Kate Chopin’s novel describes the moment in which the lead character Edna Pontellier experiences her first successful attempt...
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...The Awakening – Psychological Views Robert Ceneskie South University Online The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, is a novel that takes place during the nineteenth century and focuses on the point of view of Edna Pontellier, the protagonist and wife elite to an affluent Creole. The story begins at the Grand Isle resort, which is a popular vacationing stop for the wealthy from New Orleans. While at Grand Isle, Edna comes to the realization that she is longing for self-actualization and empowerment. The novel then moves to the city of New Orleans where Edna is determined to break society’s mold of women of what is expected of the time period. While in New Orleans, she pursues her desire to paint in order to achieve a sense of personal freedom. Ultimately, the story leads us back to Grand Isle where Edna has reached her lowest point in life and decides to commit suicide to end all of her pain. The novel is written with a feminist perspective in which psychoanalytical ideations plays a significant role. When one sees or hears the word psychology, the first thing that comes to mind is Sigmund Freud. His research on psychoanalysis focuses on the “repression and unconscious forces and includes the concepts of infantile sexuality, resistance, transference, and division of the psyche into the id, ego, and superego” (Farlex, 2009). Edna Pontellier is a character who exhibits the psychoanalytical concepts of Freudianism. Throughout the novel, Edna’s id plays a drastic role in her...
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...The Awakening and Selected Short Stories by Kate Chopin A PENN STATE ELECTRONIC CLASSICS SERIES PUBLICATION The Awakening and Selected Short Stories by Kate Chopin is a publication of the Pennsylvania State University. This Portable Document File is furnished free and without any charge of any kind. Any person using this document file, for any purpose, and in any way does so at his or her own risk. Neither the Pennsylvania State University nor Jim Manis, Faculty Editor, nor anyone associated with the Pennsylvania State University assumes any responsibility for the material contained within the document or for the file as an electronic transmission, in any way. The Awakening and Selected Short Stories by Kate Chopin, the Pennsylvania State University, Electronic Classics Series, Jim Manis, Faculty Editor, Hazleton, PA 182021291 is a Portable Document File produced as part of an ongoing student publication project to bring classical works of literature, in English, to free and easy access of those wishing to make use of them. Cover Design: Jim Manis Copyright © 2008 The Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University is an equal opportunity university. Kate Chopin (born Katherine O'Flaherty on February 8, 1850 – August 22, 1904) was an American author of short stories and novels, mostly of a Louisiana Creole background. She is now considered to have been a forerunner of feminist authors of the 20th century. —Courtesy Wikipedia.org Contents ...
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...gInstitution för kultur och kommunikation Kristin Kämpenberg Edna’s Failure to Find Her Female Role in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening English C-Uppsats Date/Term: Supervisor: Examiner: Serial Number: Höstterminen 2006 Åke Bergvall Mark Troy X-XX XX XX Karlstads universitet 651 88 Karlstad Tfn 054-700 10 00 Fax 054-700 14 60 Information@kau.se www.kau.se Kate Chopin is known for writing about women and their struggles in patriarchal society. In her three works The Awakening, “A Point at Issue” and “Wiser than a God”, she portrays women who have taken on different types of female roles. Per Seyersted calls these roles the “patriarchal woman”, which I choose too exemplify by Mme. Ratignolle from The Awakening, the “modern woman,” who Seyersted exemplifies by Eleanor from “A Point of Issue,” and the “emancipated woman,” who Seyersted exemplifies by Paula from “Wiser than a God” (Seyersted 102-105). One can say that these women have accepted and internalized a female role in society, by either following the rules of patriarchal society or breaking them. Edna, the protagonist of The Awakening, is a woman in search of her female identity. She is uncomfortable in her role as the “patriarchal woman” and has trouble obtaining either of the other two roles. This essay will focus on Edna’s inability to find her female role. Comparing her to the three other types of women in Chopin’s works, I will show why she cannot conform to any one of these roles, and how the resulting suicide...
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