The Awakening by Kate Chopin - Book Report/Review Example

The Awakening Question #1: Setting and Tone The setting of the Awakening is in the Grand Isle in the 19th Century. The temporal setting, which is chosen, is necessary because of the kind of restrictions imposed in the society in which Edna lives. Edna’s story would not portray a genuine plot if it occurred in a society in which divorce was allowable by the standards of the day. In addition, the setting is crucial to bring out the oppression that women were exposed to especially by the fact that artistry by women was not a common thing. The setting is also significant because the plot in the Bayou State depicts the Creole lifestyle, which plays a major in exposing Edna to the pleasures of being Passionate and open. Her vacation to the Grand Isle also play a vital role in the setting as it helps reveal her awakening and maturation process, not just physically by being more in touch with her sensual side, but also emotionally and sexually. It is clearly depicted how swimming and feeling the water brush hers skin heightened her senses to the myriad of possibilities in life (Chopin 67). This experience in some eccentric way empowers her to be able to take charge of will and body. This is seen in a later scene when she shows resistance to her husband for treating her like one of his possessions. She matures to the full knowledge of who she is and that she reserves the rights to be in charge in her life. Question #2: Characterization & Description Edna Pontellier. The character of Edna is that of an individual tired of the life she is living. She is bored to a point of depression by the limitations society places upon her. She desires to experience the wild and set herself loose to enjoy life. She feels trapped in a marriage she did not want and lonely despite having her husband with her. She portrays a woman that desires to gain self-actualization, independence, fulfill her sexual urges and experience autonomy. This is shown in the quote, “How few of us ever emerge from such beginning” (“Awakening” 74). Leonce Pontellier This character depicts hypocrisy. He is the perfect man in the eyes of the society, but the exact opposite in the home setting. He works hard to provide for his wife, entreats her to special gifts, and gives her money for her needs, but all this just to please the society. He does not show love to the wife instead he handles her like his possession. He is the perfect embodiment of male chauvinism. He commands his wife around like his child and disrespects her by not according her the honor due to a wife. This is clearly illustrated in the excerpt, "Looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage…He reproached his wife with her inattention, her habitual neglect of the children. If it was not a mother's place to look after children, whose on earth was it" (“Awakening” 45). Adèle Ratignolle This character depicts the perfect woman in the 19th Century patriarchal society. She accepts the position accorded to her by society and is happy to play it gladly. She imagines her roles cannot be extended to exceed that of nurturer and caregiver. She either is a conformist because she is comfortable with it or imagines no other way to live. She is simple, dependent, has no ambitions and indicates no sign of growth. She is clearly unable to think apart from her husband and what society expects of her. This is evident in the quote, "the embodiment of every womanly grace and charm" and as the epitome of a "matronly figure" (Chopin 134). Question #3: Conflicts in the Book Conflict is expressed in various relationships in the book. The three major types are external, emotional, moral and internal conflicts. Edna experiences emotional turmoil as she tries to grapple with her newfound independence, autonomy, and sexual urges. Robert, on the other hand, undergoes moral conflict in trying to contain his desire and lust towards Edna. There is also external conflict, which is revealed in the cold relationship between Leonce Pontellier and Edna. He represents the perfect husband as per society, but she desires to escape from him. External conflict is also showcased in the relationship between Edna and Madame Ratignolle. The latter portrays the perfect woman in society, but Edna desires to depart from that sort of lifestyle. Internal conflict in Edna’s life is the major conflict in the book as she has a hard time conforming to the rules society has imposed on her (Nepo 78). Question #4: Magazine: “Coming to Birth” The article, “Coming to Birth”, and the book, Awakening share the theme of struggle for independence. In the article, Paulina struggles to be independent and only realizes her dreams in the postcolonial Kenya. The life and experiences, she undergoes, are the same as Edna’s lifestyle. For instance, like Paulina, Edna has a hard time conforming to the standards of the society. Ever since they were young, they both had the urge to gain self-independence and actualization. However, attaining all this cost them dearly as they later pass in pursuit of freedom. Both Paulina and Edna struggled to please their husbands, friends, society and themselves. Edna, for instance, struggles to let free