...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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...Kate Chopin's The Awakening is a literary work full of symbolism. Birds, clothes, houses and other narrative elements are powerful symbols which add meaning to the novel and to the characters. I will analyze the most relevant symbols presented in Chopin's literary work. BIRDS The images related to birds are the major symbolic images in the narrative from the very beginning of the novel: "A green and yellow parrot, which hung in a cage outside the door, kept repeating over and over: `Allez vous-en! Allez vous-en! Sapristi! That's all right!'" (pp3) In The Awakening, caged birds serve as reminders of Edna's entrapment. She is caged in the roles as wife and mother; she is never expected to think for herself. Moreover, the caged birds symbolize the entrapment of the Victorian women in general. Like the parrot, the women's movements are limited by the rules of society. In this first chapter, the parrot speaks in "a language which nobody understood" (pp3). The parrot is not able to communicate its feelings just like Edna whose feelings are difficult to understand, incomprehensible to the members of Creole society. In contrast to caged birds, Chopin uses wild birds and the idea of flight as symbols of freedom. This symbol is shown in a vision of a bird experienced by Edna while Mademoiselle Reisz is playing the piano. "When she heard it there came before her imagination the figure of a man standing beside a desolate rock...
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...Mademoiselle is distant and confined with her interactions with the other people on Grand Isle. While she acts as a foil for Adèle Ratignolle, who lives the social norm of feminine lifestyle that Mademoiselle Reisz rejects for solitude and freedom. Adele is the opposite of Mademoiselle Reisz, Adèle is a loyal wife and mother, the exact model of nineteenth-century womanhood. Adèle spends her days taking care of her children, performing domestic duties, and ensuring the happiness of her family. Although, Adèle is comfortable and happy with her simple, conventional lifestyle, she unknowingly hurried Edna’s movement away from such a lifestyle. The creole women in the story are clearly pure and very moral, so society allows them to speak openly on matters such as pregnancy and gossip. Adele’s reminds Edna of the moments and fantasies of her youth, and Edna gradually begins to uncover the truth...
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...acceptance or freedom, love or lust, these conflicts arise in The Awakening by Kate Chopin as Edna Pontellier struggles with her internal conflicts. In a time where women are expected to be subordinates, Edna begins to defy the standards and her oppressive husband. The first set of foils include Robert and Alcee, or love and lust respectively. In addition, compliance and individualism are exemplified by two polar characters: Adèle Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz. These women act as foils and provide references to the reader in understanding Edna’s awakening. On one hand, Adèle epitomizes the ideal woman of the nineteenth century, but Reisz represents the feminist movement; Robert and Alcee also develop as foils that impact Edna. Which...
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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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...position as a social truth. However, I would argues that, in The Awakening written by Kate Chopin, Edna sets an impressive example that presents us with a figure who takes a weary and tough journey in seeking liberation and authentic identity in a complex society, along with exploring self. The courageous soul seems to be the essential beacon guiding her through this tough tunnel, whereas, she finally understands that being herself in an authentic society will be the first step in truly achieving liberation. Quite a few people claim that Edna already has an authentic life, since she is well protected by her husband, who looks at his wife “as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage” (The Awakening, Page 4) My view, however, is that this has the same meaning as Edna being a caged bird who is not fully understood by others. The author writes: “Her eyebrows were a shade darker than her hair. They were thick and almost horizontal, emphasizing the depth of her eyes. She was rather handsome than beautiful.” (The Awakening, Page 5) We learn that Edna’s powerful and serious impression foreshadows her internal strength and masculinity. According to Chopin’s description, Edna defines herself properly: “In short, Mrs. Pontellier was not a mother-woman. The mother-woman seemed to prevail that summer at Grand Isle […] fluttering about with extended, protecting wings.” (The Awakening, Page 9) Firstly, the mother-woman depicts a typical-identity...
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...She continued to be an artist and express herself as Mademoiselle Reisz does. Since her “awakening” it began to isolate her from other more and more, it also led her to a state of solitude. Her awakening also led her to good elements at first, yet she doesn't genuinely know what she wanted to do throughout her awakening. Every time something happened, she went along with it even though she had no intention of it happening, such as with Alcee Arobin where she had sexual relations with him with little known about him. Edna had no idea what was going to happen so she did whatever kept her satisfied. Over time her friends began to go against her once they found out what she did with Alcee which was not a good individual to Edna. Her friend Adèle Ratignolle began to convince her back to her normal way of living, since she thought Edna was getting out of hand, such as cheating with another man and leaving her children behind. Edna didn’t listen to anyone who gave her orders or tried to stop her. Many individuals believe that she could have taken the advice from Adèle since she was getting out of hand. Not worrying about what others think is a great thing which Edna possessed, however when any advice is being offered and be so closed minded is a terrible thing. Farther into her awakening, more people began to be uneasy with Edna, especially Léonce who was afraid of everyone knowing what Edna had done with Alcee...
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...A chunk of wet clay was thrown upon a wheel. It spins and spins and spins and with the help of a potterer, the clay begins to take a distinct shape. Kate Chopin’s The Awakening tells a story of Edna Pontellier’s journey to do away with her expected role as a stereotypical “mother-woman” within the Creole society. In this form, she is a mound a wet clay that is destined to transform into a stunning porcelain vase. Her revelation of the world and it’s endless possibilities eventually awakens her within. Whether they are for or against Edna’s newfound attitude, there are several distinct characters that Chopin utilizes, to mold the new Edna. First there is Leonce, who she shares a loveless marriage with, shames Edna for not submitting to...
