Kate Chopin’s The Awakening is a one of the first books about feminism with a heroine desiring freedom from societal expectations. The main character is Edna Pontellier, a married woman in her late twenties with two sons and a husband, Léonce Pontellier. The latter is a successful businessman who loves his wife and children. The story begins with the narration of the Pontelliers having a vacation in Grand Isle’s resort. The latter is owned by madam Lebrun, who has two sons, Robert and Victor. The former becomes an essential character that facilitates Edna’s final transformation and awakening. The story is titled The Awakening because the main female character had a unique, for that time, feature, desire for independence, which she did not fully embrace until she developed feelings for Robert.
Edna and Robert spent much time together despite her married status and maternal duties, which she often ignored. Robert realizes that he has developed strong feelings for Edna but understands that their relationship is impossible. He suddenly flees to Mexico, leaving the main character without answers (Chopin 47). After spending much time with Robert, Edna started to feel the need to express her thoughts to others. The woman’s awakening is shown gradually through several critical scenes. The first situation that indicates her awakening from being an obedient wife is when her husband tells her to go inside because it is cold. She refused and asked Mr. Pontellier never to talk to her in the same manner (Chopin 36). However, she did not fully realize her desire for independence even though “Edna began to feel like one who awakens out of a dream” (Chopin 36). She is not ready to awaken in this scene because her fear is stronger.
The next crucial scene that indicates Edna’s preparedness for becoming an independent woman happens in Grad Isle. In one of the conversations, Edna mentioned to her friend madam Ratignolle that she would never give up herself for her sons and husband. She said, “I would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children, but I wouldn’t give myself” (Chopin 52). It appears that the author wanted to show a radically different view of a woman’s role. Chopin seems to want to shock the traditional nineteenth-century society. The author did not show that other women characters who did not reach the point of awakening were unhappy. Indeed, Edna did not think their lives were wrong, but she wanted more freedom of expression and action. If she had the opportunities of a modern individual, she would likely stay unmarried. However, she had to accept the rules of her time.
The central conflict of her desire to be free was that Edna was a married woman with two children. The heroine decides that if she cannot be with Robert, she will commit suicide rather than continue doing things that appall her. Indeed, the main character is described as a wife who abandoned her responsibilities at home. The author leaves the reader to judge whether such behavior and attitude were correct. Chopin herself appears to be on Edna’s side, showing that her love for Robert has awoken her from “a life-long, stupid dream” (114). It is hard to state whether her awakening was appropriate because she had family obligations. Nevertheless, the author suggests that not all women dream about marriage and motherhood. Since this issue was prominent in the past, this story asserts that girls should be allowed to express their skills and talent instead of forcing them marry. In that case, there will not be situations of abandoned children and unhappy spouses.
In summary, Chopin’s The Awakening presented a radically different view of a female in society, making the main character make selfish decisions. The author does not suggest that having a family is wrong because other women in the novel lived happy married lives. Chopin seems to be the first to introduce the idea that not all women are interested in following the conventional path. Therefore, the author makes Edna commit suicide to become free.
Works Cited
Chopin, Kate. The Awakening and Selected Short Stories. The Project Gutenberg eBook, 1994.