Social Roles of Motherhood
The beginning of the twentieth century saw both immense economic expansion and profound social change, as seen by the birth of historic technologies such as the production lines and aircraft. The industrialized 1800s catapulted certain affluent Americans into the rising middle class, making the American Dream more accessible to certain populations than ever before. Chopin was up during the Civil War, and a string of fatalities among her close family members contributed to her deep distrust of religion. She married Oscar Chopin, the son of a wealthy cotton-growing Louisiana household, when she was twenty.
Her debut book, At Fault, was released in 1890 and was followed by two other short story collections before releasing ‘The Awakening’. By the time ‘The Awakening’ was released in 1899, she was widely recognized as a local colorist and a woman writer, having produced over a hundred tales, essays, and drawings in literary publications.
The Awakening by Kate Chopin was a daring work of fiction, and heroine Edna Pontellier was a divisive figure. She defied numerous nineteenth-century notions about women’s duties. The refusal of her responsibilities as a wife and mother was among her most startling deeds. Kate Chopin progressively expresses her rejection, although the thought of motherhood is a prominent subject throughout the story. Edna is resisting motherhood’s cultural and natural constraints that drive her to be identified by her status as Leonce Pontellier’s wife and mother to Etienne and Raoul Pontellier rather than as her own self-determined individual. Edna’s life route alternatives are demonstrated by Chopin’s concentration on two other female players, Mademoiselle Reisz and Adele Ratignolle.
Fight between Public and Private Life
At the outset of ‘The Awakening,’ Edna is portrayed as the embodiment of nineteenth-century American values. Edna is a young lady married to a wealthy and caring husband. Edna is living a great life by nineteenth-century social standards. Her woman’s social image is that of a great mother and a joyful woman. The marriage tag ‘Mrs. Pontellier exposes the audience to Edna’s spouse and the culture that expects all women to be respectable. The image comes with obligations that limit Edna’s freedom, which is why she is known as Edna after shedding the fictitious part of the lady who wants to live a carefree life.
Edna is not entirely dedicated to the social duty of a wife, which goes against widespread expectations. Furthermore, she performs motherly tasks with resentment and continuously imposes her authority. She believes that women have little control over their private life. Furthermore, they are pushed by patriarchal culture to accept the obligations of childbearing and parenting. Edna looks after her children, but she lacks Adele’s social skills. Edna’s husband chastises her for being careless with their ill son. Furthermore, her reaction to the situation is venomous, and the spouse is on the verge of being insane.
The husband is surprised by the wife’s reaction and chastises her for ignoring the children, an unheard-of achievement in a flawless patriarchal society where the woman is expected to be obedient and fulfill the requirements of the children and the husband. Edna’s spouse was as devoted and caring as any nineteenth-century American husband. The century portrays women as an object for men’s enjoyment rather than a subject with free agency, as Edna would want. Edna unusually appreciates modernity by refusing to accept the defined societal duties that she considers unsuitable and a form constraint. Edna describes her friend’s situation as a flawless integration into the mother position in a mocking manner. Adele’s predicament, according to Edna, shows a colorless existence that fails to liberate the owner from the sphere of mindless comfort.
The Awakening
When Edna begins to dabble with art, painting takes precedence over other crucial things. Painting awakens Edna’s suppressed need for a purpose beyond the cultural and public duties bestowed upon her. In a nutshell, she wants no one to interfere with her private life. It is the catalyst for Edna’s Awakening. Edna has recognized her role in the World as a human being. She also knows that her interaction with others is established by art (Baym 280). Edna uses art to try to figure out Adele’s way of life.
Edna, however, feels the urge to interact with the mother figure despite her determination to discard her maternal duty of nurturing her children. Her painting reflects meanings designated for private life that should not be made public. She has a sensual interest in women. The urge raises the possibility that she may have a homosexual-maternal element. Edna is unaware that such private issues are not permitted in public, but she concedes that her painting is socially acceptable because it reflects Adele’s life. Her amorous ardor interferes with Edna’s work. When she paints Adele, she is overcome with longing. The urge is gay and is frowned upon in such a community (Baym 145).Edna releases herself from the confining facets of her existence. These factors include societal rules, clothing, and marriage.
Naturalism under “The Awakening”
The writer of this book was more a naturalist than just realistic, and she was pretty brave in publishing it because it was inconceivable for a woman to be expressive sexually or even to abandon her family to explore her interests as represented in the novel during her day (Bryfonski 31). In reality, the author was an outcast from her community due to the harsh reactions to her novel. It was not until several decades later that everyone recalled the text and recognized its beauty.
The tale’s protagonist is conscious that society rejects her and her type. She is little more than a property item that the male species may pass down from one guy to the next. Even after abandoning her spouse for Robert, Edna quickly discovers that his judgments of her are identical to her husband’s.Her sense of powerlessness in the face of her surroundings or society is characteristic of naturalist fiction. Naturalism holds that man is influenced by forces outside himself, which is precisely what “The Awakening” implies. Her attempts to question this approach to life are futile, as the tale closes with no definitive resolution.
