STUDY QUESTIONS on
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Written and adapted from various sources
by Dr. Tina L. Hanlon
Associate Professor of English
Ferrum College
| 1. What features make The Awakening a "local color" story? What customs and beliefs of Edna Pontellier's society are significant in relation to her psychological development? What attitudes and tendencies in the Creole characters does Edna have trouble adjusting to? 2. Why did Edna marry Leonce? Is he a model husband? What incidents reveal that he may not be a good husband for Edna? How do her reasons for marrying compare to those of other characters we have studied who do or do not marry? 3. How do Mlle. Reisz and Mme. Ratignolle function in relation to Edna and the novel's view of women as mothers and artists? What kind of mother is Edna? What kind of artist is she? 4. How are the background characters, such as the young lovers and the lady in black at the shore, significant in Edna's story? 5. How do the flashbacks to Edna's past function? How does her father compare to the other men in her life? 6. How does the view of romantic love develop in the course of the novel? What is the doctor's view of marriage and childbearing? 7. How do the emotional attachments and romantic obsessions of other characters you have studied compare to Edna’s emotional and romantic relationships? 8. What are the main images and symbols in the novel? Pay attention to details emphasized at the beginning and end and other recurring objects. 9. What is the role of birds in The Awakening? 10. Why does Edna get involved with Alcee Arobin? 11. How does this novel compare with A Doll's House on the subject of gaining self-knowledge? 12. Why were critics outraged at this novel in 1899, saying it committed "unutterable crimes against polite society" and it should be labeled “poison” to protect “moral babes”? Why has Edna been condemned by more recent readers for her selfishness as much as for her sensuality? 13. How does Edna’s unconventional behavior compare to Nora's (in Ibsen’s story “A Doll's House”)? Do Edna and Nora have anything in common? 14. What is your reaction to the end of the novel? Do you agree or disagree with the reasons for Edna's final action? 15. Why do you think the poet Walt Whitman had such an important influence on Chopin? How does her exploration of female sexuality compare to his treatment of male sexuality? (Research required) 16. How does The Awakening compare to other stories you have studied as a realistic work of literature? Why did Per Seyerstead (her editor) say the recognition her works finally received served to “elevate her from the status of a regional writer to a pioneer realist”? |
posted by dconlay @ 9:31 AM
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14 Comments:
1.The stifling standards of convention contribute to Edna’s desire to break free from the traditional mold. An example of this is the strictness of marriage policies. Edna has a difficult time adjusting to the rigidity of expression in many of her Creole relations.
2.Edna married Leonce in blind adherence to tradition without any true passion. Her lack of true passion hints that he may not be a good partner. Her reasons for marrying are not solid and are similar to those in the initial marriage in “The Scarlet Letter.”
3.Mlle. Reisz and Mme. Ratignolle represent to some extent the traditionalist view that pervades society. Edna is not the most responsible mother but in her freedom of thought makes a prolific and profound artist.
4.The background characters are hints of the diversity which lies in freedom, beyond the realm of convention.
5.The flashbacks to Edna’s past function as a reminder of the traditional storyboard of a woman’s life that Edna wishes to avoid. She wishes to avoid that which is supposed to be inevitable for women in her era. Her father is a prelude to the other men in her life.
6.Romantic love is transformed into a marriage ritual into human passion as the novel progresses. The doctor’s view is that marriage and childbearing are practically synonymous.
7.Particularly, the central character of “The Scarlet Letter” and her adultery with Dimmesdale is analogous to the romantic obsessions of “The Awakening.”
8.Birds and the horizon serve as recurring reminders of freedom and independence in the novel. They represent Edna’s breaking of the bonds of convention.
9. Birds in their free-moving manner represent the freedom that Edna desires.
10. She pursues Alcee Arobin in order to satisfy the sexual desires she developed during her time with Robert.
11. Both novels revolve around a central character opening their inner being and engaging in a conscious rejection of society’s standards.
12. This novel was controversial because it could be interpreted as an endorsement of adultery or a condemnation of the standard family system. Edna may be seen as a hero but also as one who selfishly acted on her own sensuality to the disadvantage of others.
13. Edna and Nora both have unconventional attitudes towards’ society’s standards and consciously reject them. They both become outcasts.
14. I disagree with the reasons for Edna’s final action. It was rash and unnecessary. There was still hope.
15. The poet Walt Whitman provided a keen interpretation of the male background out of which feminism would spring. From this standpoint Chopin would detail Edna’s rebellion.
16. The Awakening is a considerably powerful and controversial piece of literature in my opinion. She is a pioneer realist in telling a story which breaks from the mold of tradition but is a feasible alternative for society.
evelez-sanchez p.3
The Awakening
1) The features that make The Awakening a “local color” story is that most of the events focused on the reality of society. In the nineteenth century, many changes of women started to occur. Edna Pontellier’s society had the customs of having a woman to stay at home idle. Edna had trouble adjusting to the Creole characters in the way that she can’t be like them. They were committed as a group to their husbands and children and had a deep personal and religious commitment to fidelity. An example would be that she did not belong their because she had a husband and she wanted to be with another man for which she had feelings for.
2) Edna married Leonce by accident. Edna at that time was very passionate with love for a man and then Leonce came into her life. “Her marriage to Leonce Pontellier was purely and accident, in this respect resembling many other marriages which masquerade as the decrees of Fate”. The only reason why Edna married Leonce was because he was the man who paid attention to her. Before they got married, Leonce was a great model which included that he would go to work and come home to his family and be a great father. But later in the novel, the events were saying something The thing that plays in Edna’s character is the fate because it will decide if she should marry him or not.
3) Mlle. Reisz and Mme. Ratignolle function in the relation to Edna in the way that they are mentors to her. What the novel shows is that women should be great mothers by taking care of their children and stay at home. Edna is a type of person that’s an artist who draws things to express her feelings. Yet, Mlle. Reisz tells her that she is not that much of an artist without having a brave soul.
4) The background characters, such as the young lovers and the lady in black, are significant in Edna’s story because they are used to foreshadow. Furthermore, the lovers foreshadow the relationship between Edna and Robert and the black lady foreshadow that there will be death coming between that love.
5) The way Edna’s past function is that they explain the reason why she is an older woman. Her flashbacks for how her love for men started at a young age and one of them seemed to work right. Edna’s father was a man who was very religious. He was the colonel who attended the Civil War and he was different from other men because he was a serious about matters that concern woman.
6) The way the view of romantic love develops in the course of the novel was that romantic love started with Edna and her husband. Robert was the man who spends time next to Edna most of the time which made Edna felt passion for him.
7) The other characters that share a romantic obsession and emotional attachments that are the same to Edna’s are the characters in the novel. In addition, Edna does not have a close attachment with her husband, but with other men she does.
8) The main idea and symbols in the novel are the sleep and the awakening, the sea, music, art, romance, and the nature of marriage. The sleep and the awakening is a way which Edna escapes and repairs he torn emotions. What the sea represents is that there is freedom, female sexuality, and existential loneliness and the death of woman. The music represents the thought of the piano that Mlle. Reisz plays. Also, major was a major role in the novel which showed Edna’s sexual desires for Arobin and the romantic attachment for Robert.
9) The role of birds in The Awakening is to show the ability to communicate and the snare of woman. One of the major meanings of the birds, in my opinion, was the flight, which acts as an act for the awakening. The way Edna escapes her home is by leaving the pigeon house.
10) The reason why Edna gets involved with Alcee Arobin is because she likes the way he is. She was also captivated by his manners and how he was very passionate. “Yet his presence, his manners, the warmth of his glances, and above all the touch of his lips upon her, had acted like a narcotic upon her.”
11) The way this novel is compared with A Doll’s House on the subject of gaining self-knowledge, is that both of the main characters don’t have a lot of self-knowledge because they don’t know what they want and they are confused. Also, it shows that towards the end, the main characters start to gain just a little bit of self-knowledge because they start to be more independent.
12) The reason why critics were outraged in 1899 is because back then, you were not supposed to talk about those things. Those things were very personal. Also, those novels showed that women were not supposed to behave like that and that they should be loyal to their husbands. The reason why Edna has been condemned was because she was not thinking of anybody else except herself. Also, she just wanted to satisfy her needs that her husband did not give her because he wasn’t home a lot.
13) The way Edna’s unconventional behavior is compared to Nora’s is that they just want his money. They don’t really care about the people and just think about themselves. For example, when Nora left her father sick with another person to take care of him. Now that is not good because she couldn’t even take care of her own father. Edna and Nora, in my opinion, do have something in common because they are immoral of their actions. They just don’t care if they hurt anybody else until they are in a serious situation that they can’t get out of. Then they start to make arrangements.
14) My reaction to the end of the novel is that it was very surprising because I never thought that she would commit suicide just to get her freedom. I agree with her action because she just didn’t have a good life with her husband and she was just cheating on him. Also, she thought that probably the only way that she could have her freedom back would to commit suicide.
