the awakening - anderson1.org · the awakening the awakening tells the story of edna pontellier and...

The AwakeningThe Awakening tells the story of Edna Pontellierand the changes that occur in her thinking andlifestyle as the result of a summer romance. At thestart of the story, Edna is a young mother of twoand the life of a successful New Orleans business-man. While the family is vacationing at a seasideresort, Edna becomes acquainted with Robert Le-brun, a younger man who pays special attention toher. Moonlit walks and intimate conversations withRobert spark feelings that Edna has forgotten.When she returns to the city, Edna throws off thetrappings of her old life-devotion to family, at-tention to societal expectations, and adherence totradition-to explore independence in love, life,and sexual fulfillment.

While this plot is common by today's stan-dards, it caused a huge commotion when HerbertS. Stone and Company published The Awakeningin 1899. The book was removed from libraryshelves in Kate Chopin's hometown of St. Louis,and the St. Louis Fine Arts Club expelled Chopinfrom its membership. Although there was some

praise for the novel's artistry and insight, criticsgenerally denounced Chopin for her failure to con-

demn Edna's actions and for allowing Edna tomake her final choice in life.

As evidenced by the many reprints of the book,modem critics appreciate Chopin's skill andartistry-particularly her use of psychological re-

alism, symbolic imagery, and sensual themes. Thefeminist movement lauds Chopin's portrayal ofEdna and the restraints tradition places on women.

Kate Chopin

1899

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T h e A w a k e n i n g

Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin was born in 1850 to the well-to-doSt. Louis couple Eliza and Thomas O'Flaherty. Sheattended a convent school, took piano and Frenchlessons, and delighted in her two years as a St. Louisdebutante. Kate had a nonconformist side, too. Forexample, she spent many hours with her family'sslaves and became St. Louis' "Littlest Rebel" whenshe took down and hid a Union flag. In addition, sheretreated to the attic of her family's home and re-mained secluded there for about two years after thedeath of several of her family members.

Kate O'Flaherty's actions reflected the influ-ence of her great-grandmother, who lived with thefamily until Kate was eleven. Kate learned fromher the love of storytelling, an interest in history,and an inquisitive attitude. Encouraged by hergreat-grandmother, Kate read widely and ponderedunconventional ideas. When she met a woman inNew Orleans who was successful at having a ca-reer, family, and social life, Kate was thrilled bythe possibilities. Kate later behaved in ways thatshowed she believed in a woman's having controlover her own life. After she was married, for ex-ample, she ignored society's disapproval as she of-ten walked alone through the streets of New Or-leans, smoking cigarettes.

Kate married Oscar Chopin in 1870. Oscar wasfrom New Orleans. He worked as an agent, abanker, and a broker in the cotton industry. Asmembers of the Southern aristocracy, the Chopinsowned a summer residence on the shore, had ser-vants, and were involved in many social activities.Kate was an active socialite during this time butalso helped Oscar run the business. This equal shar-ing of work and play by husband and wife was un-usual for the time. Their luxurious life came to anend, however, when the business failed in 1879.With six children, the Chopins moved toCloutierville-a small town in north-centralLouisiana-where they lived on her father-in-law'sproperty and helped manage the Chopin familyplantations. They had only been there four yearswhen Oscar died of swamp fever. Kate managedthe business for a year on her own but then movedback to St. Louis to live with her mother.

When Kate's mother died in 1885, Kate hadlittle money. Her few friends encouraged her towrite professionally, having been impressed withher letter writing. At the time, Kate was readingsuch authors as Guy de Maupassant, AlphonseDaudet, Moliere, Charles Darwin, Thomas Huxley,and Herbert Spenser. Relying on her life experi-ences, her great-grandmother's wisdom, and the in-fluence of great writers, Kate began to write aboutlife in north-central Louisiana. While readers en-joyed her first collection of stories, Chopin wrotestories that challenged and conflicted with society'smoral standards. Her novel, The Awakening, waswidely criticized for this when it was published in1899. Even fellow author Willa Cather condemnedthe book for having a "sordid" theme.

Understandably despondent over this criti-cism, as well as the subsequent rejection of her nextbook, An Avocation and a Voice, Chopin never-theless did not at first give up on her writing. Shecomposed a number of short stories, including "TheStorm," a tale of two lovers and their infidelity dur-ing a rainstorm.

By 1904, however, the author began to aban-don writing as her health worsened. She died of acerebral hemorrhage on August 22 of that year. To-day, Kate Chopin is recognized not only for herskills as a local colorist but also as a realist.

Grand IsleThe Awakening opens at the summer resort of

Grand Isle, a small hotel located fifty miles off of

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the coast of New Orleans. Grand Isle is populatedby well-to-do families escaping the blistering NewOrleans heat. The action begins as LUonce Pontel-lier, the husband of the novel's protagonist, EdnaPontellier, sits on the porch of his cottage readinghis day-old newspaper. LUonce is a self-importantman who accepts as his due the deference of oth-ers to his perceived superiority. As LUonce sits onthe porch, his wife returns from the beach withRobert Lebrun, the son of the resort owner. Aftersome bantering between Robert and Edna abouttheir trip to the beach, which LUonce does not findamusing, LUonce leaves for his club to play bil-liards. He invites Robert to join him, but theyounger man declines the invitation, choosing in-stead to remain with Edna. Robert prefers the com-pany of women, choosing to spend the long sum-

mer afternoons reading to the married ladies andplaying with their children, rather than pursuing themore manly endeavors of working in the city or so-

cializing at the local men's club. Each summer,

Robert "constitutes himself the devoted attendantof some fair dame or damsel," but always chooseswomen who are safe-either girls who are tooyoung to marry or matrons.

Edna does not fit in with the Grand Isle crowd.She is the only person at the hotel who is not a Cre-ole, and she is embarrassed by the Creole society'sopenness on subjects such as sex and childbirth.Edna's discomfort with the Creole community is ag-gravated by a growing dissatisfaction with her so-

cially-prescribed role as a "mother-woman," a rolewhich assumes that she will be completely fulfilledby caring for her husband and children. Instead ofexperiencing this fulfillment, Edna is restless andsubject to spells of depression that she does not un-

derstand. Edna's performance of her motherly du-ties does not satisfy her husband, either. On more

than one occasion, he berates her for neglecting theirchildren, and for being unconcerned about keepingup social appearances. For example, when LUoncereturns from his club late one evening, he awakensEdna, telling her that one of their young sons has a

fever. Edna believes that the child is perfectly well,since she had only put him to bed a few hours be-fore. When Edna does not immediately spring fromher bed to minister to her son, LUonce accuses herof neglect. Edna's response is to cry long after herhusband has smoked a cigar and gone to bed.LUonce's scoldings, however, begin to lose their ef-fectiveness as the story progresses. The more

LUonce chastizes Edna for her shortcomings, themore resentful she becomes until she finally dis-misses his complaints altogether.

Edna's feelings of boredom grow, and themore restless she becomes, the more she finds her-self drawn to Robert. The two become nearly in-separable, sitting together and talking in the after-noons, going to the beach to swim, and taking boattrips to neighboring islands. As Edna's infatuationwith Robert becomes obvious, one of Edna'sfriends, Adele Ratignolle, warns Robert to stopflirting with Edna, because she is not like the Cre-ole women with whom Robert has flirted in thepast. Adele tells Robert that Edna is different be-cause she might make the mistake of taking himseriously. Robert becomes angry at the suggestionthat he is not a man who a woman should take se-

riously, but retreats from his position when Adelereminds him that should he allow himself to be-come involved with a married woman, he wouldnot be worthy of the trust that the families at GrandIsle place in him. Adele's warning may ultimatelyprecipitate Robert's premature departure fromGrand Isle.

Edna's restlessness leads to a series of emo-

tional awakenings from which she begins to gain a

sense of the parts of her life that she must cast off.These awakenings cause her to try to break away

from the traditional role of wife and mother thatturn-of-the-century society prescribed for women.Her first awakening occurs in chapter nine, whenshe listens to the artist Mademoiselle Reisz play thepiano. Edna is "fond of music" because it allowsher to enjoy pleasant mental images. She sits on

the edge of the gallery during a gathering of all thevacationers. In this scene, she is poised on the edgeof two worlds, the family-centered world of Cre-ole society, and the enticing gulf, with its "mysticmoon" which "speaks to the soul." The "voice ofthe sea" exerts a strong influence in Edna through-out the novel, offering a salve to her restless spiritand "inviting" her "to wander for a spell in abyssesof solitude" in an attempt to fulfill her inner self.As Edna sits looking out over the gulf and listen-ing to the strains of Mademoiselle Reisz's haunt-ing music, Edna experiences the "first passion ofher life." Her awakening becomes apparent later inthe evening as she effortlessly swims for the firsttime. Edna has tried to learn to swim all summerbut has no success until after her awakening.

Following her initial awakening, Edna beginsto depart from the prescribed "mother-woman"role. She returns to her family's cottage after herswim, drained and tired after experiencing both the"unlimited" in which her "excited fancy" wishedto "lose itself," and a momentary flash of terror thatshe would be unable to regain the shore. Robert ac-

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companies her to her cottage, where Edna reclinesin a hammock, and Robert remains with her untilthe other bathers return from the beach. As heleaves, Edna experiences the "first-felt throbbingsof desire" for him. She remains in the hammockafter LUonce returns from the beach, despite his in-sistent demands that she enter the house and go tobed. She tells him to leave her alone, tired of hisrude commands, and finally tells him that he should"not speak to [her] that way again" as she "shallnot answer." Only after her husband seats himselfoutside with her, smoking the cigars which aresymbols of his overbearing masculinity, does Ednaenter the house.

The next morning, Edna summons Robert,inviting him to accompany her to a nearby island,the Cheniere Caminada. While attending mass atthe Cheniere, Edna becomes ill. Robert takes herto the home of Madame Antoine, who offers Ednaa place to rest. Later in the evening, Mme. Antoinetells stories of lovers and pirates that are so real toEdna that she can hear the "whispering voices ofdead men and the clink of muffled gold." As theyreturn to Grand Isle late that night, Edna and Robertlay plans for other excursions together, and theirconversation implies that they are each consideringembarking on an affair. Shortly after their trip tothe Cheniere, however, Robert suddenly decides toleave Grand Isle and go to Vera Cruz to seek hisfortune with a family friend. Shocked by his abruptdeparture, Edna begins to realize the depth of herfeelings for Robert. He bids her a cold and distantfarewell, which, coupled with his "unkind" depar-ture, sends Edna into a depression from which shenever fully recovers.

