"The Awakening"

Analytical Essay # 55980

English > Analysis
Literature > American

"The Awakening"

An analysis of the theme of class and social structure in Kate Chopin's "The Awakening".

1,706 words () | 5 sources | MLA | 2005 United States

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how Kate Chopin's "The Awakening" is often seen in critical literature primarily from the perspective of feminist criticism because the story involves the metaphorical awakening of self in a woman living under the constraints of conservative, nineteenth century, patriarchal, Creole society in and around New Orleans. It discusses how, although the story is about liberation and its protagonist is a woman, Chopin's novel can also be seen from a perspective that engages how the work deals with issues of social class and the function of society in the ways in which it relates to the individual. It attempts to show how it is as much a story about class and social structure as it is a story about the liberation of its protagonist.

From the Paper:

"In terms of the metaphorical awakening of the novel's title, Chopin is seen by some scholars to be making a statement that is somewhat wry. Edna Pontellier, the novel's protagonist, is a woman who lives in the upper crust of a conservative and wealthy Creole society which spends summers in the sophisticated upper-class atmosphere of Grand Isle, and lives otherwise in luxurious conditions in New Orleans. This section of society, which is practically the only one displayed in the novel, is
relatively free in material terms to pursue pleasure and leisure."