15) In my opinion, Walt Whitman had such an important influence on Chopin because he always talked about women and their rights. Also, he talks a lot about homosexuality. In my opinion on what I read, he is kind of with all of that. In addition, this influenced the poet to write about women and how they have changed over the years.
16) The way The Awakening is comparable to the other stories is that some of them have really started to talk about the things about women and they can be just exactly like men. The way Per Seyerstead says that about her novel is because she has really brought forth of how women are and how they depend a lot on their freedom.
A Doll’s House
1) The change in her personality is a transformation because when her best friend, Mrs. Linde, comes to talk to Nora that her husband died, Nora changes the subject saying that her husband, Torvald, got a higher position at the bank and will be getting more money. Basically, Nora only cares about the money because ever since she got married, she has been living a poor life.
2) The language that Torvald uses to speak to Nora is not normal because he treats her like a doll, calling her pet names and scolds her as if she was a child. The way he treats her tells us the readers that their relationship is not very well because they get angry at each other.
3) The reason why Nora makes her decision on not making the request so Dr. Rank to help her is because she did not want to have this relationship start and also she did not want to take advantage of him because if he truly loves her, he would do anything for her. “That I’ve loved you just as deeply as somebody else? Was that mean? (84). In other words, Dr. Rank is revealing his love to her.
4) The way that Kristine Linde serves as a foil character for Nora because Nora abandoned her father when he was ill. Kristine Linde decided to take responsibility for Nora’s sick father. The way Krogstad serves as a foil character for Nora is that he blackmails Nora for the paper that she forged to get the money.
5) The miracle that Nora is waiting for from Torvald is that he doesn’t fire Krogstad from the bank. “Thirty-one hours to live” (93). This shows how much time Nora is given to her.
6) The way the alternative affects the ending of the play, is by punishing her. In my opinion, I think that she does deserve to get punished because of the things that she did. Also, a person that does something bad should pay for their actions.
1. The novel is definitely a local color story because it develops in and around the Creole culture of New Orleans. The standards of society and the way things are conceived and resolved are done in a very Creole manner. Edna has trouble adapting to the lifestyle of Creole marriages, the position of the women in the marriages, and living with a Creole husband. She is used to living freely and independently, as seen in her childhood paintings and lifestyle. She must find new comfort in the restrictions of society
2. Edna marries for security, both physically and emotionally. She wants to “try” the lifestyle of the rich French, and wants the money that goes along. She has a man to claim as her own, and is not left to find a husband any longer. She believes that this is an ideal way to live and raise a family. He is not a model husband because he is never around and is always on business, and their marriage does not appear to be based on love, so their marriage cannot be ideal. Her reasons for marrying are almost identical to those of previously studied women and almost all other women of the time period in that they want security over love.
3. The other women show that independent, artsy women can be good mothers and that they can raise a child, but that it also takes a man to have an influence on the child. Their family struggles show their imperfections, but that a woman is more than just a tool for making babies for the husband to show off. I believe that Edna is trying to be a good mother, but that happy mothers make the best ones, and Edna cannot be happy unless away from her family. It is kind of a sad cycle.
4. The background characters serve as perfection and the unachievable. In a perfect world for Edna, she would be in the background of other people’s problems. She sees the people happy and content with each other, and she wants to have that even more. The only way she knows how to get this is with Robert or in solitude. Despite being highly independent, Edna is constantly comparing herself to others around her and trying to achieve society’s perfection
5. Both the previous events and her father take her back to a time when decisions came naturally, when happiness was sincere. This is a time she is attempting to recreate in her new life, but is unable to do. Her father is the example of male perfection in her life, and could provide security with his presence, not with his money. Edna is trying to recreate this utopia of childhood as a married mother.
6. Romantic love grows in the story and there is a noticeable shift in Edna’s definition of love. At the beginning she is seen as a victim of infatuation, basing love on who can take care of her. As the novel moves forward, Edna realizes that she is not in true love, but loves for its benefits. This develops love in the novel from infatuation to true romantic love. The doctor sees this and agrees that the happiest families are those that are truly in love, but that most families do not love this way. He agrees with Edna’s discontent, but does not want to say anything and keeps his opinions to himself.
7. There are many differences between the relationships of the other characters and those of Edna. Edna is very attached and emotional in her relationships. She doesn’t love because it is popular, and doesn’t show emotions she does not feel. Other characters in the novel are caught up in what Edna wants to rid herself of: infatuation, marriage for money, and societal conformity.
8. one common theme is that death is the ultimate end to one’s goals. No matter how hard one tries, their toils will always last until death, when everything is final. In her suicide, Edna was willing to sacrifice herself and the rest of her life to toil no more. A common symbol in the novel is the birds. Although they show Edna that she is trapped, they shed light on the fact that they can find their independence when flying over the sea. The sea also serves as an important motif. It shows that there are things that never seem to end. There are places where the human body can only go so far, and at some point, it becomes so monotonous that death is the only response.
9. there are many reasons for the birds in the novel. They represent freedom and ties to nothing, something Edna strives for. They can also remove themselves from bad situations quickly and easily, which is inspiration for Edna. She has many reasons for admiring the birds and they’re obvious symbols of unbound freedom in the novel.
10. Alcee is one of the outlets for Edna. He comes into the novel at a time of turmoil and confusion for Edna, and is a quick source of release by breaking rules set by society. It is as if Edna wants to do something wrong, but doesn’t know why she wants to. She sort of blames her problems on what society has thrown her way by breaking one of its most blatant commandments.
11. They are both examples of personal advancement and enlightenment, but in very different forms. There was not one specific event that hit Edna to make her realize that she wants to change her current situation; rather, the cumulative effects societal and marital status told her that it was time to move on independently. Nora, on the other hand, experienced the wrath of her husband, deemed herself unworthy of such anger, and took it upon herself to leave. Although they ended up in similar situations, there were differences in the timing of their personal knowledge and decisions to continue their lives as independent women.
12. Society sets certain standards for its citizens, almost all of which were broken by Edna. During the time of the novel, women had specific roles, especially in the wealthy community. The ones that would have made such complaints were the ones that want to preserve the status of women in the Creole society. Edna also can be seen as a bad example for young women that were growing up at the time, as women were not supposed to have such enlightened thoughts. Edna is seen as a selfish radical because she did not do what was best for her family or for the good of the community, but what was good for her sensuality and for improvement of her personal condition.
13. Edna expresses much more of her emotions than Nora did, especially with outside people, and acted in a much more blatantly odd manner. Both Nora and Edna responded with unconventional actions, as suicide and leaving your husband were not considered appropriate. They are very similar in their need for inner satisfaction and self-fulfillment.
14. At first I saw it as a wrong act and something that should never be done. I still feel that suicide is never a good solution, but for some, it may be what it takes. Edna was in an obvious dilemma and wanted nothing more than to get out of her current situation. Her suicide was the only immediate way to remove herself from the pressures and strains of the society that encompassed her. It was a peaceful, calm surrender to the constant need for independence and solitude. At last, she could be alone where no one would bother her. I am not trying to justify why anyone should commit suicide, but it was what she felt was best for herself.
15. Walt Whitman was out to glorify what God gave men and what the great “tools” that He gave to distinguish men from women. He saw that women were becoming empowered and sought to show what men had to offer besides being dominant figures in society. Chopin saw what Whitman was doing and decided to apply the same principles to women. She connected women with intellectuals and as independent members of society. Where Whitman showed that there was more to men than their power as seen in their body (which has the same basic structures of women), Chopin is trying to empower women and show that there is more to them than the attraction that meets the eye.
16. There are many literary works that this is similar to. In one sense, it is like Romeo and Juliet, since Romeo and Juliet don’t know what to do with themselves because they are breaking the laws of their society, but want to be happy. Instead of doing what society wants or dealing with radical actions, they kill themselves. Many of the novels based around love follow similar themes, with death usually being the ultimate problem-solver.
1. It is a "local color" story because it is something that happens close to home. No matter where you live, there’s always something like that going on in the neighborhood. Edna's society believe women should just be house wives especially people of her status. They believe they should be obedient and growing up with that mind set she started to believe that was all she was good for. Edna has trouble adjusting to the "perfect" marriage picture.
2. She married Leonace because she thought she loved him and her father liked him. She thought that it was her duty to marry and be a house wife. She believed it was her duty and that she was good for nothing else.
3. Edna is not a good mother. She kind of neglects her children. She prefers to have her children away so that she can have some time to herself. She believes if it weren't for her children than she would have been able to do great things. As in artist she is some what capable of art.
4. They all represent something she wants and desires. They represent what she desires and what she wished she had or could have. The young lovers represent the pure love she yearns for.