New OrleansAt the end of the summer, the Pontelliers re-

turn to their fashionable home in New Orleans.Edna's malaise deepens, leading her to ignore herhousehold responsibilities in favor of "lending her-self to any passing caprice." Edna neglects the su-

pervision of the servants, leading to unpalatablemeals. She paints and refuses to keep her "at home"days, demonstrating a general disregard for soci-ety's conventions. When LUonce chastises Edna for"letting the housekeeping go to the dickens," shedoes not become upset like she used to. Instead shetells Ldonce to leave her alone because he "both-ers" her. She begins roaming through the streets ofNew Orleans, on some days feeling happy and con-

tent, and on others feeling "unhappy, she did notknow why-when it did not seem worthwhile to beglad or sorry, to be alive or dead." The change in

Edna becomes obvious to everyone around her, in-cluding her father when he comes to New Orleansfor an extended visit. Edna in "some way doesn'tseem like the same woman."

In the midst of Edna's turmoil, LUonce departson an extended business trip. During his absence,Edna sends her children to stay with their maternalgrandmother and continues to live for herself. Shebegins attending the races and other social outingswith Mrs. Highcamp, whom her husband has dis-couraged her from socializing with, and AlcdeArobin, with whom she ultimately has an affair.She decides to move from her husband's home intoa house around the corner, which is dubbed the "pi-geon house" because it is so tiny. Before she leavesLUonce's home, Edna hosts an elaborate dinnerparty for a selected few of her friends. She is theconsummate hostess, making even the irascibleMlle. Reisz content, until Robert's brother, Victor,begins singing a song that poignantly reminds herof Robert. The lethargy that she has suffered fromsince the previous summer once again falls overher, and when the young man refuses to stopsinging the song, she becomes agitated and criesout for him to quit. The party breaks up quickly af-ter her outburst. LUonce is horrified at her flaunt-ing of societal conventions, but rather than castingher out, he covers her social faux pas by making a

grand spectacle of remodeling the family home.Edna misses Robert sorely after his departure

from Grand Isle, yet it is only in the presence ofMlle. Reisz-"that personality which was offen-sive to her," but whose "divine art" reached Edna'sspirit and "set it free"-that she admits that she isin love with the younger man. Edna experiences a

second epiphany as a result of Mlle. Reisz. As shecontinues to slide into despair during the New Or-leans winter, Edna decides to find Mlle. Reisz. Shebegins spending time with the artist, listening to herplay the piano. Upon learning that Robert has beenwriting to Mlle. Reisz, she begs for news of theyoung man. After Robert returns to New Orleans,Edna inadvertently meets him at Mlle. Reisz'sapartment; again, Mlle. Reisz unwittingly acts as a

catalyst for Edna's emerging sense of what shemust do to ease her restlessness. Edna discoversthat the young man has been avoiding her, and al-though they go to a cafe to have some coffee, theypart on strained terms. They later meet, again bycoincidence as Robert has continued to avoid Edna,in a garden coffeehouse, and this time he accom-

panies her to the pigeon house. Edna confesses herlove and passion for Robert very openly, tellinghim that they will "love each other." Just as they

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are on the verge of becoming intimate, however,Edna is called away to attend Adele who is givingbirth to her fourth child. Robert begs Edna not toleave, but Edna feels compelled to sit with herfriend. She leaves, promising to return shortly.

Edna finds Adele's ordeal exhausting andemotionally draining, and as she leaves Adele'sbedside, the attending physician recognizes her tur-moil. He speaks of the tricks that nature plays inorder to get "mothers for the race," and invites Ednato come and speak with him about what is trou-bling her. Still distressed by Adlle's pain, Edna re-

turns to the pigeon house, expecting to find Robert.Instead, she finds a note which says "Good bye-because I love you. Good bye."

Return to Grand IsleEdna spends the remainder of the night lying

on her sofa, thinking. In the morning, she goes toGrand Isle. She encounters Victor, and tells himthat she is going to the beach for a swim. She re-

quests that he find some lunch for her. She thengoes down to the beach, strips her clothes from herbody, and "stands as a newborn creature under thesky." She walks into the gulf, which again "speaksto the soul, inviting the soul to wander in abyssesof solitude." She swims out quite far, not realiz-ing until it is too late that she has no strength toreturn to the shore. She drowns in the gulf, re-

membering key events from her life, and throughher death becomes one with the sea which has so

affected her.

Alcie ArobinAlcde Arobin provides for Edna the distraction

she needs from her involvement with Robert.Arobin is a "womanizer." A single man who isknown to go from one woman to another, Alcderecognizes in Edna a vulnerability from which theycan both benefit. He does not have to commit toEdna, and she does not have to deny herself forhim. While he has no intentions of marryingEdna-nor she him-they satisfy each other'sneeds for companionship and sexual gratification.

ColonelThe Colonel is Edna's father, a man who be-

lieves in tradition and constancy. He visits brieflywith the Pontelliers while in the city to purchase a

wedding gift for another daughter. A retired Con-

.MediaAdaptations l

* The Awakening is the basis for the film, The EndofAugust, released in 1982. Produced by War-ren Jacobson and Sally Sharp under Quartet Pro-duction Company, the film features Sally Sharpas Edna and David Marshall Grant as Robert.

* The book is also available as a sound recording.Narrated by Alexandra O'Karma, the four tapesoffer the unabridged version of the story. Thetaped volume is published by Charlotte Hall,MD: Recorded Books, 1987.

federate who enjoys his "toddies," the Colonel istall, thin, and rugged-looking with white hair anda mustache accenting his bronzed face. Every bitthe military man, as well as the Southern gentle-man, he expects to be waited on and catered to. Healso expects Edna to attend her sister's wedding as

a womanly gesture and a matter of family respect.When Edna refuses to attend, the Colonel terselyadvises Leonce to control Edna with a firmer hand.

DoctorSee Dr. Mandelet.

Robert LebrunRobert Lebrun, though clean-shaven, has

nearly the same brown coloring as Leonce, but hisyouth makes his common look appear handsome.Robert is single and enjoys his holidays on theGrand Isle with his mother, who owns the resort.He always spends time with one of the female va-

cationers. This year he chooses Edna Pontellier.They take walks together, have long conversations,and go swimming and boating on a daily basis.Robert finds that he and Edna have a great deal incommon. They spend so much time together andenjoy each other so much, he realizes they are

falling in love.Creole men were often friends with other

men's wives, but they would not think of havingaffairs with them. A true Creole, Robert does notbelieve that he should be a party to Edna's betrayal

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A street scene in the French Quarter ofNew Orleans, Louisiana, the setting of Kate Chopin's TheAwakening.

of her husband. He becomes concerned that peoplewill see their relationship for what it really is. WhileRobert does love Edna, he is not strong enough torebel against Creole honor and duty to prove it toher. Robert leaves for Mexico at the end of the sum-mer to avoid the problems that would arise if heand Edna were to continue their relationship.

Robert returns to New Orleans and visits withEdna but does not consummate the relationship.Still unable to ignore the influence of his Creoleupbringing, Robert can not accept Edna for the per-son she is. He is not strong enough to turn his backon traditional expectations to love the Edna whocan make her own decisions.

Dr. MandeletGray-haired with reading glasses, the round

Doctor Mandelet is the picture of wisdom. Whenhe taps the arms of his chair with his fingertips andraises his bushy eyebrows, he is busy ponderingsymptoms and possible diagnoses. In Lonce'spresence, the Doctor attributes Edna's unusual be-havior to a passing whim, or a womanly idiosyn-crasy. The Doctor observes Edna, however, and de-tects in her only a radiant happiness. While hewould not overstep Creole boundaries to say any-

thing to LUonce, the Doctor tells himself thatEdna's "problem" is a man other than LUonce.

Edna PontellierEdna Pontellier, twenty-eight years old, is the

conventional Southern wife of a successful busi-nessman. She is a handsome woman with lightbrown hair and eyes to match. With thick eyebrowslike her father's, her face is interesting-handsomeand honest.

She dutifully manages two children and herNew Orleans household and maintains her role inhigh society. While on summer vacation, however,Edna begins to feel that her life is too confiningand that there might be more to it than marriage,motherhood, and image. This awareness is broughtabout in part by the attentions of Robert Lebrun, ayounger single man. Edna allows herself to enjoyhis company and flirtations and to start to considersome ofher own needs and desires. Becoming moreassertive, the formerly shy Edna opens up to AdeleRatignolle, a fellow vacationer. Edna talks to Adeleabout her life as well as her feelings related to be-ing a woman and mother. Edna also learns to swim,something she has never before been courageousenough to try.



When the family returns to New Orleans, Ednadecides to take charge of her life. Edna feels in-spired by her accomplishments on the Grand Isleand by the bold thoughts she has allowed herself.She refuses to sleep with her husband, stops the so-

cially-required receiving of guests, ignores house-hold responsibilities, and resumes her painting. Ina final act of assertion, she moves out of the house.Edna experiences a feeling of freedom that affirmsfor her that she has done the right thing.

Edna wants to be liberated, but she also needslove and appreciation. She desires the freedom tomake her own choices and to determine her owndirection. Unfortunately, she finds that society-not just her marriage-is too restrictive to allowher to do these things. Her new-found freedom isshort lived. While she had hoped to find happinessin a sexual relationship with acquaintance AlcdeArobin, she discovers only regret that he is notRobert. While she had hoped to be successful as an

artist, she finds that she has little talent. Her finaldiscouragement comes when she realizes that shecannot separate action from emotion-that whileshe will not live for others, she cannot live with-out others.

Edna understands that her desires and her new-found true self will not be accepted by society. Un-willing to go back to being the conforming wifeand mother, and really unable to, Edna chooses tocommit suicide-a final act of self-determination.

LUonce PontellierLUonce Pontellier is the successful New Or-

leans businessman to whom Edna is married. Hiswhole appearance suggests precision. He is a small,40-year-old man who keeps his beard neatlytrimmed and his part even in his straight brownhair. His slightly stooped shoulders hint at longhours doing paper work. He has achieved a re-

spectable status in the social and professional com-munities. His friends and associates admire him andconsider Edna lucky to be his wife.

Very much the typical Creole gentleman,LUonce believes strongly in traditional Creole val-ues. LUonce expects Edna to be devoted to him,their children, and their social obligations. He feelsthat a married woman should want nothing more

than to serve her husband and care for their chil-dren. LUonce asserts that he works hard to supporthis family. He shows them love and considerationthrough the home and status that he provides. Thus,he finds it difficult to understand his wife's disin-terest in their life together.

LUonce does not, however, allow himself to betoo concerned. He views her new interests as a

passing mood or a temporary insanity. Shruggingoff Edna's disdain for him, Ldonce does not even

begin to think that he might be part of her "prob-lem." He does not have much patience with whathe considers her lack of responsibility, but he seri-ously doubts that the new Edna is a permanent one.

