"The Awakening" and Slumbering

Paper Summary:

This paper provides a detailed analysis of the book "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin, focusing on the central motifs of slumbering and awakening, and sensuality and death. The main character, Edna, is portrayed as a typical Southern wife, becoming aware of her discontents and of the powerful experiences awaiting her. Her process of 'awakening' is examined, and the force of nature in this novel is illustrated.

From the Paper:

""The Awakening," by Kate Chopin, is the lyrical, poetic story of a young married woman living a dull, stifling life. Slowly awakening to her discontents and to the power of art, sexuality, and the "delirium" of ecstatic experiences, she ends up committing adultery and then suicide. Her awakening from the slumber of southern femininity, of patriarchal convention, is real, but the forces she has unleashed are too great to handle. It is as if she has awakened forces that society itself cannot and will not allow. Ironically, Kate Chopin's book had the same impact on the society of the day. It was too powerful an evocation of a woman's sensuality, and was so widely criticized that this talented writer basically stopped writing."

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