5. The flashbacks let the readers know how she got her attitudes. It let's us know how she grew into the views she has and how they affect her life.
6. Romantic love develops from a fantasy idea into a reality. It was at first seen as something that people make up. The doctor views marriage as what two people that love each other and bind their life together.
7. The others emotional attachments seem to be material. They all want money and have a high seat in society. Edna seems to want more than that. she wants love and passion not wealth and prestige.
8. The Kentucky field of Edna's youth is symbolic of endless possibilities. These are transferred to the sea, and to death, by the end. When Edna learns to swim, in the beginning of the novel, the reader understands that she has at least the rudimentary ability to strike out in the water, into life, although she is terribly inexperienced. The water also represents sensual feeling, into which she "falls asleep." She always sleeps after Alcée awakens her sexually. And her ultimate sleep takes place the sea.
9. The bird metaphor, from the cawing, impatient parrot at the beginning, to the damaged seabird at the end, is full of allusions to the female condition, as well as to that of the artist. Obviously, Edna is at first a caged bird, a fancy pet, and then she becomes a damaged but wild bird at the end, when she plunges into the sea.
10. Edna gets involved with Alcee because she wanted passion and youth and that was what he represented.
11. They both go to through a transformation that opens their eyes to the condition they are in. Both women choose to walk out on their family, but in different ways.
12. Edna has been condemned of selfishness because she seems not to care about her children. She killed herself and left her family.
13. They both start to disobey their husbands and think for themselves.
14. I do not agree. She could have moved always and started over. She chose the easy way out.
15. They both had similar ideas pertaining to different sexes.
16. They are both different to others I have read before.
JAranda-P.3
1.The features the made The Awakening a “local color” story was that most of the events focused on the reality of society. It was in the nineteenth century when many changes of how woman were portrayed started to change. This book emphasized the living of woman and their roles. Edna Pontellier’s society had the custom of expecting woman to stay at hone as idle, decorative symbols of their husband’s wealth. The society had a belief that upper class woman were supposed to act like angels. These beliefs and customs were significant to Edna in her psychological development because she was to follow them in order to be part of her society and not to be seen as an appalling woman. Edna has trouble adjusting to the Creole characters in the way that she can’t be like them. The Creole women were very conservative. They were honest and open in discussing their marriages and children. They were committed as a group to their husbands and children and had a deep personal and religious commitment to fidelity. Yet, Edna had trouble in keeping up with religion and she didn’t find that much affection for her children. She also was with another man which she had feelings for.
2.Edna marrying Leonce was actually an accident. Edna was in a time of passionate love for a man and Leonce came into her life. “Her marriage to Léonce Pontellier was purely an accident, in this respect resembling many other marriages which masquerade as the decrees of Fate. It was in the midst of her secret great passion that she met him. He fell in love, as men are in the habit of doing, and pressed his suit with earnestness and an ardor which left nothing to be desired. He pleased her; his absolute devotion flattered her.” Edna married Leonce because he was the man who paid attention to her. Leonce was the ideal model husband who would go to work and be a great dad. Yet, the events that showed that he might not be a good husband were that he liked to go gamble with his friends. He would not be at home for most of the time and he was always at work. Her reasons for marrying compare to other characters that do or do not marry in the way that they let things happen with Fate. Fate is what plays a big role in deciding who to marry.
3.Mlle. Reisz and Mme. Ratignolle function in the relation to Edna in the way that they are mentors to her. Edna depends on them to express herself and feel free. The novel shows that women should be great mothers by taking care of their children and stay at home. Edna is not the mother that is always behind her children looking after them. She likes to be with them once in a while, but does not really take care for them. She is the type of artist who draws things to express her feelings. She uses her children as instruments for her drawings and it’s a way to free herself from everything around her. Yet, Mlle. Reisz tells her that she is not that much of an artist with out having a brave soul.
4.The background characters, such as the young lovers and the lady in black, are significant in Edna’s story because they are used to foreshadow. The lovers foreshadow the relationship between Edna and Robert and the black lady foreshadows that there will be death coming between that love.
5.Edna’s flashbacks function in a way to explain the reason why she is as an older woman. Her flashbacks of how her love for men started at a young age and none of them went right showed that she was a desperate woman. These flashbacks portray why she is the woman today. Her father was a man who was very religious. He was colonel who attended the Civil War and he I different from other men because he is serious about matters that concern woman.
6.Romantic love is developed in the novel starting with Edna and her husband. They share this polite love for one another, but there is no passion between them. Edna later becomes to know Robert. Robert was the man who spends time next to Edna most of the time which made Edna felt passion for him. It was Robert and Edna who started to show romantic love together. The way the doctor sees marriage is by, “woman's love, seeking strange, new channels, only to return to its legitimate source after days of fierce unrest.” He believes that marriages is the woman’s way of escaping her troubles and have children to start a new life.
7.Other characters that share a romantic obsession and emotional attachments that are the same to Edna’s are the characters in the novel, The Song of Salomon. Mr. Dead and Mrs. Dead are married to each other but Mrs. Dead does not have a close relationship with her husband. His husband does not like this and feels very terrible. Edna does not have a close attachment with her husband, but with other men she does. Mrs. Dead also had emotional attachments with other people except her husband.
8.The main images and symbols on the novel are the sleep and awakening, the sea, music, art, romance, and the nature of marriage. The sleep and awakening is a way which Edna escapes and repairs her tattered emotions. The sea represents the freedom, female sexuality, and existential loneliness and death of woman. Music symbolizes the emotions of Edna through the piano plays of Mlle. Reisz. Art shows the failure that Edna faced. Romance was a major role in the novel which showed Edna’s sexual desire for Arobin and romantic attachment to Robert.
9.The role of birds in the novel is to show the ability to communicate and the entrapment of woman. Flight is another symbol associated with birds, and acts as a stand in for awakening. Edna escapes her home, her husband, her life, by leaving for the pigeon house. Mlle. Reisz lectures Edna on the need for strong wings in artistic endeavors.
10.Edna gets involved with Alcee Arobin because she likes the way he is. She was captivated by his manners and how he was very passionate. “Yet his presence, his manners, the warmth of his glances, and above all the touch of his lips upon her hand had acted like a narcotic upon her.”
11.This novel and A Doll’s House both stand in the subject of gaining self-knowledge because many of the actions are immoral. Edna shows that she has no self-knowledge in the way she wants to be with other men and disrespect her marriage. Nora, in A Doll’s House, is only taking away money from her husband and not really having any feelings towards him.
12.Critics were outraged with the novel because it was too harsh, too sexual, and too shocking. It showed the immorality of woman and that it affected the view of a polite society. Edna has been condemned for her selfishness because she was very passionate and she embodied the social ideals of which women of that era were striving for.
13.Edna’s behavior is comparable to Nora’s behavior in the fact that they are both living under the rule of a male person. They seek freedom and because they feel like their in a cage like a bird. Nora seems to live in a world of fantasy because of the money while Edna lives in a reality world. Edna and Nora seem to want to have the same views on how to treat their husbands.
14.My reaction to end of the novel was very shocking. I never thought the Edna will kill herself and leave her children alone. Yet, I agree with her decision because this was the only way she could really free herself. She had many options like staying with her husband, lover, or alone. The only way she thought would be best to end her struggles was through dead. If she married another man it would just start her whole cycle again.
15.Walt Whitman had an important influence on Chopin because of the theme in sexuality. Chopin focused on the liberty woman should have for their sensations and sexual aspects. Whitman was a man who was for male sexuality which related to Chopin’s exploration on female sexuality in the way that they felt it was something of freedom.
16.The Awakening compares to other stories that are realistic and that they show themes that relate to actual society. The novels relate to actions people take to make a difference and that they should be accepted. Per Seyerstead said that Chopin elevated to a pioneer realist because her story captivated many peoples view on woman and made a change in society.
The Awakening
1. The features that make The Awakening a “local color” story are Edna and Robert. Both of them awaken their passions for each other and stand out among their society since they do not conform to society’s ways of marriage and follow their feelings of passion. The customs and beliefs of Edna’s society are marriage and family values. They help Edna realize that she is not a part of this society since she would rather follow her feelings of passion. Edna has a problem adjusting to Robert and Mademoiselle Reisz. She does not know how to cope with her feelings for Robert, which affects her attitude towards him, and Edna does not know whether she likes Mademoiselle Reisz affecting how she acts towards Mademoiselle. In fact, Edna’s feelings towards Mademoiselle resulted in Edna telling Mademoiselle that she did not like her.
2. Edna married Leonce since she wanted to escape from her unrealistic fantasies of passion and settle down. The incidents that reveal how Leonce was not a good husband for Edna was how Edna begins to have feelings for other men such Robert and Allcee, and how Leonce is never there for Edna proving that she views Edna as secondary aspect within his life. Edna’s reasons for marriage compare with Juliet in the story of Romeo and Juliet. Juliet would marry a man for reasons that had nothing to do with love. Her reasons are similar to Edna’s reasons since they both sets of reasons were created out of necessity.