Rather than try to communicate with Edna, or tofind out what has happened to the relationship, heconsults the family doctor. LUonce lets the matterdrop when he is satisfied that his own evaluationof Edna's behavior is correct.

Madame Adele RatignolleAdele Ratignolle is the Southern woman that

Edna Pontellier will never be. Devoted to her hus-band and children, Adele lives for them andthrough them. She is the typical beautiful andcharming woman of Creole culture-helpless, do-mestic, and self-involved. Her fair complexion andvoluptuous white-clad figure perfectly convey herangelic nature.

While she allows Edna to confide in her, Adelecan neither understand nor approve of Edna'syearnings and is shocked at Edna's confessions.Adele sees a woman's role in life as being the re-

fined wife of a Southern gentleman. She denies thatshe is anything but fulfilled. She relies on her hus-band's direction and approval to give definition toher life. Adele can not and will not do anythingwithout her husband by her side. She feels aban-doned if her husband and family aren't continuallyattentive. Adele spends her time cultivating her im-age of the dutiful wife and mother. True to her be-liefs, Adele exemplifies the Southern woman.

Mademoiselle ReiszMademoiselle Reisz wears her black lace and

artificial violets in defiance of conformity. Unmar-ried and unattractive, she finds passion only in herpiano playing and feels that Edna Pontellier is a

kindred spirit. Edna understands her music. Ednaunderstands the role Mlle. Reisz has chosen to playin life.

Mlle. Reisz listens to Edna without passingjudgement and provides for her a haven where Ednacan be carried away by music and thoughts aboutRobert. Because she is a lonely woman who pur-

sues her talent in exchange for relationships, Mlle.Reisz relishes Edna's presence and her apprecia-tion for Mlle. Reisz's music. Seen as eccentric, theshriveled Mlle. Reisz simply chooses to be herself.To conform to the role that society defines for

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women would mean that Mile. Reisz would haveto give up her music. That would mean death forMlle. Reisz.

Flesh vs. SpiritEdna's rediscovery of feelings that she has

long repressed underlie her search for freedom,self-expression, and love. Her relationship withRobert Lebrun awakens forgotten physical needsand prompts Edna to think about her life. For thefirst time, she begins to open up to others. Sheshares confidences with Robert Lebrun and AdeleRatignolle and allows herself to be stirred by Mlle.Reisz's music. She learns to swim, further experi-encing the power of the connection between mindand body. She finally acknowledges her feelingstoward Robert and realizes that she can take actionto control her own life. The new Edna results froma marriage of flesh and spirit.

FreedomThe awakening that Edna experiences at the

Grand Isle is the beginning of her quest for per-sonal freedom. She realizes that she wants to liveher life beyond the definitions of wife and mother.When she returns to New Orleans, she refuses tosleep with her husband and gradually withdrawsfrom meeting social obligations with people whoare important only to her husband and his socialstatus. She ultimately moves out of the house andrents a place of her own. No longer limited to do-ing what society expects of her, Edna earns her ownincome through her painting and socializes withwhom she chooses. She enjoys the freedom of ven-turing out on her own-discovering parts of the cityshe never knew existed and noticing people she pre-viously would have ignored. For Edna, choice de-fines freedom.

SexismIn acknowledging her personal desires and

dreams, Edna realizes that double standards existfor men and women. While no one thinks anythingof Robert's attention to Edna, people would be ap-palled at knowing how Edna feels about him.Adele, for example, is shocked and tries to warnEdna to be careful of her reputation. It was un-thinkable that a woman should have her own de-sires or want to do anything but supervise herhousehold and participate in social functions. Men,

on the other hand, engaged in extramarital affairs,pursued business and personal interests, and virtu-ally had the freedom to do as they pleased. To il-lustrate, LUonce shows no concern over Robert'srelationship with his wife, yet is so perturbed byEdna's actions that he believes she is having a ner-vous breakdown and consults the family doctor.The roles that Edna, Robert, and LUonce play in thestory point out the unfairness of sexism and the re-pression of individual freedom that it causes.

Search for SelfEdna's spiritual and physical awakenings her-

ald her search for self. While LUonce can see heractions only as some sort of temporary insanity,Edna knows that she is discovering the personwithin who wants to be free of society's bound-aries. In attempting to determine that person, shefirst tries out her assertive self by refusing to havesexual relations with her husband. She next taps hercreative self by reviving her interest in painting.She tries to define her relative self by consideringher feelings about motherhood and her relation-ships with people. Finally, she experiences her sen-sual self by allowing herself to feel and act uponher own desires. Edna succeeds in determining whoshe is but discovers that the price for having herown identity is more than she can afford.

Choices and Consequences: Free WillFrom the time that she first meets Robert, Edna

realizes that all choices have their consequences.Her choice to remain in a relationship with LUoncewould result in her continuing dissatisfaction withlife. Yet she really doesn't understand, initially, thatshe can make choices that will result in differentconsequences. When she does see that she canmake changes, she experiences a freedom that shehas never before felt. This exhilaration, however,is short-lived. Edna finds that free will carries withit responsibilities that are almost as confining asher marriage was. Her loveless affair with Alcde,and Robert's inability to reciprocate her love, leadEdna to see the final, dismal consequence of herlife. No matter what choices she makes, Edna cannever be totally free within the confines of the so-ciety in which she lives.

SexThe choices Edna makes in her life result,

largely, from her rediscovery of sexual pleasure.Robert's attention prompts Edna to ponder her life.As an initial result, Edna withholds sex from herhusband. Then, her unfulfilled love for Robert and



her loveless affair with Alcde demonstrate to herthat love and sex are entirely separate entities. Ednadiscovers that while sex draws men and women to-gether and can be physically satisfying, it does notnecessarily meet one's emotional needs. Free sexhas its price, and ultimately, Edna is not willing topay it.

Alienation and LonelinessAlthough people surround Edna on the Grand

Isle, she feels separated by her thoughts. She be-lieves that if she makes changes in her life to re-flect her true self, she will be able to do what shechooses and associate with people who think likeshe does. Unfortunately, while her new compan-ions do live their lives in their own ways, theyalso live isolated by society's rules. Mlle. Reiszis a prime example. She is a talented musician whohas chosen the unconventional road. BecauseMlle. Reisz is unmarried and living alone, peoplethink she is odd. Few people appreciate her mu-sic and fewer still associate with her. Mlle. Reiszfinds comfort and passion only in her music. Ednaeventually feels the same kind of loneliness. Tan-talized by what could be, she refuses to give upher dream of freedom and to sacrifice her new-found individuality. As a result, she alienates her-self from all of society in her choice to create herown destiny.

Public vs. Private LifeEdna recognizes that she is unhappy with the

life she is leading and all that it represents. Shemust answer to a husband who wants her to be noth-ing more than a household manager and nursemaid.She must perform the social duties expected fromthe devoted wife of a highly-respected man. Shemust appear to be the loving mother of childrenwho demand her full and constant attention. Tomaintain this public image, Edna must deny her-self the intimate pleasures of mutual love, the lib-erating acts of self-expression and creativity, andthe joy of having friends with whom she can shareher most private thoughts.

Edna finally tires of the masquerade. She re-alizes that she can no longer ignore her own de-sires, thoughts, and aspirations. She knows that hernew attitude will be difficult to reconcile with apublic life, but she pursues it with determination.No longer stifled by public expectations, Edna actson her thoughts.

Unfortunately, her liberation does not last. Shefinds that there can be no true union of her public

Topics forFurtherStudyd

* Trace the history of the women's rights move-

ment beginning with the first political conven-

tion held in 1848 at Seneca Falls, New York andending with the current decade. By way of a pic-torial timeline, relate significant incidents toother historical events of the times.

* Research the Creole culture. Explain how Cre-oles have both Spanish and French ancestry andhow that ancestry affects their lifestyle. Describethe culture through the customs and traditionshonored by Creole descendants as well as

through their routines of daily life.

* Critics consider The Awakening a study in psy-

chological realism. In an essay, address the fol-lowing questions: How does Chopin use psy-

chological realism to make her charactersbelievable? Do her characters react in ways thatyou would expect? Explain.

* Compare and contrast New Orleans' CarondeletStreet and New York's Wall Street in 1899.Does Carondelet Street still exist?

* Consider Leonce Pontellier, Robert Lebrun, andAlcde Arobin-the most prominent male char-acters in The Awakening. How do you see eachman as representative of his culture and thetimes? What are each man's specific traits? Ex-plain how and why you might relate to eachman.

* The Grand Isle was destroyed by a storm in1893. Investigate the storm that destroyed it. De-velop a series of news items that might have ap-

peared at the time that (a) predict the storm, (b)cover the news as it's happening, and (c) reportthe results of the storm.

and private selves. The world in which she lives isbound too much by social convention to acceptlong-term nonconformity. The public is not readyto embrace the private Edna, and Edna is unwill-ing to yield to public sentiment.

V o I u m e 3 5 3


Point of ViewAn objective third person narrates the story of

Edna Pontellier and her search for self in The Awak-ening. The narrator does not criticize or applaudcharacters for their traits or their actions. Most im-portantly, the narrator withholds judgement ofEdna and the choices she makes.

ConflictThe basic premise of The Awakening is con-

flict. Edna Pontellier discovers that she cannot bethe person society expects her to be and seeks toresolve the problem by changing her life. Even asshe recognizes the conflict within herself and be-gins to deal with it, the people with whom she as-sociates present her with new challenges. Edna be-lieves that she can be an artist and a lover and stillbe independent. Alcee and Robert prove her wrong.They reimpose the original conflict by proving toEdna that they can see her in only one way. Whileeach has his separate view, both men reflect soci-ety's beliefs that women have certain functions inlife. Edna is right back where she started.

SettingThe setting contributes to the conflict. The

story takes place in the late 1800s. Most of the ac-tion is set in the heart of Creole society, New Or-leans. The city bustles with social gatherings, busi-ness meetings, and the impersonal pace of busypeople. However, it is Grand Isle, a resort near NewOrleans, that has the most influence on Edna. TheGrand Isle in the Gulf of Mexico offers an intimateand relaxed atmosphere for walks along the beach,leisurely swimming, and moonlit conversations.Edna falls in love on the Grand Isle and changesher life upon return to, and under the cover of, hec-tic city life.

