Kate Chopin's The Awakening: Screenplay as Interpretation - Research Paper Example

While Edna Pontellier succumbs to the assumptions of society, Janie Crawford fully escapes from the expectation surrounding her proving that women of the upper class cannot fulfill their hopes and dreams Introduction The two characters highlight the common woman’s quest for autonomy in society although both give different approaches to the subjects. Janie’s ‘Their eyes were watching God’ novel reveals that women can succeed in their agitation for independence within the society. However, the case of Edna confirms that male dominance in society is a barrier to the independency of women. Additionally, cultural beliefs also contribute to the status quo position with regard to the place of women in society. The narrator of this novel perfectly aligns himself with Chopin and the novel id fully narrated in the third person mode although the narrator of this novel exhibits and expresses genuine sympathy for Ednah, who is the protagonist in the movie. The tone of the movie is very objective in entirety .However, there is revelation of support for the female independence .Sexual and emotional symbolism is also evident in Edna’s awakening. The tense used in this novel narration is the immediate past in real time setting. Women of the upper class cannot fulfill their hopes and dreams The setting period of the novel is 1899, during the advent of the industrial revolution and the feminist movement (Hoder-Salmon and Kate 23).However, this movement was still sabotaged by the attitudes of this century. The setting place for the novel is Grand Isle, which is a popular summer vacation spot for wealthy Creoles. The second part of the novel’s setting is in New Orleans. The major conflict in this novel emerges when Edna declares her quest for autonomy and self-actualization. This evokes immediate reaction from the society, which perceives this move as a contravention against the expectations and norms of society. This is because the society requires a woman to prioritize the needs of her children and husband before pursuing self-actualization. The events which spark-off Edna’s quest for independence include her long conversation with Adele. This conversation reminisces her repressed passions in life and it gives her the impetus and fortitude to pursue her goal. The flirtations of Robert Lebrun culminate in burning desire for autonomy for Edna. She yearns to be independent of her husband after the ordeal with Lebrun. The other event that informs her decision and urge for independence is Mademoiselle Reisz’s piano playing. This piano playing is an inspiration for Edna with regard to the potential of a woman in society and the right to independence. The other event is swimming, whereby Edna swims for the first time and gathers courage to pursue her course of self-independence. The climax of this novel is marked by Ednah having a love affair with Alcée Arobin and her declaration of her unfailing love for Robert Lebrun. This is confirmed by her kissing Robert Lebrun in public. The novel’s falling action is the exhibition of Edna’s defiant behavior as a show of liberation from the male-dominated society. The themes manifest in this novel includes the implication for self-expression and solitude as the outcome of autonomy. The motifs used in the novel include music, children and houses. Symbolism is also used in the novel. The symbols employed in the novel include birds and the sea. The other stylistic device used in the novel is foreshadowing. This style is evident in Ednah’ s rebellious nature’s autonomous actions of Edna in the second art of the novel is a foreshadow of her quest for independence. For instance, , Adele Rationale gives a warning to Robert concerning Edna in chapter 8 of the novel .Adele warns him that Edna may take his flirtations seriously and consequently marry him. This is exactly the aftermath of Robert’s flirtation later in the novel unfolding. The strong romantic relation between Robert and Edna confirm this foreshadow. The presence of a lady dressed in black is a foreshadow of the tragic end of the relationship between Robert and Ednah. The aspect of Edna’s suicide is foreshadowed often in the novel. For instance, the rebellious swimming of Edna in chapter ten of the novel and vision of death during the swim, foreshadow her eventual demise at the end of the novel. Edna Pontellier’s achievement of independence is accompanied with solitude. The traditions of the 18th century limited the women self-expression and independency (43). Women were expected to dispense their domestic duties and ensure the health of their households. Green, Suzanne and David posit that women of this time were barred from agitating for their independence and self-actualization (51). Edna rediscovers her self -worth and acknowledges her emotional urges. This culminates in abandon of her former domineering husband and marries Robert. In all the maneuvers, Edna in a bid to break free from the societal norms and expectation, she finds that her independency will be accompanied with isolation from society. This owes to the general belief of many women in the society during that time. According to Bloom, Edna’s husband also objects her clamor for independency given that he strongly believes in the doctrines of society pertaining to the position of a woman in s society (39).Her pursuit of painting also enables Ednah to realize the beauty of individual creation and architecture. This makes her to seek self-independence regardless of the inevitable hurdles of society. Her quest for independence is emotionally driven and events happen in a sequential manner with regard to her quest for autonomy. Robert’s passion for Ednah’love is not strong enough to overcome his sense of morality. In fact, the note that Robert leaves behind is evident to Ednah that she was alone despite the fact that she has obtained the hard-earned independency and self-achievement. The note articulated the fact that Robert was not ready to contravene the societal norms pertaining to women. This confirms that solitude is a consequence for independence for