3. Mademoiselle functions as the role model for Edna and according to the novel the view of women who went against society. She was an artist who would never conform to becoming a mother as society would demand considering that many women were mothers. Adelle functions as the conscious for Edna and the view of women who conformed to society. She was a mother who lived a simple life of conforming to the society. Edna is a mother who does not put motherhood as her primary objective within her life. She will be there for her children but does not build her life around them. Edna is an artist who draws sketches.
4. The lovers and the lady in black are significant to the story since they symbolize Edna’s desires. Edna would like to seek the freedom from conformity that these symbols represent. For example, the lovers love freely and lady in black walks freely upon the shore.
5. Edna’s flashbacks function by providing a foundation for the beliefs of Edna to be analyzed. For instance, if Edna never recalled the reasons for her marriage, we would have never realized that Edna’s passionate desires were created before her marriage. Therefore, she was aware of these desires. Edna’s father compares to other men within Edna’s life since Edna does not love the men in her life during a certain period. They either have a passion for her or like her as a person. For instance, Edna had a passion for Robert before she began to love him.
6. The view of romantic love develops in the course of the novel through Edna’s relationships. We discovered that love cannot be attained through marriage since Edna married Leonce but never truly loved him even after marriage. We also discovered that love takes time since Edna eventually began to love Robert as time passed on. The doctor’s view of marriage and childbearing are linked to the feelings of passion. The feelings of passion that women experience are nature’s illusion created to prepare women for motherhood.
7. Romeo and Juliet are obsessed with each other such as Edna and Robert. In fact, Edna and Romeo commit suicide since their desires for their lovers are never quenched.
8. The main images and symbols of the story are birds and the islands. The birds represent how Edna wants to fly and separate from the codes of her society. In fact, Mademoiselle references to how a bird soars away in order to teach Edna the rules of the artist, who does not conform. The islands represent Edna’s need to separate from society since she continually wants to free herself from the way of her society and explore new bounds away from her home such as the islands.
9. The role of the birds was to represent how successful Edna was as an artist throughout the novel. For instance, in the end, a bird with a broken wing is seen before Edna commits suicide signifying that Edna failed to live up to her dreams of becoming an artist who does not conform.
10. Edna becomes involved with Alcee since she wants to quench sexual desires. She felt free while her husband was away. Therefore, she wanted to follow her animalistic desires of quenching her thirst for sexual pleasure.
11. A Doll’s House and The Awakening compare since both wives realize their true feelings about themselves. In the former novel, the wife realizes how she never loved her husband and only stayed as a wife because of her position. In the latter novel, the wife realizes how she never loved her husband and wanted to be set free from her society.
12. There was an outrage over this novel since it brought up ideas that were unthinkable at that time. Women were never allowed to follow such feelings of passion. They were reduced to housewives who served their husband. Edna was condemned for her selfishness since she desired freedom even though it would cost others an important aspect of a family, a mother. She was willing to sacrifice the well being of her children and husband in order to pursue her desires of passion.
13. Edna and Nora’s behavior compare since they both drench themselves in ideals. Edna began to completely devote herself to a lifestyle of defiance and artistry. Nora began to devote herself to motherhood and the belief that love conquers all, which showed when she hoped that her husband would sacrifice himself for Nora while instead he became enraged and would not take responsibility for her actions.
14. I do not agree with Edna’s actions since suicide is never a truly logical option since anyone has the power to change the way things are. Even if Edna would be unsuccessful in hiding her affairs, she could still live and fix her problems. Her husband would not look at Edna in the same way, but Edna could fix that problem or move on. Anything is possible.
15. Whitman would influence Chopin since he exalts the human body. Chopin would use this exaltation in order to truly implement the feelings of the passion that Edna felt. (Wikipedia)
16. The Awakening relates to other novels because of its realistic ideas of passion. For instance, Rome and Juliet took the lovers to the extreme by suicide. The Awakening took Edna to extremes through suicide. Chopin is elevated to a pioneer realist since her works portray such true feelings of passion.
Citations
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaves_of_grass
-PP3
1. There are many features that attribute to “The Awakening’s” “local color” because; it portrays many characteristics that are not displayed in women, in that era, in Edna. There are many restrictions on love and physical emotion in her society; these restrictions are significant to her psychological development. She has a difficult time adjusting to the Creole characters because, of their timid and rigid nature.
2. Edna married Leonce out of tradition. There is no real chemistry between the couple that suggests that Leonce is not a model husband. The foundations of the marriage between Edna and Leonce is a shaky one at best, they are somewhat estranged and lack chemistry.
3. Mlle. Reisz and Mme. Ratignolle function as the rulebook and the out linings to tradionalist mothering. Edna is not a typical or good mother, she is booming with creativity, which makes her a very abstract artist.
4. The background characters symbolize the freedom of thought which represents Edna’s spirit.
5. Her flashbacks function as the constant fear of being enveloped by the typical life of women. The life that is bounded to her by her sex.
6. The view on Romantic loves transforms into the preface to marriage. The doctor’s perspective on romantic love develops the same way throughout the story.
7. There are many characters in literature that share the same emotional and romantic relationships Edna shares. Notably Hester from The Scarlet Letter, as they share much of the same hardships.
8. The main images in the story include the background character and the birds on the horizon which both represent the Edna’s untypical womanly nature.
9. The role that the birds play symbolizes Edna’s freedom from the typical frame work of an average woman’s life.
10. Edna gets involved with Alcee Arobin because, she wants to satisfy her sexual desires.
11. Both of the novels are built around main characters that deify traditional rules and roles that society has given them.
12. The novel sparked much controversy at during it’s time for being too rebellious and unorthodox. Edna has been condemned by recent readers for her selfishness and her sensuality; because, they are very congruent.
13. Edna’s unconventional behavior is very similar to Nora's they both share the same hatred for society’s traditional standard for them.
14. I disagree with Edna’s solution at the end of the novel. To commit suicide is the ultimate sin against god, while there are more acceptable sins she commits, the sin of suicide is unacceptable.
15. The poet Walt Whitman had such an important influence on Chopin, because without his assertion of man’s treatment and roll in society, there would be no setting for Chopin’s novel.
16. The Awakening in my honest opinion is an extremely influential and controversial piece of literature. It proposes radical changes which could be are strong enough to spark controversy as well critical acclaim.
Taylor Brown's Questions
1. Edna is a woman who is filled with sexual desires that most women don’t have in her society. She is a married woman lusting over another man, which is unheard of in her society. Her society is made to think that women are their husbands possessions and that they are only here for their domestic duties, but Edna wants to break free from that stereo-type and live her own life.
2. She married Leonce because it seemed right, he made it so that she could live a comfortable lifestyle. She also thought that her sexual desires would disappear once she was married and grew out of this childish state. But Leonce doesn’t respect her, he thinks of her more as a possession than a wife. In their society women are expected to do all the household work and be “mother-women,” and since Leonce believes Edna is a negligent mother, she is somewhat shunned from society.
3. Edna sees Mademoiselle Reisz as the woman she could have become if she didn’t marry Leonce. She finds her musical ability inspiring even thought she does not care for her much at all she respects her. Adèle Ratignolle is the exact opposite of Edna, she is the perfect wife and mother. But she is also the catalyst to Edna’s sexual desires by openly talking about her love life. Edna believed that woman were more than just their husband’s property at a time when no one else did. Her passion for music and love and her lacking in ability at parenting made her an outsider.
4. The young lovers and the lady in the black at the shore are important in Edna’ story because the young lovers represent the life Edna and Robert could have had together if she had never gotten married. And the lady in black represents a typical widowed woman who was faithful to her husband and now devotes her time to his memory. So if Leonce were to die Edna would be expected to do the same, and she would never be free to gain the independence she so badly wants.
5. Her father is a very unaffectionate man who believes that husbands should be able to manage their wives. Even though Edna disagrees with what he believes in she surprisingly gets along quite well with her father.
6. The doctor realizes the fact that Edna is in love with another man but doesn’t bring it to the attention of Leonce because he doesn’t want him to suppress her more, making her desires intensify. He understands Edna’s situation as well as the views of society which is why he tries to help her.
7. Edna is a very sexual person so she doesn’t get as emotionally attached when it comes to sex, with the exception of Robert. With Robert she feels a love that she doesn’t feel with anyone else. The other women in the story seem to be more devoted to their husbands but not as happy and in love. They seem satisfied with their lifestyles while Edna will only settle for the best.
8. The main symbols of the novel are the birds and the sea. The caged birds represent the “winged” women and the fact that they can’t escape. They can only use their wings to protect their families not free themselves. While the sea represents freedom, which is what Edna feels every time she goes swimming. She wants to be free and able to live her own life. It also the water represents a sort of rebirth that Edna wants so badly.