ImageryImagery used in the story emphasizes the con-

flict with which Edna struggles. Edna realizes thatshe can not tolerate being confined to marriage andmotherhood, but nor is she free to love and create.Society sees the two choices as complete opposites.Other opposing images emphasize the contradic-tion. New Orleans city life, with its stiff socialrules, contrasts with the openness and ease of lifeon the Grand Isle. Birds fly freely on the GrandIsle, while they live in cages in the city. Edna'sfriends, Adele and Mlle. Reisz, are complete op-posites as well. Adele exemplifies the traditional

Southern woman while MIle. Reisz represents thetypical societal outcast. The final, and most signif-icant, image is the seductive acceptance of the sea.It mirrors both birth and death.

FoilFoil is used to emphasize the primary conflict

by exaggerating the distinct differences amongEdna, Adele, and Mlle. Reisz. Edna knows that shedoes not want to be, and will not be, like Adele.Adele lives only for her husband and her children.While she loves her family and they love her, shehas given up her own will and bows to the whimsof those around her. Unlike Adele, Mlle. Reisz hasforsaken love and relationships for her music. Herlonely life revolves around playing for audienceswho don't appreciate her talent. Edna does not wantto be like either woman. She would like to com-bine the best of both of them. Edna wants to beneeded and loved, like Adele, but would also liketo pursue her own interests, like Mlle. Reisz. Theidea of having to remain in her marriage, with allits responsibilities and restrictions, smothers her.On the other hand, if loneliness is the price she hasto pay for freedom, Edna does not want that either.The constant interplay among the three characterskeeps the conflict alive.

SymbolismAll of the images found in The Awakening gain

more symbolic meaning as the story progresses, butthe sea is the primary symbol. The sea representsthe differences between choice and blind obedi-ence, self-determination and predestination, and ul-timately, between life and death. It is while at theseaside resort that Edna first realizes that she canstill feel love and that she can change her life. Shelearns to swim at this time, too, and experiencesthe power of the connection between mind andbody. Both of these experiences contribute toEdna's determination to find herself. To Edna, thesea represents acceptance, comfort, and self-re-newal. Later, a disillusioned Edna returns to the seato try to renew the feeling of freedom that she ex-perienced on learning to swim and on changing herlife. The sea again beckons her, and Edna willinglyreleases to it the conflict within her.

RealismThe author honestly portrays Edna's conflicts.

Edna faces her first dilemma when she is attractedto Robert Lebrun. She is sexually aroused andwants to consummate the relationship with Robert.She then ponders her role in life, does not like what



she sees, and makes changes to redefine it for her-

self. Kate Chopin puts Edna in real-life situationsand gives her real-life emotions. At the time thenovel was written, this was unheard of. Now, crit-ics recognize that Chopin was ahead of her time inher frank exploration of the relationship betweenself and society.

Creole SocietyKate Chopin lived in, and generally wrote

about, life in the South. In The Awakening, shewrote specifically about Creole society in northernLouisiana. Creoles saw themselves as differentfrom Anglo-Americans and maintained cultural tra-ditions passed down from their French and Span-ish ancestors. They enjoyed gambling, entertain-ment, and social gatherings and spent a great dealof time in these activities. The Creoles seldom ac-

cepted outsiders to their social circles and felt thatnewcomers should live by their rules. Men domi-nated the households and expected their women toprovide them with well-kept homes and many chil-dren to carry on the family name. Women re-

sponded by bearing children and refining their so-

cial talents. While the Creole men caroused, theirwomen kept well-run houses and perfected their ac-

complishments in music, art, and conversation.Such refined women enhanced their husbands' so-

cial status.

The Beginnings of the Women'sMovement

The 1800s saw a change in the status ofwomen. Chopin's character, Edna Pontellier, il-lustrates the independent nature that women beganrecognizing in themselves. Edna felt that there wasmore to life than living in her husband's shadowand stifling her own desires and dreams. Womenof the time felt the same way. As early as 1848,women gathered in New York State to begin ad-dressing issues of equality. This first conventionof women set the groundwork for the women'srights movement. Women's groups continued toorganize to educate women about social and po-

litical issues and to allow a forum for women'sdiscussions. While women did not gain the rightto vote until 1920, these pioneering efforts gaineda voice in society that would not be quieted. Edna'sactions in The Awakening reflect the times and theemotions felt by the many women who sought per-

sonal freedom.

Volume 355S 5V o I u m e 3


Compare&

contrast

* 1890s: The women's movement begins to gaina foothold on American society. However,women still do not have the right to vote, andwomen's issues were not part of the politicalplatform.

Today: Women have had the right to vote sincethe passage of the Twenty-second Amendmentto the Constitution in 1920.

* 1890s: According to the law, a married woman'sproperty belonged to her husband, even if shehad inherited land before being wed. If she laterdivorced her husband, the land would still belegally his.

Today: Women have equal legal rights to prop-erty, and divorce cases usually conclude with atleast half-if not more-of a couple's posses-sions going to the wife.

1890s: Advice columns for women had their be-ginning. With the advent of Dorothy Dix's col-umn in 1895, advice columns appeared in news-papers and provided a forum for discussion ofwomen's issues.

Today: Not only do publishing companies printwomen's columns in newspapers, but they alsodedicate entire magazines to women's issues.

Literary CriticismChopin's editors tolerated her daring themes

and characters' actions more than did the critics andgeneral public. Chopin wrote about life as it reallywas and did not shy away from subjects that wereconsidered taboo. The characters in Chopin's shortstories and novels often demonstrated the "duallives" that women of the 1800s lived. In a timewhen women's roles were changing, Chopin'scharacters found themselves questioning confor-mity and duty versus freedom and personal iden-tity.

Kate Chopin, herself, exemplified the spirit ofthe women's movement during the 1800s. Whileshe was married to a wealthy Southern business-man, she defied tradition by assisting her husbandwith his business, taking walks by herself throughthe streets of New Orleans, and smoking cigarettes.Her blatant disregard for society's expectationspeaked in The Awakening. Her character, EdnaPontellier, thinks and acts in many ways like KateChopin did. Edna thinks about herself as separatefrom her family and society. She challenges the rolesociety has forced upon her and courageously turnsher back on it.

Critics denounced Chopin for allowing EdnaPontellier the freedom to refuse conformity. They

also criticized Chopin's seeming sympathy for hercharacter. The outcry demonstrated that the liter-ary world was not ready for the realism Chopin'snovel portrayed. Even though women's roles in thereal world were changing, Chopin's frank treatmentof female sexuality, social impropriety, and per-sonal freedom shook the literary world. Critics con-demned the novel. Libraries removed it from theirshelves. In spite of the freer climate initiated by thewomen's movement, the St. Louis Fine Arts Clubremoved Kate Chopin from their rolls. Chopin con-tinued to write, however, and to allow her charac-ters to stretch beyond the confining boundaries setby society. Today's critics recognize her artistryand applaud her realistic approach that helps definesociety in the late nineteenth century.

Critics condemned The Awakening when itwas first published in 1899. They criticizedChopin's frank treatment of such moral issues asextramarital affairs and female sexuality. Good lit-erature simply did not discuss women's emotions.It ignored the fact that women have the same im-pulses as men. For Edna to admit, even to herself,

N o v e I s f o r S t u d e n t s

MURM &grand

5 6


that she was sexually aroused, was shocking. Forher to actually engage in an affair was scandalous.

Critics also denounced Chopin's seeming ac-

ceptance of Edna's search for personal freedom.They were appalled at the choices Edna made toacquire her freedom. Women were expected to ac-

cept their station in life and to repress any feelingsthey might have that could be considered noncon-

formist. Edna not only disliked her role in life, shealso blatantly refused to continue it. Readers natu-rally sided with LUonce when Edna refused to havesex with him. When Edna moved out of the house,readers criticized her for abandoning her children.

Critics felt Chopin was overstepping her rightsto discuss Edna's thoughts and improprieties so ob-jectively. They felt that Chopin should have pun-

ished Edna in some way. The public, too, took of-fense at Edna's passion and adultery and virtuallycheered her ultimate suicide. Women who wantedto keep their social standing lived within the rulesof society. While men could have affairs and stillbe respected, society despised women who did.Edna could have had her thoughts if she had keptthem to herself. For Edna to openly air them andto act upon them was a moral outrage. The publicdisapproved not only of the character, but of theauthor who could write so dispassionately aboutsuch improper behavior. As a result, Chopin'shometown library removed the book from itsshelves, and the St. Louis Fine Arts Club bannedChopin from its membership.

The Awakening remained unnoticed for severalyears after the commotion it initially caused. In the1930s, however, the book came back into the lime-light when literary critics changed their mindsabout it. An intense look at the work revealed itspositive elements. The researcher who first studiedit appreciated Chopin's attention to literary form-particularly her mastery of form and theme.Chopin's composition has a poetic unity to it thatcomes from her application of symbolic imagery toplot. An example of this is Chopin's use of thesea-as a symbol of life and death as well as thesite for the main action in the plot.

Since this first new look at the work, other crit-ics have applauded Chopin's use of psychologicalrealism, symbolic imagery, and sensual themes. Forexample, Per Seyersted stated that Chopin was thefirst female to write about sex in an intelligent, re-

alistic and nonjudgmental way. Other critics agreethat Chopin used sex in The Awakening not to mor-alize, but to reveal certain psychological charac-teristics of her characters. Characters become real

people with real emotions as a result of the way

Chopin dealt with their sexuality. This attributeraised the book above the "sex fiction" that one

critic accused Chopin of writing, according toMargo Culley who edited the second edition ofChopin's The Awakening. The book's form, style,characterization, and symbolism contribute to bothits early opposition as well as to its acclaimed ac-

ceptance today.The Awakening has taken on a new signifi-

cance since the advent of the women's movement.Literary debates have raged over the significanceof Pontellier's awakening, her suicide, and the con-

flict between motherhood and career for women inthe nineteenth century. Many critics feel thatEdna's suicide was an independent victory over so-

ciety's limitations. Others feel that she killed her-self because she felt defeated by society and didnot want to disgrace her children.

Women's issues were still too new in the late1800s for the book to have any impact at the timeit was published. Feminists since the 1940s and1950s, however, have recognized the book as an

important contribution to the understanding ofwomen's changing roles in an evolving society.Chopin was in tune to women's issues and in a

broader sense interested in universal human nature.Through her characters, she explored the relation-ship between self and society.

Particularly aware of the conflicts women

face-due in part to her French background and herfemale perspective-Chopin shared with her read-ers a view of women in American society that dif-fered from other writers of her day. Her charactersoften held unconventional attitudes toward them-selves and society's rules. These characters tried tofit into society and, at the same time, remain trueto themselves. Edna Pontellier is no exception. Sherepresents women in society both past and present.She joins other of Chopin's female protagonists informing a basis for dialogue about a society thatonce devalued female sensuality and independence.

Suzanne D. GreenGreen, who is the co-author of Kate Chopin:

An Annotated Bibliography of Critical Works, dis-cusses how Chopin's work, which was very con-

troversial when it was published, has become a

classic in American literature and a particularlyimportant piece offiction among feminist critics.



