The Awakening Part 2

 Word Count: 283

The Awakening by Kate Chopin

"but whatever came, she had resolved never again to belong to another than herself" (Chopin, 80).

"I am no longer one of Mr. Pontellier's possessions to dispose of or not. I give myself where I choose" (Chopin, 108).

    Both of these quotations demonstrate Edna's revelation or awakening. At the beginning of the novel, she tries to understand these concepts, but she struggles to understand the full meaning of being an individual. I think Edna really wants and yearns to love her husband and to be happy as a wife and mother, but she cannot. The realization that she can never truly be at peace with her life in this situation leads to this conversation with Robert where she divulges her discernment of her wants and needs. Enda sees her relationship with Robert as a relationship of individuals that are equals. This contrasts with her current relationship with her husband where he views her as "a valuable piece of personal property" (Chopin, 2). She knows she must leave her life with her family, but Robert does not want this as well. Robert believes it is best for her if she continues to live within society. We see his regret in the note he leaves for her: "I love you. Good-by - because I love you" (Chopin, 112). 

    This leads to Edna's suicide. She does this because she cannot give herself to another as mentioned in the first quote, but also as she indicated to Adele. She cares deeply for friends and children, but she decides to be without oneself is worse than death. She feels too trapped by the constraints of society and they leave her with two options, and Robert does not run away with her. This ending is a shocking tragedy, and, in Aristotle's words, leaves the audience with a sense of pity and fear. This is how Chopin emphasizes her point to her audience - that society traps women. 

Comments

  1. Rachael BadeauMarch 25, 2021 at 7:10 AM

    I like how you analyzed these quotes and recognized the character development that Chopin showed throughout the novel for Edna. I think the novel had a very strong message about Edna finally understanding independence and fighting against society.

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  2. Wendell EppsMarch 25, 2021 at 7:37 AM

    I completely agree with your point on how Edna truly does come to what can be deemed as a harsh realization at this point of the article that she cannot truly be at 110% peace in life. She really had immense feelings for Robert and truly loved him, but it seemed as though she was trying to live more in a fantasy than a reality. Edna tried to hold this as long as she possibly could, but she eventually had to face reality which eventually lead to her committing suicide as you mentioned. Both of the quotes you chose truly go hand in hand and are probably two of the more deep and real quotations incorporated into the text just because it goes to demonstrate Edna's true lifestyle. She is essentially stuck in a sticky situation where she seems to think there is no way of escaping it which is unfortunate, but I would assume the time period of this text played a role in Edna's decision to commit suicide. With numerous women back then trying to fight for more power because they were being treated unfairly, it definitely sparked a lot of pain and struggle in their lives. Also without social media, it was hard to get numerous women to unite together and profoundly fight for what they believed in. Now while all of that is certainly not 110% of an excuse for why Edna did what she did, I definitely think it played an enormous factor into why. I respect you for choosing these two quotations for your blog post as they really drive home the point of one of the darker yet prominent themes in the article of how some women just could never discover pure happiness. Excellent job!

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  3. Sydney SizemoreMarch 30, 2021 at 3:48 PM

    I really liked your closing statement about society trapping women. I think that idea perfectly conveys the issues Edna faced throughout the novel. I also really enjoyed the first quote that you chose because I think that it perfectly captures the core turning point in the story. This is where we truly realize that Edna is not going to live for anyone except herself - which ultimately leads to her suicide at the end of the novel.

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