9. The caged birds represent the “winged” women and the fact that they can’t escape. They can only use their wings to protect their families not free themselves. They constantly remind Edna that she is trapped in a society with different views than he own.
10. Edna gets involved with Alcee Arobin because her sexual desires over take her. She also knows that with Arobin she can remain in control unlike her other relationships, which is a feeling she desperately needs. She is tired of being suppressed so she has an affair with him.
11. In both A Doll’s House and The Awakening the main characters are women trying to find themselves in a society that does not agree with their ways. In the end they both find themselves happier by taking extreme measures, instead of living a suppressed life in a society they don’t understand. They both realized by the end of the novel that they don’t fit in so they mustn’t try.
12. Society in 1899 was a lot stricter and less acceptant of this type of behavior. Now a days we hear about acts like this all the time through the media so it’s not as shocking. Even though this type of behavior still isn’t considered good, it’s not looked upon as harshly as it was back then. This is why Edna is more condemned for her selfishness then her sensuality.
13. Edna and Nora are both women looking to find a way out of their societal roles and gain the freedom they both want and feel they deserve. They are both woman who do not fit in in their society and would rather take extreme measures then to live a fake life.
14. I feel it’s truly only up to Edna even though she’s a fictional character. I feel her suicide is somewhat justifiable because she could not be with the one she truly love so in her eyes there was no point in living. Love is a powerful feeling that makes people do irrational things.
15. Walt Whitman had such an important influence on Chopin because he was a very open poet, who broke the boundaries by writing about homosexual relationships and graphic descriptions of the male body which was very inappropriate, especially for his time. Chopin did the same thing in The Awakening by having the main character have such sexual desires which were frowned upon at the time. They both explored the boundaries of human sexuality during their time.
16. Since the novel was written in a time where behavior like this was unacceptable, Chopin was, like Per Seyerstead said, “a pioneer realist.” She veered away from the conventional lifestyle and showed the world a society of lust and sexual desire, a society that did not exist at the time, or at least if it did was not spoken about. She did not show the typical romanticized side to the story but the realist side, which was a first for that time period.
1. In Edna’s society, women were supposed to be completely devoted to their husbands and children. They were only in charge of taking care of the house and household chores, which made Edna feel trapped both mentally and physically. The Creole characters are very open with their emotions and affections for other people. “Their freedom of expression was at first incomprehensible to her, though she had no difficulty in reconciling it with a lofty chastity which in the Creole woman seems to be inborn and unmistakable” (p. 23). These actions and behaviors baffle her, because she grew up in a household where affection was not shown so openly.
2.Edna married Léonce because he seemed to be the responsible choice to her. She wanted to try to get away from the unrealistic infatuations she had with other young men at the time and settle down. Léonce seemed like the perfect opportunity to do this because he seemed like the model husband: he was devoted to her, had money, and she knew that he would provide a very stable, conventional lifestyle. “Her marriage to Léonce Pontellier was purely an accident, He pleased her; his absolute devotion flattered her. She fancied there was a sympathy of thought and taste between them, in which fancy she was mistaken. Add to this the violent opposition of her father and her sister Margaret to her marriage with a Catholic, and we need seek no further for the motives, which led her to accept Monsieur Pontellier for her husband,” (p. 46-47). Edna married Léonce for many of the same reasons that most women at that time did: to gain financial and social security for themselves and their future children.
3.Mademoiselle Reisz is an example of a stubborn, strong woman that was determined to remain independent in a world where women were always supposed to be dependent. On the other hand, Madame Ratignolle was the picture perfect example of the ideal mother of the times. She was fully devoted to her children and husband, and had no desires to be anything more. Edna is not a very devoted mother because she was pushed into it. She loves to paint, and as the story progresses, she insists on her desire to be an artist, but really, she is just looking for an escape from the restrictive lifestyle she has been forced to live in.
4.Both the lady in black, and the two young lovers represent a woman’s duties in life. The young lovers represent the part of a woman’s life when it is okay for her to be carefree and completely in love without having to worry about children. “Two young lovers were exchanging their hearts' yearnings beneath the children's tent, which they had found unoccupied,” (p. 40). The fact that the lovers like to spend their time in the children’s tent helps relate this idea to the reader. The lady in black represents how once a woman is married, she loses her individuality, and is expected to completely devote herself to him, even after he is dead.
5.The flashbacks of Edna’s life help her realize the problems that she has had with men throughout her life, and how she has always felt trapped. “’Likely as not it was Sunday," she laughed; "and I was running away from prayers, from the Presbyterian service, read in a spirit of gloom by my father that chills me yet to think of,’" (p. 42). Her flashbacks tell about how she has always been trying to break free and get away, especially from her over controlling father.
6.Throughout the novel, Edna begins to realize that the “infatuations” she ran away from in her youth, are actually the kind of feelings that would make her happy in her current life. The doctor believes that women should always remain faithful to their husbands and children, and that both of these should be the main priorities in a woman’s life.
7.In the Great Gatsby, Mr. Gatsby shares a similar forbidden feeling of love to Edna. Both characters feel love for people that they know are not possible lovers, making them both miserable in their current lives and relationships.
8.The main images and symbols in the novel are birds and wings, the sketches, and the ocean. At the beginning of the novel, the caged birds represent the caged feeling that Edna had while living with Léonce. Also in the story, wings help to represent the determination of some women to break free from their cages. “to see if my wings were strong, she said. 'The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth.' "Whither would you soar?" (p. 217). Here, the wings symbolize Edna’s attempts to escape her miserable trapped life. Edna’s sketches represent the individualized spirit living inside of Edna, waiting to escape. Lastly, the ocean symbolizes freedom and the ability to escape. The large, open, unknown characteristics of the ocean represent Edna’s desires to live her life freely.
9.As was stated in the above question, birds represent the trapped feelings of Edna, as well as the trapped feelings of women in that day in age. The birds in the beginning of the novel constantly squawk and make noises, but nobody can understand them. “The parrot and the mockingbird were the property of Madame Lebrun, and they had the right to make all the noise they wished. Mr. Pontellier had the privilege of quitting their society when they ceased to be entertaining,” (p. 2) This shows that like the birds, women can say all that they want, but the society that they live in just stops listening when it gets uncomfortable or inconvenient.
10.Edna becomes involved with Alcee Arobin to ease her loneliness. Arobin adores Edna, and he feeds her passionate need for a male companion. However, she has no serious feelings for Arobin and just keeps him around at her convenience. “Alcée Arobin was absolutely nothing to her. Yet his presence, his manners, the warmth of his glances, and above all the touch of his lips upon her hand had acted like a narcotic upon her,” (p. 202). Arobin was just a distraction for Edna to keep her mind off of her feelings and troubles.
11.In A Doll’s House, Nora gains her knowledge in a much shorter time period than Edna in The Awakening. Also, Nora’s self discoveries about her entrapment and need to escape are results of more specific events, while Edna gains her self-knowledge from thinking generally about her life and society.
12.Critics were outraged in 1899 because the book went against ideals for women and society that still existed at that time in the United States. They were also offended by the sexual desires that were very strong in Edna. “It was the first kiss of her life to which her nature had really responded. It was a flaming torch that kindled desire,” (p. 219). This kind of openness about a woman’s sexuality was completely inappropriate in polite society in 1899. More modern readers condemned Edna because of the way that she resolves her problems by committing suicide in the end. This was cowardly, and selfish of her to abandon not only her friends and husband, but also her children.
13.While Edna and Nora both realize that they have been living empty lies, they are very different. While Nora leaves her husband and children, she has plans to become a strong, independent woman that will make a difference in society. Edna, instead of trying to improve her life, and the lives of other trapped women by example, she commits suicide. This act showed that Edna was much more cowardly than Nora in facing the dangers of the world alone for a woman at that time.
14.I disagree with Edna’s actions. I believe that suicide was a very selfish and cowardly way for Edna to solve her problems. By ending her life, Edna proved everyone in her society that women weren’t strong enough to live out on their own in the world. Instead of helping her family and herself, she could have made the plight for women worse.
15.Walt Whitman believed that a man’s sexuality and body were directly connected with his mind and soul, and chose to represent that through his works. Whitman’s influence on Chopin is evident in The Awakening when she talks about Edna’s sexual desire connecting with her happiness. “It was the first kiss of her life to which her nature had really responded. It was a flaming torch that kindled desire,” (p. 219). Here, Edna’s kiss helps put her mind at ease, which shows a direct link between body and mind.
16.The Awakening and The Grapes of Wrath both have elements of realism in them, because they both reveal the problems in society during each time period. Both authors were also criticized for their works because they challenged the current societies of their times, causing them to not get full credit as excellent authors, and excellent novels.