WhatDo I Read

Next?Bayou Folk is Chopin's 1894 collection of sto-ries that present the people of NatchitochesParish as they live and love in daily life.Chopin's skill as a local colorist as well as an

adept storyteller is evident in her perfect ren-

dering of people, places, and events of the area

and time. She uses universal themes, such as

prejudice and interracial relationships, that are

not common in regional fiction.

* Another of Chopin's collections is A Night inAcadie, written in 1897. Critics recognize thiscollection, too, for Chopin's skill as a local col-orist. The difference in this collection andBayou Folk is that in A Night in Acadie,Chopin's characters express their individualitymore and recognize and heed impulses that are

socially unacceptable. Chopin emphasizes moresensuous themes, and reviewers voiced theirconcerns.

* Chopin's third volume of works, A Vocationand a Voice, was not published in its entiretyuntil 1991. Publishers prior to this time contin-ued to question the appropriateness of Chopin'schoice of themes. They failed to recognize thework for its outstanding treatment of such psy-

chological elements as human consciousnessand its relationship to circumstance, motivation,and action. The stories in this collection reflectless of Chopin's ability as a local colorist andmore of her skill at understanding individualmotives.

Published in 1899, Kate Chopin's novel TheAwakening is considered to be one of the corner-stone texts of both American realism and the fem-inist movement. Modern critics praise The Awak-ening for its daring treatment of traditional genderroles as they were defined at the turn of the cen-tury, and for its exploration of a woman's searchfor self-fulfillment. However, when Chopin's novelfirst appeared, it met with harsh criticism. Re-viewers objected to the unwholesome content ofthe novel, and although many considered the writ-

The White Dove is a 1986 novel written by RosieThomas. Set in Great Britain in the 1930s, thestory is about Amy Lovell, a young woman ofthe upper middle class who chooses a careerover a life of luxury. Amy falls in love with NickPenry, who is not only from a vastly differentbackground but who also is a fiery socialist.Amy's search for a useful and fulfilling lifeforces her to make difficult choices.

* G. J. Scrimgeour wrote A Woman ofHer Timesto portray a woman who is torn between the re-spectable roles of wife and mother and the ne-cessity of leading her own life. This is a storyabout a woman who starts out in pre-World WarI Ceylon as a young British colonial wife, be-comes a London socialite in the twenties, movesthrough a period in the thirties of being an im-poverished working mother, and reaches theplace in life where she feels she has survived asherself.

* Coming ofAge in Samoa was considered shock-ing when it was published in 1928 as a psycho-logical study. Dr. Margaret Mead, anthropolo-gist, was only twenty-three when she started thestudy of Samoan children to detennine if stressexperienced by American children is a "natural"part of growing up. The results of the study con-firmed that actions we have often attributed to"human nature" are actually reactions to civi-lization's restraints. Mead emphasized everychild's right to know and to choose freely.

ing style outstanding, most critics dismissed thebook as trash because they perceived its protago-nist as an immoral woman. One reviewer, com-menting on Edna Pontellier's lack of moral sub-stance, remarked in Public Opinion that "we arewell satisfied when she drowns herself."

The harsh reviews that The Awakening re-ceived have led to a common misconception con-cerning the effect of its critical reception. The firstbiography of Kate Chopin, by priest Daniel Rankin,reports that Chopin was shunned by society and



that The Awakening was banned by many libraries,including those in her native St. Louis. These re-

ports circulated widely for several decades, and un-

til 1990, were accepted as factual accounts. EmilyToth's authoritative biography of Chopin, whichappeared in 1990 and was subsequently nominatedfor a Pulitzer Prize, refutes Rankin's claims. Tothoffers evidence that although The Awakening was

reviled in some circles, the book was never offi-cially banned, nor was it removed from libraryshelves during Chopin's lifetime. While Chopinlost a pre-existing contract for a collection of shortfiction which would have appeared after The Awak-ening, Chopin was not a social outcast as a resultof writing the controversial novel.

Despite the fallacies surrounding the initialpublication of Chopin's novel, the mixed criticalreception that the novel received led Chopin's pub-lishers to allow it to pass out of print soon after itsinitial publication. From 1906, the date of the sec-

ond printing of the novel, until 1969, when Nor-wegian scholar Per Seyersted began studyingChopin's fiction and produced a volume of thewriter's Complete Works, only a few of Chopin'sshort stories remained in print. The appearance ofSeyersted's biography precipitated scholarly studyof Chopin's texts, and much of this study has fo-cused on The Awakening. Feminist critics, in par-

ticular, have looked at The Awakening with re-

newed interest, and have successfully includedChopin's works in the core group of texts that con-

stitute the basis of American literature. SinceChopin's rediscovery in 1969, her writings have re-

mained in print continuously and have gained pop-

ularity at a rapid rate. When Chopin's works be-gan to be reprinted, they represented a marginalexample of the Southern local color school. Threedecades later, The Awakening is a classic of Amer-ican literature that is read more frequently than Her-man Melville's Moby-Dick.

In The Awakening, Chopin adopts the point-of-view of a third-person, omniscient narrator. Thenarrator primarily reports the thoughts, actions,and feelings of both the main character, Edna Pon-tellier, and occasionally of some minor characters,such as Leonce Pontellier and Robert Lebrun. Animportant departure from this point-of-view occursin chapter six, when the author pointedly intrudesinto the novel. It is at this point that the reader isintroduced to the internal turmoil that is the source

of Edna's unrest and which causes her to act"capriciously." Chopin interjects her own voiceinto the narrative to tell the reader that Edna is dis-covering her "relations as an individual to the

world within and about her" and that she is expe-riencing the dawning of a light which "showingthe way, forbids it." Chopin takes great pains toassure that the reader does not miss the importanceof this "beginning of things" that is taking placeinside Edna's head, as it represents Edna's firststeps on the road toward self-discovery and awayfrom the restrictions of the gender roles whichwere prescribed for turn-of-the-century women.

Chopin makes use of repetition, often of entire sen-

tences or paragraphs, to point out important eventsin the narrative. She also very often uses oddly-constructed sentences to highlight key points in theaction of the story.

The Awakening is most often read in the con-

text of feminist criticism. While a variety of sub-schools exist within the feminist movement, muchof the feminist critiques of literary texts focus on

the ways that women are treated. Feminist literarytexts illustrate the types of oppression that womenexperience and the ways in which they struggle tobreak free from this oppression, realizing that theyare worthwhile individuals with something mean-ingful to contribute to society. Accordingly, femi-nist readings often discuss the "jobs" that are tra-ditionally assigned to women, such as tending a

home, caring for a husband, and bearing children,and the ways in which these jobs are used to keepwomen in a powerless position. Female sexuality,and the way that a patriarchal system-a societalsystem in which men are the authorities and con-

trol the power structure-controls that sexuality are

also common themes in feminist criticism. TheAwakening deals with many of these traditionallyfeminist concerns. For example, much of the plotof The Awakening hinges on Edna's dissatisfactionwith her role as a wife and mother. She feels op-

pressed by it and tries many avenues to escape fromits restrictions.

One of the major outlets that Edna pursues as

she attempts to escape from her prescribed role isthe development of her sexuality. In fact, some crit-ics have argued that Edna's awakenings are littlemore than a series of passionate encounters withmen who are not her husband. While Edna experi-ences a variety of awakenings that transcend thephysical or sexual, her experiences with passionplay a major role in her decisions to disregard herhusband's wishes, to conduct indiscrete affairs, toleave her husband's home, and ultimately to swimto her death in the sea.

Edna's destruction comes about as an indirectresult of her attempts to escape from being her hus-band's property, both financially and physically.

Volume 3 59V o I u m e 3 5 9


Early in the novel, she is identified as Leonce'sproperty. For example in the first chapter of thenovel, as Edna returns from the beach with Robert,she meets with Leonce's disapproval because shehas allowed her self to be "burnt beyond recogni-tion," a conclusion which her husband draws as helooks her over as "one looks at a valuable piece ofpersonal property which has suffered some dam-age." We later find out that Leonce spends a gooddeal of his time admiring his "household goods,"and that he numbers Edna among his possessions.However, we should not judge Leonce too harshlyfor his evaluation of his wife's value, because hisattitude was the norm in the U.S. at the turn of thecentury. In fact, Edna's friends at Grand Isle con-sider Leonce the model husband, forcing Edna toadmit that she knows of no men who treat theirfamilies with such consideration. Despite the factthat Leonce is well-to-do and gives his wife everyimaginable luxury, Edna is compelled by the se-ductive voice of the sea to pursue the fulfillmentof her inner self, even at the cost of her materialpossessions, her friends, and ultimately, her life.

Adele Ratignolle, Edna's close friend at GrandIsle, is a foil (or opposite) to Edna. Adele is theconsummate mother-woman, who dotes on her hus-band, adores her children, and produces a new babyat regular intervals. Adele often pressures Edna toconform to societal standards, arguing with Ednaabout what a mother's responsibilities are and urg-ing her to "think of the children" when she fearsthat Edna may take a rash action that would ad-versely affect her two small boys. Despite prompt-ing from all sides to follow the expected path, Ednais incapable of conforming. All of her life, she hasinstinctively understood the "dual life" that wasnecessary for a woman of the late 1800s, a lifewhich consists of "that outward existence whichconforms, the inward life which questions." How-ever, as the summer at Grand Isle progresses, Ednabecomes increasingly incapable of keeping the in-ward life from spilling into, and eventually com-pletely consuming, her outward existence.

Edna's inability to reconcile her inner andouter lives precipitates her final swim in the sea.Throughout the novel, Edna is inexplicably drawnto the sea. At first, she only splashes around, as shecan not master even the most basic swimmingstrokes. Following her first epiphany, however, shebegins to swim effortlessly. The sea is connectedwith many of her awakenings: Chopin invokes thesea in chapter six, describing it as "whispering,clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wan-der," as a seductive enchantress which is "seduc-

tive, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace."Edna's final awakening, as she stands at the edgeof the sea, invokes these same lines. These linesmark the starting and ending points of Edna'ssearch for a different type of life. She is initiallydrawn to the sea, and finally is drawn into it per-manently because of the freedom that it represents.

Scholars argue over the particulars of Edna'ssuicide, attempting to determine whether her deathis intentional or accidental, and, by extension,whether Edna is a successful character or not. Thetext of The Awakening is ambiguous on each ofthese points. The text seems to support the con-clusion that Edna intends to commit suicide. Shestrips naked before her swim; she swims very faraway from the shore without once looking back;and she is in a state of despair when she arrives atGrand Isle, incensed that her husband and childrenpresumed that they could "drag her into the soul'sslavery for the rest of her days." However there isan equal measure of evidence that supports the ar-gument that Edna drowns accidentally. For exam-ple, she discusses her meal and sleeping arrange-ments with Victor at some length before she goesto the beach, and the narration tells us that in spiteof the blow that she has suffered at Robert's de-parture she is "not thinking of these things as shewalked to the beach."