her inner self for fear of stigmatization. Question #5: Summary Midway through the Book Grand Isle, A popular club with many businesspersons and tourists in New Orleans, is the setting for this part of the play. Edna and her family are there for the holiday. They have rented Madame Lebrun’s cottages for the period of their stay. Edna’s husband is often preoccupied with work and other business matters. She, therefore, spends most of her time with her friend. The friend is Adele, and she teaches the naive Edna a lot regarding the right of expression. This opens her up to explore a side of her that only existed in her imaginations. She is willingly to experiment and test the waters literally in an unreserved manner. Exposure to such openness liberates Edna from her previously prudish behavior and repressed emotions and desires (Dewitz 6). Question #6: Theme of Solitude and Independence The theme of solitude and independence are highly emphasized in this plot. For Edna Pontellier, solitude and independence represent the significant part of a human life. She has very little chance of self-independence and self-actualization as she is merely expected by society to play her role as a wife in the background. She is expected to keep her opinions to herself and only seek to satisfy her husband both emotional and physically. Edna desires more than what society has offered her, and she claims independence to fulfill her desires (“Awakening 57). She feels alone among the women because she is the only one who seems to harbor this rebellious thoughts and actions. She feels alone in her family as her husband is only there for show. Her solitude is further explained in the note that Robert leaves her. In this scenario, she discovers that she has to be brave and undergo her awakening alone. Question #7: Change of Setting and Protagonist The setting works to bring out Edna’s transformation and renewal. The scene at Creole is set to go with her solitude and lack of freedom. The scene of the plot is set in the late 19th Century and depicts New Orleans society of that period. The city is big, and bustles with activity as would be expected of any large city. The Grand Isle captures the attention of Edna the most, and it is there that she first experiences love and affection. The setting works well to conform to her newfound independence. She decides to change to be whom she desire from her experience in the city. Many hotels and clubs in New Orleans, which emphasize the lack of restrictions and limitations in the city, exemplify this carefree attitude (Nepo 212). Question #8: Imagery and symbolism The ocean is one of the symbols used in the play. The ocean brings about the notion of freedom with its tossing about back and forth freely. This exemplifies the desire of Edna, who desires to be as free as the ocean is. It represents a world of unlimited possibilities and enchanted territories. It is while in the ocean that she conceives the idea to go forth and claim her independence. The other symbol is Mademoiselle Reisz, who represents the other side of womanhood in Creole society. This is the side that is despised for not possessing the nurturer and caregiver attributes of a woman in that society. Ms. Reisz is the perfect picture or image of the life Edna would have lived had she not passed on. Birds in the story represent freedom and imprisonment. The birds of Madame Lebrun represent Edna and Madame Reisz. They indicate her pursuit for freedom that leads her into another (Dewitz 13). Question #9: Explain what this book reveals about the author The author lived in a patriarchal society where women lacked the right to express themselves. She lived in the 19th Century and wanted to portray society as it was at that time. She, as Edna, feels the urge to be different thus takes it upon herself to express to the whole world what life in that part of America was like. She feels the urge to express herself just as Edna did. Kate Chopin did what other female authors of her time dared not do as she wrote out sexuality and the place of a woman as being more than just a caregiver or nurturer. Question #10: Significance of the Title The topic of the story describes the general flow and conflict in the book. Edna underwent a major transformation on her one night escapade at the ocean, and from that moment onwards, her values and desires changed. Her transition was marked by the changing lifestyle from that of a conformist to that of a radical. Society expected her to be someone she could no longer pretend to be. She wanted her independence, a chance to experiment and live a life worth her standard. . Works Cited Chopin, Kate. Awakening, the [Easyread Comfort Edition], ReadHowYouWant.com, Limited, 2006. Internet Source. _. The Awakening. Glacier National Park, Montana: Kessinger Publishing, 2005. Print. Dewitz, Claudia. "the Awakening" by Kate Chopin - Edna Pontellier, a Woman Fated to Die. München: GRIN Verlag, 2010. Print. http://africanliteratureviews.com/2013/07/10/a-review-of-the-novel-coming-to-birth-by- marjorie-oludhe-macgoye/ Nepo, Mark. The Book of Awakening: Having the Life You Want by Being Present to the Life You Have. San Francisco: Conari Press, 2011. Print. Read More