Literary Analysis of Regionalism, Realism, and Naturalism in The Awakening, by Kate Choppin - Research Paper Example

Realism, though, is portrayed through the emotional presence founded on the contemporary social issues and the feelings of the women in the story who are trapped in a certain situation that they are forced to accept. Regionalism is seen here as something that characterizes the characters or the societal setting in the story that is actually largely-known to be distinctive of a particular society in real . Kate Chopin, in her story “The Awakening,” demonstrates these three forms of literature through several of the characters, yet this paper will mainly focus of the main character, Edna Pontellier, in analyzing how these literary forms are presented in the story.

Edna Pontellier's behavior, thoughts, and values, exhibits the characteristics of naturalism in literature. Edna's decisions show what occurs when a person begins developing inclinations that are not natural or conventional and when these inclinations are conflicting with the person's natural desires. During the Victorian era, the role of women were primarily within the household, and their lives are largely dependent on their husbands. Several parts of the story confirm this belief. For example, Edna's husband is told to criticize her and call her a neglectful mother for being unable to attend immediately to their sick child (Chopin and Bloom 21).

It should be understood that in a patriarchal society as this one, it is believed that since women give birth, they should have the natural instincts of being mothers. However, Edna's “unnatural” desire to free herself from this cocoon is conflicting with the inner natural drive to be a good mother. Yet, Chopin wants to express that nature or the natural world, is still the winner in the end. This is shown when Edna is carried away by the sea --- a natural part of nature --- to take her away from her inner conflicts (Chopin and Bloom 26).

This is a symbolical yet strong declaration that despite the unnatural inclinations one may develop while on earth, in the end, man succumbs to the inevitable powers of the natural world. Realism in this story is depicted through the social issues that could be considered as the prison of those who live in it. Women, in general, are shown here as feeling trapped in something that is conflicting with their inner wants and wishes. For Edna, her reality is being stuck in her role as a wife and a mother --- roles that the society dictates.

This is clearly depicted in the scene where a woman is alone in a house, sitting and crying for unknown reasons. Furthermore, it is stated that this situation is common in every marriage (Chopin and Adams 8). While it is very real that this woman's husband is actually a good man, she is feeling unhappy with her life (Chopin and Adams 11). What the author could be saying is that being a wife and a mother are not the only roles that a woman can play in this life. Upon considering that the story was written during the time when women's rights movements are progressing, and that the portrayal of the women's emotions during this time is clearly presented in the story, one could say that realism in the story is actually its portrayal of the true-to-life personal feelings of the women in the society where the story is set.

Regionalism, on the other hand, is the story's depiction of the Creole culture in terms of customs, traditions, and even dialect. One could easily see