Edna's death also begs the question of whethershe is a success or a failure. Many critics have ar-gued that because she dies, she is by definition afailure. After all, she is dead. However, given theoptions open to women at the turn of the century,it can also be argued that death was the only viablealternative that Edna had not experienced. Shecould no longer survive as merely a wife andmother, and she did not find fulfillment in art or incasual affairs. The man that she loved had desertedher, and she quickly came to the realization that hisdeparture did not mean much, as the day wouldcome when "the thought of him would melt out ofher existence." Her only alternative was the peaceand freedom that would come with a painless death.Death represented one aspect of her life that shecould take complete control over. While these ques-tions will undoubtedly be debated at length forsome time to come, no clear-cut answers are to befound in the text. Chopin's ending is ambiguous,and it would appear to be intentionally so.

The Awakening offers a stirring glimpse intothe psyche of a woman, giving contemporary read-ers insight into both the social structures and theeffects that these structures have exerted over gen-erations of women. This novel also offers a female



protagonist with whom we can identify, and forwhom we can have a great deal of sympathy. EdnaPontellier's escape strikes a cord in many readers,in large part because she had the strength to act, totake control of her destiny. It is this very act, thisempowerment, which has made The Awakening a

mainstay in the American literary canon.

Source: Suzanne D. Green, in an essay for Novels for Stu-dents, Gale, 1998.

Carole StoneIn the following excerpt, Stone examines the

growth of Edna's artistry and autonomy.

Many recent critics of The Awakening fail tosee Edna's growing sense of power and control as

signs of progress toward a new self-definition.They view her as a woman deluded by romanticismwho is unable to make a conscious choice, such as

the decision to become an artist, because her in-stincts are regressive....

In this essay I will argue that Edna's memo-

ries of her childhood, her immersion in the sea, andher search for a mother figure are emblems of re-

gression in the service of progression toward an

artistic vocation. Rather than returning to the de-pendency of childhood, she goes forward to a new

conception of self, a definition of herself as artist.Further, I will suggest that Edna's romanticism ispositive because it catalyzes her imaginativepower. As the final step forward functioning as an

autonomous human being, moreover, she sees

through the delusion of romantic love after con-

fronting the horror of giving birth.

Edna's artistic birthing is shown through thecontrasting characters of two women, Adele Ratig-nolle, a "mother-woman," and Mme. Reisz, a pi-anist. As Per Seyersted has observed [in KateChopin: A Critical Biography, Louisiana State Uni-versity Press, 1969], "the novel covers two gener-

ations and births ... a finely wrought system of ten-sions and interrelations set up between Edna's slowbirth as authentic and sexual being and the coun-

terpointed pregnancy and confinement of Adele."Adele embodies female biology, always talking ofher condition, for she has a baby about every twoyears. AdNle's opposite, Mine. Reisz, a seriousartist, is unmarried. She exemplifies the solitary lifeof the dedicated artist.

A third influence on Edna's artistic develop-ment is Robert LeBrun, a young Creole man who,because he has not yet assumed the masculine val-ues of his society, can be a friend to Edna as her

husband cannot. He teaches her to swim, further-ing her autonomy, and with his easy way of talk-ing about himself, encourages her self-expression.Because he has aroused sexual desire in her, sheeventually has an affair with another man, AlcdeArobin, an affair which functions as a rite of pas-

sage to sexual autonomy.

Each of these three figures has positive andnegative qualities that help and hinder Edna'sstruggle to be creative. Adele Ratignolle, a sensu-

ous woman, awakens Edna to the sensuality of herown body. Also AdNle's candor in talking aboutsuch subjects as her pregnancy helps Edna to over-

come her reserve. Furthermore, Adele encourages

her to express thoughts and feelings she had kepthidden, even from herself. For example, at Adele'surging to say what she is thinking as they sit to-gether by the sea, Edna recalls "a summer day inKentucky, of a meadow that seemed as big as theocean to the very little girl...."

In these early scenes by the sea Chopin alsoestablishes the sea as a central symbol for Edna'sbirthing of a new self. The connection in her mindbetween the grass and the sea foreshadows the au-

tonomy she achieves by learning to swim, as wellas her final walk into the sea at the book's end.Symbolically, the sea is both a generative and a de-structive force in The Awakening; it represents dan-ger inherent in artistic self-expression-losing one-

self in unlimited space-as well as the source ofall life, facilitating rebirth, so that Edna in her firstmoments of being able to swim feels like a childwho has learned to walk. The ocean has also beenseen as a symbol of woman or the mother in bothher benevolent and terrible aspects. Madame Ratig-nolle, in association with the sea, represents thebenevolent mother who nurtures Edna and even in-spires her to paint. Adele seems to her, as she isseated on the beach, like "some sensuous

Madonna," and she paints her picture.At this beginning point in her artistic devel-

opment Edna thinks of herself as a "dabbler." How-ever, though Edna has had no formal training,Chopin establishes the fact that she is talented for"she handled her brushes with a certain ease andfreedom which came not from a long and close ac-

quaintance with them but from a natural aptitude."We also see early on that Edna has the capacity forself-criticism as "after surveying the sketch criti-cally, she drew a broad smudge of paint across itssurface and crumpled the paper between herhands." Later when Edna's critical faculties are

turned against conventional values of home, hus-band, and family in the direction of autonomy,



Adele will show the negative side of her mother-ing qualities. By constantly reminding Edna of herduty to her children, she binds her to society's rulesand impedes her creative growth.

In these early scenes at Grand Isle whereEdna's struggle to be an artist is beginning, Robertis another source of imaginative power. As shepaints Adele's portrait, he encourages her with "ex-pressions of appreciation in French." While thismay simply be Creole flattery, it is more encour-agement than she has ever received from her hus-band. Like Adele, he is sensual, and as she paintshe rests his head against her arm. He also speaksabout himself freely, telling her of his plans to goto Mexico. Under his influence she speaks to himabout her life, and it is he who awakens her to thepassions of her body. A few weeks after the paint-ing scene on the beach, Chopin again uses the seaas a symbol ofgrowth, and again in connection withRobert. One evening he proposes a night swim andwe see him lingering behind with the lovers, "andthere was not one but was ready to follow when heled the way." Robert's appearance is associatedfrequently with lovers; he becomes Cupid whoawakens Edna to the force of Eros. This eveningshe learns to swim and feels herself "reaching outfor the unlimited in which to lose herself." Loss ofboundaries suggests orgiastic union which fore-shadows Edna's final merging with the sea. Sig-nificantly, that evening as she lies in a hammock,an image of lovemaking, she feels herself "preg-nant with the first felt throbbing desire" for Robert.

When her husband returns later she refuses togo inside when he asks her to. By now she hasachieved mastery over her body by learning toswim and mastery over her environment by chal-lenging his authority. She now has to achieve mas-tery over her imagination, but at this point can only"blindly follow whatever impulse moved her."Next morning, without much thought, she asks aservant to tell Robert she wishes him to take theboat with her to Cheniere for mass. Walking to thewharf, there are, as always when Robert appears,lovers who already stroll "shoulder to shoulder."Edna's imagination is subsumed by the romancephase of her creative growth as she spends an idyl-lic day with Robert....

The woman who represents a structured formof art is Mine. Reisz, the true artist Edna wishes tobecome. While Madame Ratignolle plays the pianosolely for the pleasure of her family, Mine. Reiszplays Frederic Chopin with great feeling and art.Before hearing Mine. Reisz play, music had evokedpictures in Edna's mind. After listening to her play,

Edna's passions are aroused. But like such nine-teenth century female artists as Emily Dickinson,Mine. Reisz is unmarried, childless, eccentric inmanner and in dress, and alienated from society.She cannot serve as a role model for Edna. Never-theless, Edna's creative development continues.After the family's return to New Orleans, she takesup her painting once more in spite of her husband'sadmonishment that she "not let the family go to thedevil" while she paints. She works with "great en-ergy and interest" though she feels she is not ac-complishing anything....

There are factors beyond Edna's control, how-ever, which limit her development. [Sandra] Gilbertand [Susan] Gubar [in The Madwoman in the At-tic, Yale University Press, 1979], in a discussionof the woman writer in patriarchal society, describe"the loneliness of the female artist, her feelings ofalienation from male predecessors coupled with herneed for sisterly precursors and successors, her ur-gent need for a female audience." Certainly this de-scribes Edna's situation as she seeks out her twocontrasting women friends for validation, Mine.Reisz and Adele Ratignolle. She brings her paint-ings to Adele even though she knows in advance,"her opinion in such a matter would be next to val-ueness ... but she sought the words of praise andencouragement that would help her to put heart intoher venture." Adele, true to her character as a"mother-woman," tells her that her talent is im-mense, and Edna is pleased even though she rec-ognizes "its true worth." She receives a muchharsher judgement of her artistic capacity fromMine. Reisz. In reply to the question of what shehas been doing, Edna tells her "I am becoming anartist" and her friend says, "Ah! an artist. You havepretensions, Madame." Sensing the insecuritywhich keeps her from total commitment to art,Mine. Reisz warns, "To be an artist includes much;one must possess many gifts-absolute gifts-which have not been acquired by one's own effort.And moreover, to succeed the artist must possessthe courageous soul."...

Two events occur almost simultaneously at thenovel's climax, events which portray the forces thatfinally defeat Edna's search for artistic wholeness.One is her witnessing of Adele's suffering in child-birth and the other is Robert's admitting that heloves her and wants to marry her. Edna has goneto Adele, leaving Robert just after he tells her hehas dreamed of marrying her if her husband willfree her. She has replied that she is no longer oneof Mr. Pontellier's possessions to be given away.When she returns from Adele's he is gone, having



explained in a note that he has left not because hedoesn't love her but because he does. Robert hasbeen deeply connected to her sexual growth, whichin turn affected the growth of her imagination.Through him she has begun to transfer the authen-ticity of her romantic vision to her paintings. Now,romantic illusions shattered, she loses the catalystfor her art.

The other illusion that is shattered is that ofchildbirth being a moment of joy. Edna does notremember her own pain when she gave birth, sinceshe was chloroformed. Now, seeing Adele's pain,she recognizes that she cannot rebel against nature.Adele's parting words "think of the children" re-mind her of her mother-role which conflicts withher new-found freedom. Chopin was far ahead ofher time in exposing the myth of bearing childrenas a woman's ultimate fulfillment, calling Adele's"acouchement" a scene of torture. Almost a cen-tury later Sylvia Plath was to use the same imagein The Bell Jar by describing the delivery room as"some awful torture chamber."...

