Comparison Of Kate Chopin's The Awakening: Life And Society
Life and Society
In Kate Chopin's novel, The Awakening, the constant boundaries and restrictions
placed on Edna Pontellier by society will lead to her ultimate struggle for freedom. Her
husband Leonce Pontellier, the current women of society, and the Grand Isle make it
apparent that Edna is trapped in a patriarchal society. Despite these people, Edna has a
need to be free and she is able to escape from the patriarchal society that she despises.
The sea, Robert Lebrun, and Mademoiselle Reisz serve as Edna's exits from this
traditional way of life.
Edna is a young Creole wife and mother in a high-class society. The novel unfolds
the life of a woman who feels dissatisfied and restrained by the expectations …show more content…
She realizes through Robert that her husband is a person who she married
without love as an excuse. Another person who influences society and Edna's freedom is Mademoiselle Reisz.
"The very first chords which Mademoiselle Reisz struck upon the piano sent a keen tremor
down Mrs. Pontellier's spinal column. It was not the first time she had heard an artist at
the piano" (Chopin 26). Madam Reisz was a major factor in the life of Edna. She
compels Edna to lift her courage and she also supplies her with the proper motivation to
have her awakening. "You are the only one worth playing for. Those others, Bah!"
(Chopin 26). Madam Reisz is a deep influence upon the lifestyle of Edna. Madam Reisz
possesses the ability to fully understand Edna, strengthening the moral support that she
provides her with.
As the novel unfolds, Edna withdraws from her husband while she continues to
think of Robert. When she thinks she has no chance with Robert, she begins an affair
based purely upon sex with a New Orleans man named Alcee Arobin. She still loves
Robert, but when he returns to New Orleans to visit relatives a few years …show more content…
When she returns, Robert has left
and she finds a note that says, "Good-by--because, I love you." Edna is devastated by
Robert's rejection and becomes unhappy because none of the men in her life respect her
need to control her own life. Edna recalls Reisz stating, "And you call yourself an artist!
What pretensions, Madam! The artist must possess the courageous soul that dares and
defies" (Chopin 116). Edna then returns to the beach at the Grand Isle and drowns
herself with a feeling of found freedom.
Edna could have made better choices in her life by not getting married to Leonce.
That was her first mistake. If she found Robert as her first love, there would be no need
for Edna to search for her "true" self. Edna should have also tried to not let society get
the best of her. By not letting the atmosphere of society get to her, Edna would not have
to pursue on an endless search for freedom. Throughout the novel, Edna seeks independence from society. Her series of
awakenings are mostly about achieving this goal. The sea, Robert Lebrun, and
Mademoiselle Reisz are all influences on her awakenings. In the end, Edna's
In Kate Chopin's novel, The Awakening, the constant boundaries and restrictions
placed on Edna Pontellier by society will lead to her ultimate struggle for freedom. Her
husband Leonce Pontellier, the current women of society, and the Grand Isle make it
apparent that Edna is trapped in a patriarchal society. Despite these people, Edna has a
need to be free and she is able to escape from the patriarchal society that she despises.
The sea, Robert Lebrun, and Mademoiselle Reisz serve as Edna's exits from this
traditional way of life.
Edna is a young Creole wife and mother in a high-class society. The novel unfolds
the life of a woman who feels dissatisfied and restrained by the expectations …show more content…
She realizes through Robert that her husband is a person who she married
without love as an excuse. Another person who influences society and Edna's freedom is Mademoiselle Reisz.
"The very first chords which Mademoiselle Reisz struck upon the piano sent a keen tremor
down Mrs. Pontellier's spinal column. It was not the first time she had heard an artist at
the piano" (Chopin 26). Madam Reisz was a major factor in the life of Edna. She
compels Edna to lift her courage and she also supplies her with the proper motivation to
have her awakening. "You are the only one worth playing for. Those others, Bah!"
(Chopin 26). Madam Reisz is a deep influence upon the lifestyle of Edna. Madam Reisz
possesses the ability to fully understand Edna, strengthening the moral support that she
provides her with.
As the novel unfolds, Edna withdraws from her husband while she continues to
think of Robert. When she thinks she has no chance with Robert, she begins an affair
based purely upon sex with a New Orleans man named Alcee Arobin. She still loves
Robert, but when he returns to New Orleans to visit relatives a few years …show more content…
When she returns, Robert has left
and she finds a note that says, "Good-by--because, I love you." Edna is devastated by
Robert's rejection and becomes unhappy because none of the men in her life respect her
need to control her own life. Edna recalls Reisz stating, "And you call yourself an artist!
What pretensions, Madam! The artist must possess the courageous soul that dares and
defies" (Chopin 116). Edna then returns to the beach at the Grand Isle and drowns
herself with a feeling of found freedom.
Edna could have made better choices in her life by not getting married to Leonce.
That was her first mistake. If she found Robert as her first love, there would be no need
for Edna to search for her "true" self. Edna should have also tried to not let society get
the best of her. By not letting the atmosphere of society get to her, Edna would not have
to pursue on an endless search for freedom. Throughout the novel, Edna seeks independence from society. Her series of
awakenings are mostly about achieving this goal. The sea, Robert Lebrun, and
Mademoiselle Reisz are all influences on her awakenings. In the end, Edna's