As seen by the book’s analytical essay on naturalism, she questions why no one seems to have any rights but children. As a result, she must be left alone while addressing this situation (Chopin, 171). Edna can be compared to the tragic heroine of a naturalist story.She goes through a lot and takes her own life when she cannot take it anymore. Suicidal endings are typical of realism because they were intended to make a connection with readers who want to sympathize with the despair of the actors in the works.
It is frequent in novels to discover the protagonist grappling with themes of loneliness, desire, and passion, each characteristic of naturalism. It is especially evident when Edna listens to music that she allows to influence and take over her head (Pitzer 44). She is overcome by these emotions and finds that it is nearly complicated for her to stop crying. As a result of these feelings, she nearly chokes at one point.
As many other portions of the book demonstrated, the naturalistic wave was linked with a concentration on human sentiments (Pitzer, 45). What is terrible is that after hearing the song, the author feels neither hope nor despair. It just serves to let her understand that she can experience and respond to things other than her suffering or her sentiments in life.The entire book illustrates how humans are slaves to their emotions. Edna appears to be a weak-willed individual. She lacks the courage to change all the obstacles she has faced, and when it looks like she is battling these principles, the plot subsequently exposes her actions as futile.
Feminist Viewpoints
The work promotes another naturalism agenda in terms of societal aspirations for women. Readers are exposed to two very different people in this chapter: Edna and Adele. The circumstances in the Victorian community were so stacked against women that only rebellious people might survive.However, as one quickly discovers, this was not the wisest course for those involved.
Society did not support women’s freedom of speech nor permit sexual freedom. Edna opted to be aggressive and belligerent in her approach, which cost her life. Adele, in contrast, takes a different approach. She has accomplished this by being faithful to her spouse while openly expressing her sexuality (Seyersted 45). In other words, females can only find tranquility when they embrace loyalty rather than oppose it. Furthermore, accessible communication and expression are feasible, as Adele demonstrated when she followed the norms.
As a result of this stark disparity, ladies were not liberated to do as they wanted but may get some level of freedom provided they followed the norms. When one takes the position that Adele did, it is sometimes feasible to deviate from tradition.It demonstrates that society is restricting and that individuals will never truly enjoy their free choice.It promotes traditional naturalist notions. Indeed, the awakening conversation in this novel happens when the protagonist understands she must be cautious about what she speaks. The Awakening is not in discovering what must be stated but in discovering what needs to be kept hidden (Fleissner 239). As a result, “The Awakening” lacks reality.
Edna somehow does not discover her voice, as is common in romantic poetry. However, she discovers what she is unable to say. The finest example of this is when she cannot find the appropriate words to describe to the doctor why she was forced to abandon her children.In this sense, she cannot convey specific messages to him as is customary. The self should be rejected and lost to develop identification as a mother in this culture. Adele managed to access the bliss and freedom of speech only her species could enjoy by canceling away her wants and requirements. As a result, the work has a feminist tone.
Women in ‘The Awakening’
“The Awakening” by Kate Chopin explores the transcendentalist issue of women’s discovery and its implications through Edna Pontellier.Set in 19th-century Louisiana, it offers the reader a range of women’s behavior during a period where women were regularly categorized as equivalent in interests and instincts. Therefore, it serves as a perfect example for assessing the various roles available to women during this period. Even though Chopin was not a feminist or political writer, understanding the social and political realities of the time is critical; hence, the story’s historical setting will be addressed first.
Previously, wives and their goods were considered their husband’s possessions, and they could not sign legal agreements without their husbands’ approval. However, after the Civil War ended in 1865, improvements occurred in Southern women’s living and working situations (Pease 65). Although financial help from family and friends was once the more respectable of the two alternatives of charity living, the post-war environment made people recognize that a daughter’s livelihood may one day rely on herself. It resulted in better education for women, particularly the ruling elite, and allowed them to access practically all professions.
Women in the Nineteenth Century
Motherhood and marriage were central to ideal womanhood in the 19th century. Nonetheless, American women started to oppose these values, striving for more independence (Fleissner 67). The Seneca Falls Convention that was held in New York in 1848 signaled the start of the women’s suffrage movement. Although women did not have the right to vote till the 1920s, by the close of the 19th century, they could own assets, and some even attended university. Women’s employment prospects increased as society became more industrialized.
The picture of femininity that enabled public engagement became described as “the new woman” (Ostman 41). Even though some individuals were against women’s independent living, artist Charles Dana Gibson’s iconic “Gibson girl” paintings welcomed this aggressive ideal of femininity (Mikolchak 37). With Edna’s rising yearning for independence, The Awakening highlights the contradiction between modernity and tradition that nineteenth-century women confronted (Ostman 44). While Chopin’s topics coincided with the burgeoning feminist views of the period, Edna’s uncertainty regarding parenthood and overt sexual pleasure were deemed vulgar by the community, and the book quickly went out of circulation.