HKeenawinna
Period 3
1) The awakening is a local color story because of its controversial topic being told of a woman’s quest for independence and her own self-understanding. The story is about a woman who is against all the rules set out for women like her to be. Back then it was something to talk about and it was considered scandalous. All women who lived on the Grand Isle were meant to gaze at their husbands with such love and, respect, and had to be dependent on them. In most of their eye, it was their husbands who saved them and gave them a life to live, therefore making it right to give their every thought. Edna did not appreciate it, you can tell when her character appears that she is different and unlike all the women around her.
2) Edna married Leonce because he was good marriage material” good-looking, rich, caring, and devoting and he would have provided well for a family. He was a good reason to settle down, her family accepted him. She never truly got to know him as a person or actually considered how her life would be with a man who believed women were meant to be a certain way.
3) Mlle. Reisz and Mme. Ratignolle are both women of an independent nature and they are influences to Edna’s character and they both have different views as to how women should be. Mlle. Reisz believes that a woman be independent through a talent that she has like music. She has passion and she’s not following the rules of society on how a woman ought to act. Mme. Ratignolle is a mother who does her job well and people commend her on her job with the children. She’s the perfect wife in society’s standards, how women of this stature should act. Edna is a good mother but she’s not as attached to them and her artist is more of a visual painter, looking to the environment and the atmosphere.
4) The lady in black is a woman in mourning obviously because of her black clothes. It is to symbolize the death of her purpose in life because throughout the novel, she is known as the lady in black. Her life was her husband and now that he was dead, she had nothing to do. It was as if she had given up on what she was and what she could have done with her life. The lovers symbolize love and how everyone should be seen as. It’s young love, so innocent and yet the kind of love everyone wants. It might also be an idea of what Edna wants, a young love or a passionate love that she was denied.
5) The flashbacks show a more detailed view on Edna’s character. Her father was a commanding figure and took control of her life in the sense that he was raised to make sure that women were put in a certain place her. You see that Edna’s life hasn’t changed even after she had married because she was still with the same type of a man.
6) Love in the novel is seen as a dangerous thing, impulsive and maybe also forbidding. Edna respects her husband but she does not actually love him but she does love Robert Lebrun but because she’s married they can’t express their love for each other and are forced to keep it a secret but it is the forbiddingness that appeals to Edna. It is something that Edna has never experienced before. The doctor thinks that love is dangerous and yet he understands why people may do it, he has the most appropriate thought as to what Edna is feeling.
7) Edna’s emotional attachments and romantic obsessions are similar in the sense that in most literature, the love is forbidden or it is unattainable. Both people love each other so much and almost cannot keep it to themselves. The difference in Edna’s condition is that her love is precious to her, she doesn’t know to whom she must love and she doesn’t want to experience it. It seems confusing. She’s married to another man and she loves another and she takes on an affair with another man. Her obsessions are strangely out of place or they make no sense as to her character.
8) I would think that the ocean is a recurring symbol. When she talks about it she sees a sense of peace and she’s free. She’s not herself and she has no worries. She swims in it to get away from the shore, from whatever held her back. As she drowned in the sea, she is finally away from them and she’s no longer worried because she’s free. The Sea is something that she could never get a hold of like her desires, it’s uncontrollable yet it’s there and it will always be unless she gives in to it. This could be another reason for her drowning.
9) The first two birds in the begging seem to symbolize chaos and they are also depicting women who are constrained by the bonds of matrimony. They are also parrots that are taught what to say and are told to repeat when they are asked. The birds that were not in the cage were to represent to Edna the freedom that most women want.
10) Alcee Arobin is involved with Edna because she initiates a sexual affair with him. She does this in order to find out more about herself and to fulfill her sexual feelings that she cannot with her own husband. She also does this to find out more about her own sexual instincts and be closer to what she wants. It’s a chance to prove that she is attractive and to make her feel more womanly.
11) Both Nora and Edna have husbands who control them with either their wealth or the way they had given them reasons to believe that they could not live life without them. After a while, they see that they are had never been loved and that they were both trying to be someone and understand themselves. They were only trying to be independent and break away from what society wanted them to be.
12) Critics would be outraged at the time because it was painting a picture that women had to leave their husbands and families to find a better sense of who they were and they were also painting a debase view of what a woman was at the time or what they were thinking. It was not what was supposed to be written. Recent readers might condemn Edna for committing suicide because truthfully that might not have been the way to go. She didn’t get anything out of killing herself except that she might have given in to her sadness and given other readers the okay to do the same if they were in the same predicament and she had left her children motherless.
13) Nora didn’t kill herself and she actually decided to take a big leap forward and find out more about herself and actually get a life that would appeal to her and make her much happier than she was. Edna was not so in that case, I think she took too many things on, she fell in love and she started an affair. For a person like Edna, that wouldn’t have boded well for her character. Both Nora and Edna were different from the other women. They were the women who stepped out of the bonds and actually tried to be better than they already were. They wanted to focus more on what they wanted instead of what others wanted.
14) On one hand, I’m not sure that it was good thing to commit suicide but on the other, her heart was rejected by the first man that she had loved. She was forced to give up what her whole life was planned to be because of what she believed in. So I agree with the ending in the Awakening. I expected it so it didn’t shock me.
15) Whitman believed that an inextricable part of human nature was sexual desire and it was meant to be kept under and not be expressed at all I the world. Edna’s sexual exploration is actually what made her so different and made her realize who she was. It made her into her own person. So women found independence by acting like a man? Maybe so, it seems to be the case here.
16) The Awakening compares to other stories I have read by being more on the side of controversy and dealing with things that society wouldn’t deal with. It shows a different aspect on things and it gives the sense that many people are condemned to keep things to them or else be shunned or isolated from society. Kate Chopin used her idea and made a more outer view, it probably agreed to most women at the time and at the time, there were the beginnings of feminism but they were not as strong.
1. The features that make The Awakening a “local color” story are the family and the situation that occurs in the story. The family in the story is a model family for the people during that time. The customs and beliefs of Edna Pontellier's society are significant in relation to her psychological development are to have a perfect family and life. Everyone wanted to have a perfect family to begin with and a life that they want to live instead of they need to live. Enda have trouble adjusting to all the lies and divorce that occurs where she lives. In Creole, the married couples stay together, even though the rough times, but Edna sees the cheating that occurs in the book by people.
2. Edna married Leonce because he rescued her. During the beginning, Loence wakes Edna up to check up on the children. When he was telling her, he reminded her what a “bad mother” she was to her children. This reminder made her cry. Her reasons are by choice. She took freedom instead of work to see how luxurious he life can be. The other characters already have freedom, so they do not care if they get married or not.
3. Mlle. Reisz and Mme. Ratignolle function to Edna is that they compare to Edna. The two are like a model women during the time and the reader can see how different Edna is compared to them. Edna is a neglectful mother who does not take care of her children properly. Her art is unique in a way people dislike her work. Her way of painting is more abstract than the other women's painting.
4. The background characters are significant to Edna's story because they are characters that Edna could have had. They were a model for Edna, while her like is a model for the town. The couples were happier than Edna's, who have to obey her husband.
5. Edna's function function as her life before she got married. It compares how better it was before she got married. Her father was a strict man, but he spends time with his family. Comparing him to other men, the other men neglect their family because they are working and going on business trips. Also, they do not want to be inside the house all day taking care of his children and wife.
6. The romantic love develop in the curse of the novel by the characters taking chances. Without taking chances, life was dull. Leonce will show some compassion towards his wife in the beginning, but does not truly love her until the end of the novel. The docter's view of marriage and childbearing is that people were going to fast to marry and have children. They should wait awhile, but it seems as though they didn't have time to wait for them to know each other and get married and have children. They wanted to become together quickly.
7. The other characters in other books were in love instead of forced to be in love. They chose to love the other person for the who they are. If the character did not like him or her, the character will try again with someone else. In Edna's story, she did not have the choice of leaving her husband because she had to be loyal to him and she didn't want to take the risk of being kicked out of the house.
8. The house represents the model homes that people had or wanted in the town. The children were like a grade to see how Enda is treating them. The other family and characters were the alternate life that Edna could have had instead the life she is living now. The ocean is freedom to Edna.
9. The birds role in The Awakening is that Edna is like a bird who is trapped in a cage. The only way she can get out is when someone opens the cage for her. When she married Leonce, she thought she was free, but he put her into a new cage because he owned her. Then, she is waiting for someone new to get her out and give her a chance in her life.
10. Edna gets involved with Alcee Arobin because she likes how Alcee takes chances and how it turns out in the end. Edna is inspired how Alcee can take chances while she is trapped with Leonce and the children in the house.
11. It compares with A Doll's House on the subject of gaining self knowledge is that she notices how miserable she is with being married with Leonce. She realizes that she does not belong with him and she wants to get out of the house, but she has responsibility for the children.