The next morning Edna returns to Grand Isleand walks to her death in the sea. Is her suicidetriggered by Adele's suffering in childbirth? By theknowledge that it is futile to rebel against biology?Does she kill herself because Robert has left her?Or because she has failed to become an artist? Ednadrowns herself because she cannot live as a con-ventional wife or mother any longer, and societywill not accept her newfound self. The solitude sheenjoys makes for artistic growth, but she is boundto children, home, social duty. She will not sacri-fice her new autonomy because, as Anne Jonespoints out [in Tomorrow Is Another Day: TheWoman Writer in the South, 1859-1936, LouisianaState University Press, 1981], "she will not relin-quish the core of her vision, which is not finallyromance, but rather her own autonomous being ...

so she freely goes to the sea, losing her life. Butshe does not lose her self."

By beginning and ending The Awakening withthe sea Chopin gives the book a wholeness thatEdna cannot find in her life. Furthermore, Chopin'sthemes of sea/mother, love/lover, self/birth, sexu-ality/creativity are joined as Edna's birth of a newself is juxtaposed against Adele's giving birth toanother. In a moment of liberty she stands nakedon the beach feeling like "some new-born creature"before entering the sea which becomes the univer-sal Great Mother. To be sure, Chopin uses one im-age of defeat, the "bird with the broken wing,"which Edna sees "reeling, fluttering, circling, dis-abled down down to the water." This was the im-

age used by Mlle. Reisz when, as if predictingEdna's fall she said, "it is a sad spectacle to see theweakling bruised, exhausted, fluttering back toearth." But how strong must a woman be at thistime in order to maintain her artistic vocation with-out any support from community?....

Yet Edna's final moment is one of autonomoussexuality, as the world of her imagination resonateswith fertility-"There was the hum of bees, and themusky odor of pinks filled the air." Chopin repeatsthe description of the sea which describes Edna'sfirst swim, "The touch of the sea is sensuous, en-folding the body in its soft, close embrace," andwith this symbolic closure portrays Edna becom-ing whole in the only way she can, by immersionin the universal sea of love. But how can Edna'sdeath be positive? Many critics think it is not....Nevertheless, Edna Pontellier succeeds in givingbirth to a new self even though the fact that she cannot live on earth as this new self is tragic. The tri-umph of The Awakening lies in Chopin's depict-ing, when others did not, the conflicts faced bywomen who wish to become artists. Courageously,she built in her novel a bridge from past to futureso that women might find their way across. Likeher heroine, she too was a pontellier, a bridge-maker.

Source: Carole Stone, 'The Female Artist in Kate Chopin'sThe Awakening: Birth and Creativity," in Women's Studies,Vol. 13, Nos. I & 2, 1986, pp. 23-31.

Kenneth EbleIn this excerpt, Eble relates background in-

formation about the author and re-evaluatesthemes and controversies aroused by Chopin'snovel upon its publication at the turn of the cen-tury.

The claim of [The Awakening] upon thereader's attention is simple. It is a first-rate novel.The justification for urging its importance is thatwe have few enough novels of its stature. One couldadd that it is advanced in theme and technique overthe novels of its day, that it anticipates in many re-spects the modern novel. It could be claimed thatit adds to American fiction an example of whatGide called the roman pur, a kind ofnovel not char-acteristic of American writing. One could offer thebook as evidence that the regional writer can gobeyond the limitations of regional material. Butthese matters aside, what recommends the novel isits general excellence....

In a way, the novel is an American Bovary,though such a designation is not precisely accurate.

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Its central character is similar: the married womanwho seeks love outside a stuffy, middle-class mar-riage. It is similar too in the definitive way it por-trays the mind of a woman trapped in marriage andseeking fulfillment of what she vaguely recognizesas her essential nature. The husband, Ldonce Pon-tellier, is a businessman whose nature and preoc-cupations are not far different from those of CharlesBovary. There is a Leon Dupuis in Robert Lebrun,a Rodolphe Boulanger in Alcde Arobin. And too,like Madame Bovary, the novel handles its mater-ial superbly well. Kate Chopin herself was proba-bly more than any other American writer of hertime under French influence. Her background wasFrench-Irish; she married a Creole; she read andspoke French and knew contemporary French lit-erature well; she associated both in St. Louis andLouisiana with families of French ancestry and dis-position. But despite the similarities and the possi-ble influences, the novel, chiefly because of the in-dependent character of its heroine, Edna Pontellier,and because of the intensity of the focus upon her,is not simply a good but derivative work. It has amanner and matter of its own.

Quite frankly, the book is about sex. Not onlyis it about sex, but the very texture of the writingis sensuous, if not sensual, from the first to the last.Even as late as 1932, Chopin's biographer, DanielRankin, seemed somewhat shocked by it. He paidhis respects to the artistic excellence of the book,but he was troubled by "that insistent query-cuibono ?" He called the novel "exotic in setting, mor-bid in theme, erotic in motivation." One questionsthe accuracy of these terms, and even more themoral disapproval implied in their usage. One re-grets that Mr. Rankin did not emphasize that thebook was amazingly honest, perceptive and mov-ing.

The Awakening is a study of Edna Pontellier,a story, as the Nation criticized it, "of a Southernlady who wanted to do what she wanted to. Fromwanting to, she did, with disastrous consequences."Such a succinct statement, blunt but accurate so faras it goes, may suggest that a detailed retelling ofthe story would convey little of the actual charac-ter of the novel. It is, of course, one of those nov-els a person simply must read to gain any real im-pression of its excellence. But the compactness ofthe work in narrative, characterization, setting,symbols and images gives meaning to such an im-precise and overworked expression. Some idea ofthe style may be conveyed by quoting the openingparagraphs:

A green and yellow parrot, which hung in a cage out-side the door, kept repeating over and over " Allezvous en! Allez vous en! Sapristi! That's all right."

He could speak a little Spanish, and also a languagewhich nobody understood, unless it was the mock-ingbird that hung on the other side of the door,whistling his fluty notes out upon the breeze withmaddening persistence.

Mr. Pontellier, unable to read his newspaper with anydegree of comfort, arose with an expression and anexclamation of disgust. He walked down the galleryand across the narrow "bridges" which connected theLebrun cottages one with the other. He had beenseated before the door of the main house. The parrotand the mockingbird were the property of MadameLebrun and they had the right to make all the noisethey wished. Mr. Pontellier had the privilege of quit-ting their society when they ceased to be entertain-ing.

This is Mr. Pontellier. He is a businessman,husband and father, not given to romance, not givento much of anything outside his business. When hecomes to Grand Isle, the summer place of the Cre-oles in the story, he is anxious to get back to hiscotton brokerage in Carondelet Street, New Or-leans, and he passes his time on Grand Isle at thehotel smoking his cigars and playing cards. Whenhe is on the beach at all, he is not a participant, buta watcher.

He fixed his gaze upon a white sunshade that was ad-vancing at snail's page from the beach. He could seeit plainly between the gaunt trunk of the water oaksand across the strip of yellow camomile. The gulflooked far away, melting hazily into the blue of thehorizon. The sunshade continued to approach slowly.Beneath its pink-lined shelter were their faces, Mrs.Pontellier and young Robert Lebrun.

It is apparent that a triangle has been formed,and going into the details of the subsequent eventsin a summary fashion would likely destroy the artby which such a sequence becomes significant. Suf-fice to say that Robert Lebrun is the young manwho first awakens, or rather, is present at the awak-ening of Edna Pontellier into passion, a passionwhich Mr. Pontellier neither understands nor ap-preciates. Slowly Edna and Robert fall in love, butonce again, the expression is too trite. Edna growsinto an awareness of a woman's physical nature,and Robert is actually but a party of the secondpart. The reader's attention is never allowed to strayfrom Edna. At the climax of their relationship,young Lebrun recognizes what must follow andgoes away. During his absence, Mrs. Pontellier be-comes idly amused by a rou6 [a man devoted tosexual pleasure], Arobin, and, becoming more thanamused, more than tolerates his advances. When



Robert returns he finds that Edna is willing to de-clare her love and accept the consequences of herpassion. But Robert, abiding by the traditional ro-

mantic code which separates true love from phys-ical passion, refuses the offered consummation.When he leaves Mrs. Pontellier, she turns once

again to the scene of her awakening, the sand andsea of Grand Isle:

The water of the Gulf stretched out before her,gleaming with the million lights of the sun. The voiceof the sea is seductive, never ceasing whispering,clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander inabysses of solitude. All along the white beach, up anddown, there was no living thing in sight. A bird witha broken wing was beating the air above, reeling, flut-tering, circling disabled down, down to the water.

Edna had found her old bathing suit still hanging,faded, upon its accustomed peg.

She put it on, left her clothing in the bath house. Butwhen she was there beside the sea, absolutely alone,she cast the unpleasant, pricking garments from her,and for the first time in her life she stood naked inthe open air at the mercy of the sun, the breeze thatbeat upon her, and the waves that invited her.

How strange and awful it seemed to stand naked un-

der the sky! How delicious! She felt like some new-

born creature, opening its eye in a familiar world thatit had never known.

The foamy wavelets curled up to her white feet, andcoiled like serpents about her ankles. She walked out.The water was chill, but she walked on. The waterwas deep, but she lifted her white body and reachedout with a long, sweeping stroke. The touch of thesea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft closeembrace....

She looked into the distance, and the old terrorflamed up for an instant, then sank again. Edna heardher father's voice and her sister Margaret's. Sheheard the barking of an old dog that was chained tothe sycamore tree. The spurs of the cavalry officerclanged as he walked across the porch. There was thehum of bees, and the musty odor of pinks filled theair.

Here is the story, its beginning a maturewoman's awakening to physical love, its end herwalking into the sea. The extracts convey some-

thing of the author's style, but much less ofthe movement of the characters and of human de-sire against the sensuous background of sea andsand. Looking at the novel analytically, one can

say that it excels chiefly in its characterizationsand its structure, the use of images and symbols tounify that structure, and the character of Edna Pon-tellier.

Kate Chopin, almost from her first story, hadthe ability to capture character, to put the right word

in the mouth, to impart the exact gesture, to selectthe characteristic action. An illustration of her deft-ness in handling even minor characters is her treat-ment of Edna's father. When he leaves the Pontel-lier's after a short visit, Edna is glad to be rid ofhim and "his padded shoulders, his Bible reading,his 'toddies,' and ponderous oaths." A momentlater, it is a side of Edna's nature which is revealed.She felt a sense of relief at her father's absence;"she read Emerson until she grew sleepy."

