The Awakening by Kate Chopin - Essay Example

Rather she thinks that she is also a valuable part of the society who needs to fulfill her instinct desires instead of staying at home and taking care of children and husband. It does not mean that she does not love her sons rather the fact is that she loves them but do not want to spare her whole life just for them. Edna has same feelings for her husband. She respects him as a wife should do but the element of love does not seem to be there in her relationship. When this novel was published, people did not like the character of Edna and criticized Chopin for writing such an immoral novel in which a woman was shown as a sexual being.

In the novel, Edna has been shown playing the role of a woman who does not want to remain static in the society. She wants to participate actively in the society for her own desires and for that, she has to sacrifice her responsibilities up to some extent, which includes her home, her children, and her husband. Edna is shown in the character of a woman who does not want to sacrifice her private or social life for her husband and children. In the novel, she seems to be taking care of her children and husband but she has the desire to do something more which should reveal her inner thoughts and feelings.

She does not want to be a model wife and mother as her friend, Adele Ratignolle. Adele has been shown in the role of a woman who devotes herself for her family. . Adele has been shown in a good character in the novel. When Edna falls in relationship with Lebrun, Adele becomes worried while thinking of the future of Edna’s sons. She thinks that Edna’s care towards her children will be affected because of her new relationship. In the novel, the author has shown that there is no match between the thoughts and feelings of Edna and Adele and this is the reason why Adele does not understand the viewpoint of her friend.

The only similarity observed in the novel between the feelings of Edna and Adele was that both friends wanted to take extreme care of their children. The difference was that Edna did not want to sacrifice her personal life for her children. The author has portrayed Edna inn the role of a woman who wants to live her life properly by exhibiting her hidden desires of love and sex. In the novel, Adele does not seem to be agreeing with her friend’s viewpoint. She believes that a woman has nothing to do more if she dedicates her life fully for here children.

She tries to explain it to her friend too but she does not get any success in that. Adele’s belief that a woman cannot do justice with her children if she starts fulfilling her own desires come true when Edna lefts her children to her in-laws when she comes back to New Orleans. In this stage of the novel, Edna starts disregarding her responsibilities towards her children and husband. She often thinks of her affair with Labrun who is no more with her due to some business reasons. It is the time when Edna starts her new affair with Alcee Arobin.

Edna has been shown as a woman full of sexual desires at this stage of the novel. She forgets her relationship with her husband and falls into an affair with a new partner. Edna also contacts