Ednah. The discovery of self-expression by Edna informs her of her long overdue independence. In fact, the awakening of Edna makes her learn three new concepts including the mode of expression for the creole women .The Creole women express themselves in a free manner and emotionally share their feelings regardless of their chastity. In addition, Edna is challenged by their faithfulness and liberty. In this regard, Ednah learns that she is the architect of her life hence she can determine the course of her emotions and sexuality without the fear of reprisals like the Creole women. The lessons of chapter nine reveal how Edna learns the art of music from Mademoiselle Reisz, the pianist. Music rocked her world and she got inspired by Mademoiselle Reisz’s music. The narrator remarks, “she saw no pictures of solitude, of hope, of longing, or of despair. But the very passions themselves were aroused within her soul, swaying it, lashing it, as the waves daily beat upon her splendid body.” (Bloom 37). These are objects used to represent concepts I any literal work. The caged birds in the Awakening novel are reminiscent Edna and the Victorian women’s entrapment by the norms of society. Madame Lebrun’s parrot and mockingbird are a representation of Ednah and Madam Reisz. This is because the women’s moves are limited hence they are not able to commune with the environment. Madam Reisz warns Ednah that she must have strong wings to overcome the aftermath of her relation with Robert, “The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth.”( Hoder-Salmon and Kate 45). Nick’s role as narrator and witness and the novel themes and attitudes (Answer 2 and 6) . Zora Neale Hurston, the narrator of "Their Eyes Were Watching God" novel perfectly aligns herself as a witness and the novel is fully narrated in the first person mode although the Nick expresses genuine sympathy for Janie Crawford, who is the main characters in this novel. The tone of the movie is very objective in entirety .However, there is revelation of support for the female independence .Sexual and emotional symbolism is also evident in Edna’s awakening. The tense used in this novel narration is the immediate past in real time setting. Change is the proximate cause for solitude and self-pity. The setting period of the novel is during the advent of the industrial revolution and the feminist movement .However, this movement was still sabotaged by the attitudes of this century. The setting place for the novel is Grand Isle, which is a popular summer vacation spot for wealthy Creoles. The second part of the novel’s setting is in New Orleans. The major conflict in this novel emerges when for Logan Killicks and Pheoby Watson are involved in infidelity (Hurston 56). This evokes immediate reaction from the society, which perceives this move as a contravention against the expectations and norms of society. This is because the society requires a woman to prioritize the needs of her children and husband before pursuing self-actualization. The events which spark-off Janie’s quest for independence include her long conversation with Joe Starks. This conversation is reminiscent of her repressed passions in life and it gives her the impetus and fortitude to pursue her goal. The flirtations of Killicks culminate in burning desire for autonomy for Jordan. She yearns to be independent of her husband after the ordeal with Joe. The other event that informs her decision and urge for independence is Gatsby’s advances. This move is an inspiration for Daisy with regard to the potential of a woman in society and the right to independence. The climax of this novel is marked by Joe having a love affair with Janie and her declaration of her unfailing love for him. This is confirmed by her kissing Joe in public. The Sea symbolizes freedom and escape. It is during swimming that Ednah discovers of her need for independency and the beauty of autonomy especially under the deep sea. The novel’s falling action is the exhibition of Jordan’s defiant behavior as a show of liberation from the male-dominated society. The themes manifest in this novel includes the implication for self-expression and solitude as the outcome of autonomy. The motifs used in the novel include music, children and houses. Symbolism is also used in the novel. The symbols employed in the novel include birds and the sea. The other stylistic device used in the novel is foreshadowing. This style is evident in Jordan’s rebellious and autonomous actions. For instance, Killicks gives a warning to Janie concerning Joe. He warns him that phoebe may take his flirtations seriously and consequently marry him. This is exactly the aftermath of Joe’s flirtation later in the novel unfolding. The strong romantic relation between Janie and Joe confirm this foreshadow. Daisy rediscovers her self -worth and acknowledges her emotional urges. This culminates in abandon of her former domineering husband and marries Joe. In all the maneuvers, Janie in a bid to break free from the societal norms and expectation, she finds that her independency will be accompanied with isolation from society (Bloom 73). This owes to the general belief of many women in the society during that time. Killicks’s role reflects Fitzgerald’s depiction of society as relative in Entirety. Conclusion It is manifest that women of the upper class cannot fulfill their hopes and dreams. The theme of the implication for self-expression and solitude as the outcome of autonomy, have been fully expressed in the literature. Works Cited Bloom, Harold. Kate Chopin. New York, NY: Chelsea House, 2007. Print. Green, Suzanne D, and David J. Caudle. Kate Chopin: An Annotated Bibliography of Critical Works. Westport, Conn. [u.a.: Greenwood Press, 2009. Print. Hoder-Salmon, Marilyn, and Kate Chopin. Kate Chopins the Awakening: Screenplay As Interpretation. , 2007. Print. Hurston, Zora N. Their Eyes Were Watching God. New York: HarperCollins, 2010. Print. Hurston, Zora N. Their Eyes Were Watching God: A Novel. Philadelphia: J.B. Lippincott Co, 2007. Print. Bloom, Harold. Zora Neale Hurston. Philadelphia: Chelsea House, 2009. Internet resource. Read More