12. The critics were outraged because it was a black woman who criticized society through her eyes. The critics believed she was wrong because she was a woman and a different race. The critics did not how the author used Edna's pint of view of society. The society wanted to be thought they were perfect. Edna have been condemned by more recent readers because they accept for who she is. The readers feel they have a similar problems and they can relate to Edna's situation.
13. Edna is loyal to Leonce and does not want to do anything shameful that will make Edna go out of the house because she wants her freedom. Nora is loyal to her husband, but have an idea of leaving. Also, Nora did have a man who was attractive to her, so she could have left, but stayed instead. These two are in common because they want to be loyal to their husbands, but they leave for business and show little compassion toward his wife.
14. I do agree the end of the novel because it is the best for Edna. I agree with Edna's reaction because I would feel the same as her, but she could have been different that would fit the story better.
15. Walt Whitman had such influence on Chopin because the story is like what Walk Whitman wrote. Chopin's plot was similar to Whitman. Although feamle and males are different they serve the same sexuality. They're tactics are different, but their goals is the same, which is to get the other person to fall in love with them.
16. The Awakening is realistic work of literature because the readers may have the same problem as Edna. Also, it is how people are like today where they get married for freedom. Per Seyerstead say that recognition was served because the main character is different from other books. Also, the situations are different. It is not perfect, but it's a story.
Taylor McClanahan
1. The Awakening is made a ‘local color’ story because of its focus on a distinct geographic area and group of people. It looks at the culture (and culture clash) of the English Victorian lifestyle and that of the French Creoles, and uses a dynamic character to compare the two and transition between them. In her society, there is a duality to life where, “outward existence conforms, the inward life questions” (pg. 18), but she finds that the Creoles – whom do not stick to the English societal standard – are much more free and open in all aspects of their lives. Edna finds this transition to openness uneasy and difficult, and it, ultimately, claims her life in the end.
2. Edna married Leonce because she felt it was necessary to end the infatuation and romance of her young adult life and accept the reality of responsibility for the future, and “As the devoted wife of a man who worshiped her, she felt she would take her place with a certain dignity in the world of reality.” (pg 25) Though he loves his wife and children very much, he is away on business for a majority of the time, and doesn’t know much of his wife’s true feelings or emotions. He is not the best husband for Edna because of his need to fit in with societal standards and the importance of appearances, but, when looking at the other characters, none would make the best husband for Edna, leaving her in solitude and only one choice – suicide.
3. Mlle. Reisz and Mme. Ratignolle are foils characters of each other, and both serve to push Edna away from the conventional lifestyle of a woman. Reisz lives that lifestyle outside convention and Edna is drawn to the artistic, independence that she sees Reisz enjoying. The conformist, Victorian nature of Ratignolle give the opposite picture of Reisz – one where women are subservient to men and society and where a woman’s job is to produce and raise children, and to devote themselves to the one’s around them at their own expense. Edna, though a caring mother, doesn’t like the pressures put on her by society to be only a mother and a possession of her husband. She is an artist of the soul, and ‘art,’ as she sees it, comes from and touches the soul and creates emotion, not just images of emotion.
4. The background characters often serve as foreshadowing for later events, as the young lovers are a symbol of passion and escape from convention, while the lady in black symbolizes the death and isolation caused by love.
5. The flashbacks serve to show how her life as a female child completely set her up for life as an adult women (according to society): subservient to men, who are the “protectors” and are above women. Her father is similar to her husband in that they both pamper her and treat her as an innocent child, while disregarding her true emotions and thought.
6. The reader learns that Edna believes that “romance” stopped when she married and responsibility took its place. But, after listening to the speech of the Creoles, her desires and fantasies of romance and romantic love are sparked again, and she become enamored in Robert Lebrun, and even turns to Alcee Arobin to satisfy her ideas of physical romance that her absent husband cannot fill. The doctor, though a major part of society, internally feels that love and romance should be a part of marriage and that childbearing is something for couples that are truly in love and would devote themselves to the child.
7. Most characters studied have seen their “extramarital” relationships flare up and die quickly, consumed by passionate lust and fiery infatuation, whereas Edna wishes this passion and romance to last – at the same intensity – for a long period of time. Edna’s struggle is not only one against societal boundaries, but for personal enrichment and “soul-searching” so to speak. Her relationships are not meant to challenge society, but to “find oneself” and what she is truly capable of. She is rebelling in search of her identity, not for the sake of rebellion.
8. The main images and symbols in the novel are birds, the sea, houses, the lady in black, and the two lovers. While the birds serve as symbols of women, houses serve to coop them up and they mark Edna’s progress through her awakening (the houses in society like in New Orleans and at Grand Isle she remains as society would accept, but at Cheniere Caminada and in the Pigeon House she is “free” and independent from societal standards). The sea represents freedom, escape, and strength for Edna. While in the water, she realizes the depth and complexity of the human and universe, and is seduced by the sensuous, supporting nature of the sea. It is also the place that she takes her life as it was what truly sparked her awakening. The lady in black and the two lovers represent stages of life, love, and acceptance. The unrequited love of the two young lovers is accepted by society as natural, as is the state of mourning the lady in black exists in; the lady in black is always present in tandem with the two lovers, representing the tragedy and isolation associated with love.
9. Birds serve as symbols of women. The two caged birds (Parrot and Mockingbird) represent Edna and Reisz (and Victorian women in general) in that their movements are limited by society and cannot truly express themselves, as their wings can never be used for what they were intended – flight. When Ratingnolle plays the piano, Edna sees an image of a naked man standing on the coast with a bird flying away from him. This is Edna’s dream – women being liberated from society stripped of all the meaningless nuances that served to hide its disdain of women. Even after Edna’s suicide, when the book states “A bird with a broken wing was beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water” (pg ___), it is not speaking of the fall and failure of Edna’s escape, but the fall of Victorian womanhood and stereotypes brought about by her suicide.
10. As the novel progresses and Edna feels a need for more satisfaction and romance in her love life, she searches for someone who can fill that hole. Arobin is the one. When she is living in the Pigeon House with Arobin (and is being physically satisfied in the relationship, though she feels “home” and “independent,” she doesn’t get the result she expected, and ends up cooped up (like a bird!) again, in even worse accommodations than with Leonce.
11. The Awakening shows Edna gaining self-knowledge through experience and experimentation with societal boundaries, while Nora from A Doll’s House finds that a free, independent will is the path to self-knowledge. Both advocate experience as a path of self-knowledge, as Nora admits that she knows little about how society and life outside of her home works and vows to go out and experience it to learn, and Edna goes with different people and influences about her actions and is exposed to different things and revelations at different times, thus gaining self-knowledge.
12. Victorian structure was high society at the time, and this blatant challenge of the standards set in this societal structure was a threat to keeping that conformity in place. Those in control were afraid that those reading this story would see the flaws in the society and work to change it, thus removing power from those who were exploiting women and gender roles. Conformity was still the “glue” of society at that time, and dissidents were not tolerated, as they were thought to be divisive. Because the more modern day is much more open to women and female empowerment, Edna’s need to escape from societal norm and work for personal betterment has become controversial as readers cannot understand the system that was in place when the story takes place. While sensuality is a more accepted topic in society in more recent times, selfishness has evolved to be seen as a detriment to society, instead of the tool for the personal elevation of one’s conscience.
13. Edna’s and Nora’s behavior are similar in that they break through traditional societal standards and barriers for personal reasons – to find herself and to save her husband, respectively. They both play off foil characters who represent both push and pull factors for their awakening/revelation, and feel that their personal fulfillment is being held back and hampered by societal restrictions that put the husband and men above women and put all of the power in the patronizing men. Also, they both had husbands and fathers that pampered them and treated them more like accents to their homes than spouses and prodigy.
14. I expected the novel to commence in Edna’s suicide, because the only form of complete solitude and isolation is in death, and, through the progression of the novel, I could see the mounting isolation and solitude Edna was experiencing as she became better at almost everything that the ones around her. As she “awoke,” her abilities slowly alienated her from people that were once closer to her until she was alone on a plane of art and intelligence. While I don’t believe that suicide is a good choice in any situation and feel that Edna’s suicide would have been preventable, there was no other course for the narrative to head. For the desired effect, that was the only logical course of action.
15. As Whitman had focused mainly on male sexuality, Chopin had been writing about the struggles of women and believed that his ideas applied to women, too. She had been investigating how men had created a culture that made women subservient to men – practically as dependent minors – and saw Whitman’s studies as another point on which she could write. He saw sexuality as not only physical but spiritual, as well as suggesting that human sexual desires must not be ignored, but embraced. Chopin includes allusions to these ideas, as in after Edna’s “rebirth” in the ocean, she experiences a sexual awakening, in which sexuality and fulfillment are much more than just material things. Also, by creating a character who becomes “awakened” after embracing sexual romanticism, Chopin gives the appearance that embracing one’s sexual feelings helps one to grow and mature.
