Searching For Meaning By Kate Chopin - 1700 Words

Searching for Meaning, in the Water. The author, Jane Austen once said â€Å"I hate to hear you talk about all women as if they were fine ladies instead of rational creatures. None of us want to be in calm waters all our lives.† The Awakening by Kate Chopin depicts the life of a woman who wants more than to be viewed by society as a good wife and mother. Kate Chopin was brought up in the late 1800’s, a time that was extremely prejudiced towards women. It was this mighty prejudice that fueled her desire to write novels depicting female characters, attempting, and ultimately failing, to break the societal molds much as she had her whole life. One of the key aspects of this novella was the ending, when Edna chose death over living in a world where she would be unable to express her true self. This leaves readers with many considerations to contemplate about the true torments in the lives of women of this male dominated society. In the awakening, Edna is enlightened to the fact that she cannot be the true ke eper of her body, she is unable to enjoy her passions with the pressures of her role as mother, she cannot connect with her domestic peers, and cannot love the man she wishes to; this all pushes her to her only option of leaving the world she cannot exist in while maintaining her true self. Edna was born in a time where a women’s sole purpose was to get married, have children and please their husband. This is exemplified when Edna’s husband, Leonce , comes home and instead ofShow MoreRelated Imagery in Chopin’s Storm and John Steinbecks The Chrysanthemums1311 Words   |  6 Pagessignificant impact in conveying a particular impression about a character or situation, or the theme of a story. In the story The Storm, by Kate Chopin, and The Chrysanthemums, by John Steinbeck, imagery is an integral element in the development of the characters and situation, as well as the development of theme. In the story The Storm, Kate Chopin uses imagery throughout as a powerful instrument to convey the new sexual feelings that Calixta and Alcee are experiencing. In this story, wordsRead More Kate Chopins Writing Essay2357 Words   |  10 PagesKate Chopins Writing Elizabeth Fox Genovese of Emory University shared in a PBS interview that â€Å"She [Kate Chopin] was very important as one of the earliest examples of modernism in the United States or, if you wish, the cutting edge of modernism in American literature† (PBS – Interviews). Kate Chopin published At Fault, her first novel, in 1890 and The Awakening, her last novel, in 1898 (Guilds 924). During these years Chopin wrote numerous other works and most, like At Fault and The AwakeningRead More Chopin Essays1578 Words   |  7 Pages The Struggle to Be a Womyn â€Å"Every step which she took toward relieving herself from obligations added to her strength and expansion as an individual† (93) The Awakening by Kate Chopin introduces the reader to the life of Edna Pontellier, a woman with an independent nature, searching for her true identity in a patriarchal society that expects women to be nothing more than devoted wives and nurturing mothers. In this paper I will describe Edna’s journey of self-discovery and explainRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin1611 Words   |  7 PagesWomen who desire the traditional mother-woman lifestyle experience easy societal approval, but other women struggle to find independence and happiness because it goes against societal expectations and can be considered selfish. In The Awakening, Kate Chopin uses the contrasting views and actions surrounding motherhood of Adele Ratignolle and Edna Pontellier to show that women should have the right to choose their own destiny and lifestyle, not based on what society expects of them, but based on theirRead MoreHouses as Motif: Kate Chopins the Awakening2783 Words   |  12 Pagesas Motifs in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening Linda Catte Dr. Kathryn Warren ENGL 2329: American Literature March 22, 2012 (KateChopin.org.) (Krantz’s Grand Isle Hotel Picture of painting by Tracy Warhart Plaisance) (Reflechir: Vol.1. Les images des prairies tremblantes: 1840-1940 by Chà ©nià ¨re Hurricane Centennial Committee) It is not new or unique that an individual is looking for one’s purpose and meaning in life. Nor is it unique that men and women imitate the norms of society. In Kate Chopin’s novellaRead MoreKate Chopins The Awakening1871 Words   |  8 PagesDuring the late nineteenth century, the time of protagonist Edna Pontellier, a womans place in society was confined to worshipping her children and submitting to her husband. Kate Chopins novel, The Awakening, encompasses the frustrations and the triumphs in a womans life as she attempts to cope with these strict cultural demands. Defying the stereotype of a mother-woman, Edna battles the pressures of 1899 that command her to be a subdued and devoted housewife. Although Ednas ultimate suicideRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin1816 Words   |  8 Pages During the late eighteen hundreds, which was the time of Edna Pontellier who was a protagonist of her time, women were thought of as nothing but house wives whose only task was to take care of her husband and children. Kate Chopin’s book, The Awakening, expresses the failures and the successes in a woman s life as she tries to live with the harsh cultural demands placed on her life. Edna fights against the stereotype mother/woman and the pressures of 1899 that demand her to be a meek and loyalRead MoreEssay about The Awakening by Edna Pontellier601 Words   |  3 PagesThe Awakening by Edna Pontellier The Awakening by Kate Chopin introduces the reader to the life of Edna Pontellier, a woman with an independent nature searching for her true identity in a patriarchal society that expects women to be nothing more than devoted wives and nurturing mothers. The Awakening begins in the vacation spot of Grand Isle. At first we believe that Grand Isle is a utopia, wealthy families relaxing at oceanside, but it is here where Edna first begins to realize her unhappinessRead MoreCritical Analysis Of The Awakening1412 Words   |  6 Pagesfact the awakening to our lucid dreaming. Edna Pontellier is a woman with a heart that soared beyond the horizons into a limitless world, forced into cage by the inevitable way of life. Kate Chopin through the beautifully sculpted novel â€Å"The Awakening† condemned Edna with a mindset beyond her years, finding meaning through her unsocial actions shunned by the eyes of others. Edna used her ingenuity to drift through a world of sexuality and freedom, but she only soared to her Elysium after undressingRead More The Search for Language in The Awakening Essay2447 Words   |  10 PagesThe Search for Language in The Awakening  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚   Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, tells the story of a late nineteenth century woman trying to break away from the male-dominated society to find an identity of her own.   Edna Pontellier is trying to find herself when only two personas are available to her: the ‘true woman,’ the classic wife and mother, or the ‘new woman,’ the radical women demanding equality with men.   Patricia S. Yaeger, in her essay â€Å"‘A Language Which Nobody Understood’: