"The Awakening" by Kate Chopin

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that in her novel "The Awakening", Kate Chopin allows the reader to look at women in the nineteenth century when they were subject to the traditional conventions which society placed on them, especially the relationship between men and women. The author points out that the men of the nineteenth century were not able to offer the emotional support their wives needed; as a result, many of them, like the protagonist Edna, suffered realizing instinctively that they were something more than a wife and mother. The paper stresses that Chopin wanted to emphasize the fact that, while Edna was ultimately responsible for her own actions, she also was a victim of her time.

From the Paper:

"The relationships outside her marriage offer Edna no solace. While her husband was emotionally unavailable to her, Robert, in his promise of love, is still not what Edna is seeking. Parini notes that because Leonce "cannot acknowledge Edna as an autonomous person", Edna places "all her hopes for a complete life in Robert, only to learn that he, too, cannot see her as an autonomous person." Because Robert was responsible for bringing Edna "out of a life-long stupid dream" (Chopin 143), his leaving makes more of an impact on Edna, even though she is aware that he alone cannot satisfy her. Edna's affair with Arobin also emphasizes the emptiness the Edna fills and tries so desperately to fill."

More papers on "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin:

• Book Review # 36005 : "Awakening by Kate Chopin"
• Book Review # 105230 : "The Awakening" and The Life of Kate Chopin"
• Analytical Essay # 55536 : "The Stories of Kate Chopin"

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