16. The Awakening, when compared to Ethan Frome, is more optimistic and light than the dreary, bleak outlook presented in Frome. Both have realistic qualities, as commitments hold back both Ethan and Edna from what they would really like to do, along with society’s heavy chains that hold them in their place. Being a local story, The Awakening would not have received great attention when it was first written, limiting Chopin’s success to that region. However, once the book began to spread and leave the region, women and progressive men saw the connections the story made with society in general, not just in the New Orleans area.
1. In Edna’s society, she is often bothered by the other woman’s openness. She is a nonconformist in ways and does not share the same feelings of marriage and children as do the other women. Psychological, Edna criticizes the way of life of these women and she questions the way they live. She does not ‘worship’ her children and does not feel devoted to her husband. She often goes along with what the other women say and agree that she has the best husband.
2. Edna mentions that when she was a child she would have crushes on men and have fantasies about them. When Leonce begins courting her, her family does not like that he is catholic and this makes her want to marry him more. She seems to have taken him as a husband to rebel and the more her family disapproved the more she liked him. Leonce does seem to be a model husband, he is extremely loving to her and their children and he always sends her gifts when he goes away on business. However, he is not the right husband for Edna. I don’t think anyone would be a good husband for Edna. She is an intelligent person who always questions the standard way of life, including marriage. Leonce follows these traditional ways and this isn’t how Edna is.
3. Both of these women follow the normal way women are in society. Madame Ratignolle is one of the women who ‘worships’ he children. She loves doing house work and attending to her family. Mlle. Reisz seems to have what Edna wants. She doesn’t have children and she isn’t married. She dedicated her life to her art. She tells Edna that to be an artist she needs to be brave.
4. These people represent the everyday society that Edna rejects. The woman in black is morning the death of her husband. She is the typical woman of the era who does not think outside of the ‘rules’ of society. She only dedicates her life to the morning of her dead husband. The young lovers are always together. Edna was never really in love with her husband as they are with each other. She was rebelling when she married Leonce and she thought that is what she needed to do. These background characters help show the contrast of Edna and the rest of society.
5. Edna’s flashbacks are there to help backup the information the reader is given, such as when Edna discusses her lack of relationships with other women. Edna’s relationship with her father is similar to her other relationships with men. She and her father aren’t very close but when they are together they get along.
6. In the novel, people are expected to remain devoted to their husbands. People in the community are tolerant of young people in love because it helps prepare them for marriage and its duties. Several men in the novel are known for coming on to married women, such as Robert and Alcee. However, no one is tolerant of cheaters. Adele had talks with both Robert and Edna to stop pursuing each other. The doctor understands Edna and her love of another man. She does not push Edna to talk to him but offers her his help.
7. Edna’s obsession of Robert and her love for him seems extremely familiar to other stories. It is common for people in stories I have read to become consumed with their love for other people.
8. The most reoccurring symbols would have to be the bird and the sea. The birds represent the oppression and entrapment of Edna. In the beginning of the novel they talk of the caged parrot who speaks a language no one understands, which is similar to Edna and her feelings of loneliness that no one understands. The sea represents her escape. In the beginning she is afraid of the sea and of swimming alone, which is like her fear of beginning alone. However, in the end, she is living alone and eventually gives herself to the sea and escapes form her life of entrapment.
9. The birds in the Awaking seem to represent Edna. Like the parrot in the beginning she is misunderstood and she speaks her own language that no one can comprehend.
10. Edna gives in to her physical urges with Alcee. She cheats on her husband with him, but only feels guilt for betraying her love for Robert. She gets involved with Alcee to perhaps keep her mind off Robert and also to fill the void of her husband who is constantly away on business.
11. Its similar to the Doll’s House, because both the main characters seem to learn more about themselves throughout the course of the story. However, in the Awaking, Edna seems to know everything; she is just finally able to express how she feels and free herself.
12. In 1899 the life of Edna was extremely controversial. Most of the women led the life of the Adele ‘type’; someone who loves to care for her husband and children above all else. The thoughts of Edna went against everything the people of this day believed in. They perhaps thought that the feelings of Edna would cause other women to reconsider their lives and get fed up with the life they led. At the end of the novel when Edna goes out in to the sea, she disregards what Adele says about the children. She is selfless in that, she let her love of Robert consume her to the point of suicide without considering the effects on her children and her husband.
13. From the start Edna rejects her role as a mother and a wife. She cannot find the same appeal to it all as do others. Nora seems quite the opposite. She enjoys her husband and loves playing with her children. However, at the end of the play, she seems to become more like Edna, leaving her children and her husband.
14. I feel that the end of the novel was very fitting. Edna was an outsider and couldn’t understand the feelings she had. She didn’t love her children or her husband to the point of obsession. She didn’t like the womanly duties she was expected to perform. Although, I do think her decision to kill herself was too harsh, I don’t see what else she could have done. She was extremely unhappy in her life and no one understood her.
16. This novel seems to reflect real life extremely accurately. It breaks the mold and shows that not everyone is cut out for the wife and mother job. This it one of the most realistic novel I have read.
JosieFlores, p3
1. The Awakening is in many ways a “local color” story. First of all the book itself revolves around the unusual society women have. The story is based on the life of a woman named Edna who is very different from the other women within her society. Edna was raised very differently with somewhat different beliefs from the other women in her society, therefore she has trouble with adapting herself.
2) At the beginning of her marriage, Edna was deeply In love with her husband Leonce. However, after awhile she began to notice all of the differences inside their relationship. She than begins to distance herself from him and find that she has feelings for other men. Edna still thinks that her marriage could work despite the differences in their relationship. Just like Nora from The Doll House, she stays with the man even though she is unhappy.
3) Mlle Reisz, and Mme Ratigonolle are all friends to Edna. They all give her advice and council her when she is having a hard time. These people help her vent about her life and difficult situations she has to deal with. Ratignolle and Reisz are very different women. Ratignolle is a great mother and wife while Reisz is a woman who would abandon her family values in order to be accepted into society.
4) The background characters such as the young lovers and the lady in black are very significant in Edna’s story because they give lessons. They foreshadow many events in which are to happen later on.
5) Edna’s flashbacks may explain at times why Edna is so different from the rest of the women within her society. The flashbacks also taught her how she could also learn from her mistakes, and help her find out what is truly what she wants and doesn’t want. When in comparision to other men, her father is much kinder and serious about being with only one woman. Other men may believe something different.
6) The romance in the novel is first brought up when Edna is with her husband Leonce. They both love each other very much, but they struggle significantly with their relationship because of their social differences. There is also romance when Edna meets Robert.
7) In the novel A Dolls House, and also in The Awakening Nora and Edna share alike relationships with their husbands. While they are both in very loving relationships, they do not work for either of them. Differences in their personalities and beliefs lead them to have a relationship which doesn’t really work.
8) Images and symbols area abound within the novel. Of these are the sea and the birds. The sea is symbolic of her new, broad point of view which drifts from conventional thought. The encaged birds are symbolic of Edna’s lack of freedom while the free birds represent her yearn for liberation.
9) The birds in the story represent two things. Primarily, the caged birds represent Edna’s suppressed nature. Second, the free, flying birds represent Edna’s newfound desire for freedom.
10) Edna gets involved with Alcee Arobin because she wishes to satiate her sexual desires. Edna feels as though Alcee can provide her with her needs.
11) This novel compares very similarly with A Doll’s House on the subject of gaining self-knowledge. Edna and Nora both start out as women who are dependent and incapable of free thought. As both stories progress, the women both feel the need to gain a sense of equality and freedom.
12) Critics of the novel’s time parameter may have been outraged due to the controversial issue that the novel revolved around. The novel suggested a radical idea where women can actual make decisions regarding marriage and where women are the controllers of their own fate. This deviation from the norm angered critics.
13) Edna and Nora seem somewhat synonymous in their character. Both characters are cursed with the same dilemma, an impossible attempt to establish freedom for women. Furthermore, the husbands of both ladies prompt them to act, for the husbands represent a real man’s world.
14) Edna’s final decision of suicide seems rash and ignorant. Her action is, in y opinion, not justified because suicide has no possible benefit in any scenario. Regardless of her state, she should have lived life to the fullest.
15) Walt Whitman greatly influenced Chopin in several ways. Mainly, Whitman’s stories emphasized a man’s world and the dominant role of men in society, which Chopin would later question and dismiss in her works. In essence, Chopin’s works are a response to the literature of Whitman
16) One can relate The Awakening to The Scarlet Letter. Both Edna and Hester Pryne (protagonist of The Scarlet Letter) face the restrictions toward women and boldly light the flame for the feminist movement. Per Seyerstead called her a pioneer realist because her literature proposed a new lifestyle for society that, although controversial, could be approved by society.
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