Characterization was always Mrs. Chopin'stalent. Structure was not. Those who knew herworking habits say that she seldom revised, and sheherself mentions that she did not like reworking herstories. Though her reputation rests upon her shortnarratives, her collected stories give abundant evi-dence of the sketch, the outlines of stories whichremain unformed. And when she did attempt a

tightly organized story, she often turned to Mau-passant and was as likely as not to effect a con-

trived symmetry. Her early novel At Fault suffersmost from her inability to control her material. InThe Awakening she is in complete command ofstructure. She seems to have grasped instinctivelythe use of the unifying symbol-here the sea, skyand sand-and with it the power of individual im-ages to bind the story together.

The sea, the sand, the sun and sky of the GulfCoast become almost a presence themselves in thenovel. Much of the sensuousness of the book comesfrom the way the reader is never allowed to strayfar from the water's edge. A refrain beginning "Thevoice of the sea is seductive, never ceasing, clam-oring, murmuring, ... " is used throughout thenovel. It appears first at the beginning of Edna Pon-tellier's awakening, and it appears at the end as theintroduction to the long final scene, previouslyquoted. Looking closely at the final form of this re-

frain, one can notice the care with which Mrs.Chopin composed this theme and variation. In theinitial statement, the sentence does not end with"solitude," but goes on, as it should, "to lose itselfin mazes of inward contemplation." Nor is the im-age of the bird with the broken wing in the earlierpassage; rather there is prefiguring of the finaltragedy: "The voice of the sea speaks to the soul.The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the bodyin its soft close embrace." The way scene, mood,action and character are fused reminds one not so

much of literature as of an impressionist painting,of a Renoir with much of the sweetness missing.Only Stephen Crane, among her American con-

temporaries, had an equal sensitivity to light andshadow, color and texture, had the painter's eye



matched with the writer's perception of characterand incident....

It is not surprising that the sensuous quality ofthe book, both from the incidents of the novel andthe symbolic implications, would have offendedcontemporary reviewers. What convinced manycritics of the indecency of the book, however, wasnot simply the sensuous scenes, but rather that theauthor obviously sympathized with Mrs. Pontellier.More than that, the readers probably found that shearoused their own sympathies....

Greek tragedy-to remove ourselves fromVictorian morals-knew well eros was not the kindof love which can be easily prettified and senti-mentalized. Phaedra's struggle with elemental pas-sion in the Hippolytus is not generally regarded asbeing either morally offensive or insignificant. Mrs.Pontellier, too, has the power, the dignity, the self-possession of a tragic heroine. She is not an EmmaBovary, deluded by ideas of "romance," nor is shethe sensuous but guilt-ridden woman of the sensa-tional novel. We can find only partial reason forher affair in the kind of romantic desire to escapea middle-class existence which animates EmmaBovary. Edna Pontellier is neither deluded nor de-ludes. She is woman, the physical woman who, de-spite her Kentucky Presbyterian upbringing and acomfortable marriage, must struggle with the sen-sual appeal of physical ripeness itself, with passionof which she is only dimly aware. Her struggle isnot melodramatic, nor is it artificial, nor vapid. Itis objective, real and moving. And when she walksinto the sea, it does not leave a reader with the senseof sin punished.... How wrong to call Edna, asDaniel Rankin does, "a selfish, capricious" woman.Rather, Edna's struggle, the struggle with eros it-self, is farthest removed from capriciousness. It isher self-awareness, and her awakening into agreater degree of self-awareness than those aroundher can comprehend, which gives her story dignityand significance.

Our advocacy of the novel is not meant to ob-scure its faults. It is not perfect art, but in total ef-fect it provokes few dissatisfactions. A sophisti-cated modem reader might find something of thederivative about it. Kate Chopin read widely, anda list of novelists she found interesting would in-clude Flaubert, Tolstoy, Turgenev, D'Annunzio,Bourget, Goncourt and Zola. It is doubtful, how-ever, that there was any direct borrowing, and TheAwakening exists, as do most good novels, as aproduct of the author's literary, real, and imaginedlife.

How Mrs. Chopin managed to create in tenyears the substantial body of work she achieved isno less a mystery than the excellence of The Awak-ening itself. But, having added to American litera-ture a novel uncommon in its kind as in its excel-lence, she deserves not to be forgotten. TheAwakening deserves to be restored and to be givenits place among novels worthy of preservation.

Source: Kenneth Eble, "A Forgotten Novel: Kate Chopin'sThe Awakening," in Western Humanities Review, No. 3,Summer, 1956, pp. 261-69.

Kate Chopin, The Awakening, edited by Margo Culley, 2ndedition, Norton, 1994.

Review of The Awakening, in Public Opinion, Vol. 26, 1899,p. 794.

This unfavorable review of The Awakening criticizesthe immorality of the book, calling into doubt "thepossibility of a woman of solid old Presbyterian Ken-tucky stock ever being at all like the heroine" andconcluding that "we are well satisfied when shedrowns herself."

Harold Bloom, Modern Critical Views: Kate Chopin,Chelsea House Publishers, New York, 1987.

This compilation offers perspectives from such dis-tinguished critics as Larzer Ziff, Cynthia GriffinWolff, and Susan Rosowski. Their interpretations runfrom an analysis of the author's "Flaubertian de-tachment" to a feminist's evaluation.

Carley Rees Bogarad, "'The Awakening': A Refusal toCompromise," in The University of Michigan Papers inWomen's Studies, Vol. IL, No. 3, 1997, pp. 15-31.

Bogarad reviews the novel and classifies it as a"novel of development." The review offers the ideathat Edna's awakening is a double one. Her firstawakening occurs when Edna realizes that she wantsautonomy as a human being and conceives of a lifethat would allow her to follow her dreams and stillbe connected to society. Her second awakening be-gins when she concedes that she can not reconcileher definition of self with society's definition. Thereviewer provides detailed support for her view.

Thomas Bonner, Jr., The Kate Chopin Companion, Green-wood, 1988.

Bonner compiles an encyclopedic dictionary of all ofChopin's characters. This volume also includes sev-eral of Guy de Maussapant's short stories, whichwere translated from French into English by Chopin.



"Books of the Day," in The Awakening, by Kate Chopin,Chicago Times-Herald, Vol. 1, June, 1899, p. 9.

Although the reviewer praises The Awakening for be-ing "strong," the overall review is negative. The re-viewer says of The Awakening that "it was not nec-essary for a writer of so great refinement and poeticgrace to enter the overworked field of sex fiction.This is not a pleasant story, but the contrast betweenthe heroine and another character who is utterly de-voted to her husband and family saves it from uttergloom."

Lynda S. Boren and Sara deSaussure Davis, Kate ChopinReconsidered: Beyond the Bayou, Louisiana State Univer-sity Press, 1992.

This volume of essays offers multiple feminist read-ings of The Awakening and some of Chopin's shortfiction.

Violet Harrington Bryan, The Myth ofNew Orleans in Lit-erature, University of Tennessee Press, 1993.

Bryan discusses the influence of New Orleans cul-ture on Chopin's fiction, focusing heavily on issuesof gender and race.

Joyce Dyer, The Awakening: A Novel of Beginnings,Twayne, 1993.

Dyer analyzes the nature of female awakenings inChopin's short fiction and in The Awakening, butsince she sees Chopin as sensitive to male perspec-tives, she argues that Chopin's true subject is not lim-ited to an examination of the female nature, but tohuman nature.

Anna Shannon Elfenbein, Women on the Color Line: Evolv-ing Stereotypes and the Writings ofGeorge Washington Ca-ble, Grace King, Kate Chopin, University Press of Virginia,1989.

Elfenbein discusses the double-bind that many ofChopin's characters of mixed race find themselvesin, and the ways in which they attempt to overcomethe prejudices against them. Although Elfenbein fo-cuses on the short fiction, her book is useful for gain-ing a sense of Chopin's attitudes concerning racialequality.

Barbara C. Ewell, Kate Chopin, Ungar, 1986.Ewell analyzes The Awakening as a feminist novel.She also discusses biographical information and theshort fiction.

Linda Huf, A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Woman, Un-gar, 1983.

Huf discusses The Awakening as "a tale of a youngwoman who struggles to realize herself-and herartistic ability."

Louisiana Literature, Vol. 2.1, 1994.An entire section of this journal is devoted to essayspresented at the Biannual Kate Chopin International

Conference. The introductory essay by Emily Tothdiscusses new issues in Kate Chopin's work, and isespecially useful for those unfamiliar with Chopin'swork.

Carol S. Manning, editor, The Female Tradition in South-ern Literature, University of Illinois Press, 1993.

This volume ofessays discusses, in passing, Chopin'scontribution to the Southern Renaissance in litera-ture.

Wendy Martin, editor, New Essays on The Awakening, Cam-bridge University Press, 1988.

Contains essays on the roles of the artist, of mod-ernist thought, of Edna's dilemma and her potentialsolutions in The Awakening.

Perspectives on Kate Chopin: Proceedings of the KateChopin International Conference, Northwestern State Uni-versity Press, 1990.

Collected papers from the 1988 meeting of the KateChopin International Conference. This volume isvery difficult to locate, but has some excellent essayson lesbianism, local color, and philosophical influ-ences on Chopin. It also includes an essay onChopin's relationship to her publishers.

Anne Rowe, "Kate Chopin," in The History ofSouthern Lit-erature, Louisiana State University Press, 1985.

This essay offers a brief biographical sketch of KateChopin.

Per Seyersted, editor, The Complete Works ofKate Chopin,Louisiana State University Press, 1969.

This volume contains all of Chopin's known fiction,including The Awakening, At Fault and over 100short stories. It also includes essays, poetry, and asong. Although a few pieces of Chopin's work havebeen discovered since the Complete Works appeared,it is still a reasonably complete volume.

Per Seyersted, Kate Chopin: A Critical Biography,Louisiana State University Press, 1969.

This biography gives information about Chopin'slife, but also relies heavily on explication of her texts.Seyersted sets right some of the inaccuracies ofDaniel Rankin's early, discredited biography.

Helen Taylor, Gender, Race and Region in the Writings ofGrace King, Ruth McEnery Stuart and Kate Chopin,Louisiana State University Press, 1989.

Taylor argues that Chopin's fiction is inherentlyracist and illustrates with copious examples.

Emily Toth, Kate Chopin: A Life ofthe Author ofThe Awak-ening, Morrow, 1990.

This authoritative biography of Chopin's life wasnominated for a Pulitzer Prize. Toth's style is veryreadable, and the book is chocked full of personalanecdotes from those who knew Chopin.

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