The Rise Of Feminism In The Awakening By Kate Chopin

Feminism is the liberation of women and their rights as human beings. The feminism that we see today started in 1960s, but the issue began way before the 1960s. In the 1890s, Kate Chopin wrote a novella called The Awakening to tell the story of the rise of feminism within a character named Edna. In The Awakening, Kate Chopin creates feminism before it’s time by using Edna’s attitude toward her lovers, the freeness of the scenery, and her motherly attitude. These traits that Edna possesses are extremely different compared to the social norms of that day. Using Edna’s attitude with her lovers, Kate Chopin creates an attitude of feminism within Edna before it was a thing. Edna goes through a transition within the novella; the way she acts†¦show more content†¦Kate Chopin uses the emotions of Edna the express her true feeling. By saying the way Mr. Pontellier treats Edna had never affected her in that way, Kate Chopin shows a change in Edna. It proves that she is fed up with the way her husband treats her, and this is where Edna, herself, realizes it. The attitude that Kate Chopin uses is also surfaces when Edna is in a relationship with Robert. After the transition of Edna flourishes, she begins to speak her mind. Kate Chopin writes, â€Å"You have been a very, very foolish boy, wasting your time dreaming of impossible things when you speak of Mr. Pontellier setting me free! I am no longer one of Mr. Pontelliers possessions to dispose of or not. I give myself where I choose. If he were to say, Here, Robert, take her and be happy; she is yours, I should laugh at you both. His face grew a little white. What do you mean? he asked† (102; ch. 36). Edna is stating here that she is not a possession, and Robert really does not understand. By Chopin stating this, she is showing that Edna is not afraid to say what is on her mind when comes to her love life. She declares here that she is her own person. By Robert not realizing what she is talking about, shows how people really thought during Edna’s day and age really believed. Percival Pollard writes, â€Å"After sheShow MoreRelatedKate Chopin s The Awakening1553 Words   |  7 Pagesidentified and associated women with certain images and symbols. The critical lens of feminism works to identify these symbols and further argues that gender and time period dictate the manner in which one behaves. Themes of feminism are evident throughout The Awakening by Kate Chopin. Chopin uses contrasting characters such as Edna Pontellier and Adele Ratigno lle to further embody the differing aspects of feminism. Adele Ratignolle represents the ideal woman of the time period, a mindless housewifeRead MoreThe Awakening, By Kate Chopin887 Words   |  4 Pages Feminism has been a term used by many authors and writers for centuries, symbolizing women being able to use freedom the way they want to, not the way others want them to use it. Edna Pontellier, the main character in Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening, experiences an â€Å"awakening† in her life, where she discovers her position in the universe and goes in this direction instead of what others like her husband Leonce tell her to take, similar to the style of feminism. â€Å"In short, Mrs. Pontellier was beginningRead MoreThe Awakening Feminism Essay1262 Words   |  6 PagesAfter reading The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, I believe the text is feminist. Whether Kate Chopin was deliberately writing for early feminists or not, the book has many early feminist ideas and it is shown through the main characters awakening by being eccentric. The author uses Edna Pontellier as an anti-conventional woman, breaking societal laws that govern her life, in search for individuality in a society that represses her. From a reader’s perspective in the early 1900’s, Edna would be a mentallyRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin954 Words   |  4 Pagesworks as a method to rebel against the Industrial Revolution. Among the most important pieces of this period I consider The Awakening written by Kate Chopin as a Romantic novel. Even though it has been a subject of debate among critics on whether to consider it as a Romantic or Realistic novel, I still believe it represents more Romantic ideologies and concerns. The Awakening narrates the difficult journey of the main character named Edna Pontellier, a twenty-eight years old woman, and her constantRead More Kate Chopin’s The Awakening Essay4153 Words   |  17 PagesKate Chopin’s The Awakening Kate Chopin’s The Awakening should be seen as depicting the discontentment that comes from self-gratification rather than the glorification of delighting in one’s fantasies. Chopin describes the central idea of one who is seeking to please her personal needs and desires and, in the process, neglects to notice how her actions affect others. The protagonist, Edna, is not able to find peace or happiness in the accepted daily life that a woman of her era and social