Edna begins experimenting with her new existence by betting at the races and selling her artwork. Entering the universe of capitalism is an important advance in her pursuit of independence, but since she had been the supportive and sympathetic bridge between the personal sphere of the residence and the almost entirely male realm of the marketplace as most nineteenth-century women were (Papke 10). By joining this macho society, Edna could produce her income and utilize it to rent a property.
Edna perceives another existence after fueling sexual cravings via painting investigation. She is aware of the lack of fulfillment she receives from her household and social connections. Her friends and family physician are unaware of what is happening to her (Wrobel 2012). The psychiatrist argues that Edna’s misery stems from her sexual encounters with men. Despite having parental feelings that are inescapable after delivery, she cannot accept Adele’s way of life. Adele is consumed with her societal and mother responsibilities and finds joy exclusively in looking after the kids.
Nonetheless, Edna maintains a life distinct from her companion in her endeavor to construct a separate existence with diverse duties. Furthermore, the urge to establish a separate position and life for oneself stems from a conflict with societal preconceptions (Baym 487). Edna’s goal is to become aware of her potential. Even though emotional fulfillments are necessary for a meaningful existence, Edna’s society is tainted by chauvinistic impulses.
It implies that the women cannot focus on their pleasure since family preservation takes place first. Edna expresses her displeasure with her husband’s opinions on Victorian standards. Because her spouse dictates her options, she sees the ideas as tyranny (Baym 452). Through her work, she removes herself from her husband. Her earnings from these transactions offer her a sense of freedom. On the other side, this action makes the spouse feel threatened.
Unlike many respectable ladies, Edna is at ease in a doctor’s presence. When the doctor touches her, she makes no gestures or glances. Edna is similarly emotionless when she declines to witness her sister’s wedding. She urges her husband to attend the occasion by himself since it reminds her of her marriage (Friedan and Shriver 75). Edna’s unwillingness to participate in the wedding demonstrates her determination to separate herself from all conceivable societal responsibilities.
She cannot imagine a worse experience than witnessing her sister transform into a submissive bride destined to serve her husband. Edna’s father reminds her of her negative past experiences. Edna’s father and Margaret’s lives are prime instances of patriarchal pressures in Edna’s life. Her painting becomes more powerful and realistic as she grows apart from her husband. Edna defies conventional expectations by relocating away from their marital home (Baym 278). She believes that by doing so, she will go from an amateur to a professional player.
Summary
The author was accountable for depicting naturalism in “The Awakening” because the movement tended to fall more on moral vice. Even when her culture could not comprehend it, the author appeared to accept moral depravity. She emphasizes specific needs and also discusses sexual freedom and communication freedom, particularly as a woman. She expresses the aggravation of not taking charge of one’s surroundings. It is incredibly beneficial to investigate crucial characteristics that academics have observed inside literary pieces to appreciate a novel and the author’s viewpoint fully.
Readers may gain a deeper understanding of characters, a few little ideas, the influence the work had on society while it was initially released, or other aspects the author is attempting to express. It is a good experience reading “The Awakening because readers gain a better understanding of the literature by attentively scrutinizing the tale. Readers connect with the narrative since it would be tough for a person who was pushed to be himself in childhood to deal with peculiarities like Edna’s in the novel. Some people were perplexed by Edna’s emotions and judgments on several occasions. Nonetheless, this particular novel has led the country toward its present belief system. Although a feminist work, this might speak to anybody stuck in a role that is not their own.
Work Cited
Baym, Nina. The Norton Anthology of American Literature: Beginnings to 1865. New York: W W Norton & Company Incorporated, 2008.
Bryfonski, Dedria. Women’s issues in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening. Greenhaven Press, Farmington Hills, 2012.
Fleissner, Jennifer. Women, compulsion, modernity: the moment of American naturalism. The University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2004.
Friedan, Betty, and Lionel Shriver. The feminine mystique. Penguin, London, 2010.
Mikolchak, Maria. “Kate Chopin’s ‘The Awakening’ as Part of the Nineteenth-Century American Literary Tradition.” Interdisciplinary Literary Studies, vol. 5, no. 2, 2004, pp. 29–49. Web.
Ostman, Heather. Kate Chopin and Catholicism. Springer, 2020.
Pease, Allison. Modernism, feminism, and the culture of boredom. Cambridge University Press, New York, 2012.
Pitzer, Michael. Two approaches to the concept of naturalism. Carbondale: University of Southern Illinois, 1966.
Seyersted, Per. Kate Chopin: a critical biography. Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge, 1994.
Wrobel, Susanne. “The Awakening” – Edna’s Awakening on her marriage in Victorian society. Grin Publishing House, 2012.