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...ENGL 1102 26 November 2013 The Birds In Kate Chopin’s book, The Awakening, she expresses the account of a youthful woman who begins to live her life for herself, breaking out of the numerous obstacles set by humanity and her family during the Victorian Era. When Chopin wrote The Awakening in the 1890s, a variety of social differences and tensions, which brought women’s rights into public conversation that prompted Chopin’s narrative. In Louisiana, which is the setting for The Awakening, most women at the time were their husbands' legitimate property. In addition, this was a prominently Catholic state meaning divorce was tremendously uncommon, and women expected to stay loyal and faithful to their husbands. This explains some reactions The Awakening received in after its publication in 1899. Chopin uses symbolism as an excellent device to insert her personal views to the reader giving them a foretaste into the life of this young woman at a time when women had no political rights and many restraints. In Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening,” she uses a variety of birds as symbols to illuminate Edna’s journey through life. The essential significance throughout the story is the desire to break away from the traditional views of women during the Victorian Era. However, Edna struggles with the backlash she would receive if she chose to fulfill her own desires, signifying what she...
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...Concept of liberty and femininity in The Yellow Wallpaper and The Awakening I decided to examine the concept of femininity and liberty in a short story “The Yellow Wall-paper” from the American writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman and in the book “The Awakening” from Kate Chopin. I chose these two books in order to demonstrate how society in the nineteenth century treated woman and how those woman were trying to escape from this concept. Femininity refers to set of behaviours and roles which are appropriate for women and judged by certain culture. In the nineteenth century were women expected to stay at home and wait for their husbands´ return each evening. Women should have these four attributes: piety, purity, submissiveness and domesticity. (Rula Quawas,2006) Women who had these attributes were considered happy and satisfied. It was also believed that there is a sharp line between home, the woman sanctuary, and the economic world because it is a hard world only for men. The Yellow Wallpaper The story begun with moving of the main hero and her husband to the colonial mansion. Her husband´s name is John and he is a high standing physician. They moved for a while because she had to undergo a rest-cure. This method of treatment of the main hero of The Yellow Wallpaper is Dr. Mitchell´s rest-cure for women which included no intellectual stimulation and no writing. Her brother is a physician as well and agrees with her husband, but she doesn’t think that the way they cure her is...
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...The Awakening Close Reading Discussion Questions Always reference page numbers as part of evidence for responses. Always add new vocabulary to your notes to expand your diction. Chapters 1 through 5 • What observations can be made from the cover? What might be meant by “The Awakening”? • What does the introductory paragraph/page introduce? Why? • Are there any symbols? • Character descriptions (What kind of husband/father is Mr. Pontellier? Mother/wife is Mrs. Pontellier? How is Mrs. Ratignolle described? Robert Lebrun?) • What is the setting (time and place)? How does it factor into the interactions of the characters? • Page 18, why is Edna crying. Find the best word from the text to describe what she is feeling? • Chapter 5, paragraph 4, how is Adele Ratignolle described? To what is this allusion referencing? • What is a Creole? Chapters 6 through 10 • How does the Chapter 6 relate to the title? • What is the significance of the sea? • What is chapter 6 saying about Edna’s emotional state? • Why does the author spend time referencing Edna’s childhood? • Lady in black and the lover imagery is referenced in the same paragraph, multiple times in these chapters, why? • What is the significance of Adele and Robert’s conversation on the way back from the beach? • Alcee Arobin is introduced as a character. Why? How does he contribute to the story? • Where is Vera Cruz? What is its significance...
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...Heinrich-Heine-Universität Wintersemester 2010/11 Vertiefungsmodul Kurs: American Realism and Naturalism - Short Stories Seminarleiter: Georg Schiller Datum der Abgabe: 16.04.2011 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...
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...society, formed a family, and later indulged herself with torrid affairs prior to writing The Awakening. Present within that society, various art forms allowed for self-expression and exploration. Edna Pontellier creates art as a means of distraction from society’s suppressive expectations, but struggles to do so, thereby indicating a woman’s limited autonomy within the Nineteenth Century. Sculptures and drawings and paintings gain renown through...
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...The various characters in a book all interact with one another and affect each other in some way. Whether the character's affect is minute or not it will still be evident in the text. Edna Pontellier, being the protagonist of The Awakening, is affected by pretty much all of the other characters mentioned in the book. Even though characters like Doctor Mandelet did not have such a sizable influence as Mademoiselle Reisz did, they all played their own role in Edna's awakening. Leonce Pontellier and Robert Lebrun are two men who had an important impact on Edna Potellier in their own special ways. It is in a way obvious that Leonce Pontellier would have an affect on Edna because he is her husband, however the way he influenced her is not normally...
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...In The Awakening, it starts out with a parrot and a mockingbird in a cage. Chopin’s uses the birds to symbolize 2 very unique characters. The parrot is repeating over and over “Allez vous-en! Allez vous-en! Sapristi!”(Solemon, pg1) to Mr. Pontellier. This meaning “Get out! Get out! Damnation!” which possesses a hidden representation by speaking Spanish. It’s Edna’s hidden voice, her unspoken feelings unknown by most people. Whereas the mockingbird represents Mademoiselle Reisz with the sweet sound of music it makes. Both birds are pretty, but caged symbolizing them and even all women in the 19th century being restricted, unable to move because of society. Edna’s home life isn’t very different, repressed by her husband she feels caged. She must...
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