The Awakening Womens Role in Society - 1547 Words

Have you ever wondered what the lifestyles of Nineteenth Century women were like? Were they independent, career women or were they typical housewives that cooked, clean, watched the children, and catered to their husbands. Did the women of this era express themselves freely or did they just do what society expected of them? Kate Chopin was a female author who wrote several stories and two novels about women. One of her renowned works of art is The Awakening. This novel created great controversy and received negative criticism from literary critics due to Chopins portrayal of women by Edna throughout the book. The Awakening is a novel about a woman, Edna Pontellier, who is a confused soul. She is a typical housewife that is looking to†¦show more content†¦Adele is a mother-woman that lives for her children and Reisz despises children. Edna does love her children but she cant express her true identity. In the Creole society, mother-women idolized their children, worshipped the ir husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels. (Justus, 109) Edna Pontellier was dissatisfied with the life of a mother-woman because she couldnt release her true identity. Neither friends nor lovers could help her release her identity as a free woman. The tragedy within the book that James Justus likes to point out is that despite her emotional changes Edna cannot release her identity. As a result, she commits suicide. From a different aspect, Kenneth Eble explores and examines the tragedy of Ednas suicide. In his article, Eble starts off by first saying that the novel is about sex. Then he refers to Chopins biographer, Daniel Rankin and argues what Rankin believes about the novel. According to Eble, Daniel Rankin called The Awakening exotic in setting, morbid in theme, erotic in motivation. He refers to Edna as a selfish, capricious woman. Eble thinks otherwise. Kenneth Eble emphasized that Edna is not delud ed by the ideas of romance, nor is she the sensuous but guilt-ridden woman of the novel. Eble concludes that Ednas struggle for her identity and herShow MoreRelatedKate Chopins The Awakening: Womens Role In Society Essay1504 Words   |  7 Pageshusbands. Did the women of this era express themselves freely or did they just do what society expected of them? Kate Chopin was a female author who wrote several stories and two novels about women. One of her renowned works of art is The Awakening. This novel created great controversy and received negative criticism from literary critics due to Chopins portrayal of women by Edna throughout the book. The Awakening is a novel about a woman, Edna Pontellier, who is a confused soul. She is a typicalRead MoreEssay about Feminism in The Awakening986 Words   |  4 PagesIn the novel The Awakening, by Kate Chopin the critical approach feminism is a major aspect of the novel. According to dictionary.reference.com the word feminism means, â€Å"The doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.† The Awakening takes place during the late eighteen hundreds to early nineteen hundreds, in New Orleans. The novel is about Edna Pontellier and her family on a summer vacation. Edna, who is a wife and mother, is inferior to her husbandRead MoreThe Religious Impact Of The Second Great Awakening1403 Words   |  6 PagesThe Second Great Awakening was a religious movement that took place in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Around the same time, the concepts of Jacksonian democracy was becoming increasingly more well known. Thi s idea stressed the importance of the common individual. It focused on the ordinary people and what they thought about government. Jacksonian democracy also clarified that slavery is an issue. Religiously, The Second Great Awakening strongly The religious concept of earningRead MoreThe Awakening: An Emergence of Womens RIghts in the Late Nineteenth Century1330 Words   |  6 PagesThe Awakening: An Emergence of Women’s Rights in the Late Nineteenth Century Kate Chopin’s The Awakening addresses the role of women within society during the late nineteenth century. The novel is set in South Louisiana, a place where tradition and culture also play a vital role in societal expectations. The novel’s protagonist, Edna Pontellier, initially fulfills her position in society as a wife and as a mother while suppressing her urges to live a life of passion and freedom. Edna’s relationshipRead More The Variety of Feminisms and their Contributions to Gender Equality by Judith Lorber1120 Words   |  5 Pagescontributions to improve women’s status. Lorber discusses the views of, â€Å"gender reform feminisms, gender resistant feminisms, and gender revolution feminisms†¦Ã¢â‚¬ (1) etcetera, all which have fought to improve women’s rights. Though there are many different aspects of viewing feminism, writer and contributor of owl.purdue.edu, Allen Brizee suggests that the main ideology that holds those aspects to gether is the oppression of women in general. Though, it is when talking about male dominance, women’s resistance, andRead MoreDesiree s Baby And The Awakening1238 Words   |  5 Pagesin 1892 in Vogue magazine (Gilbert 167). In 1899, Chopin published The Awakening. These two stories, Chopin writes how women’s personal identities and independence are concealed by society through her different female characters in â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† and The Awakening. The main female character in â€Å"Desiree’s Baby† is Desiree and Chopin portrays her protagonist, Desiree, as a submissive character. On the other hand, in The Awakening, the main female character is Edna and she is portrayed to be bold. WhileRead MoreKate Chopin s Life And Feminism1281 Words   |  6 Pagesa progressive writer in the midst of a conservative and unequal time. She exposed the unfair undertones of society in such a way that made people outrage and condemn some of her works. However, in the early 1900s, her works were examined again and people started to listen to her ideas. One of these main motifs that Chopin’s works kept bringing up were feminism and equality. In The Awakening, Edna Pontellier, a radical feminist, and Adele Ratignolle, a subtle feminist, demonstrate to the reader theRead MoreMarket Revolution and Second Great Awakening861 Words   |  4 PagesThe economic â€Å"market revolution† and the religious â€Å"Second Great Awakening† shaped American society after 1815. Both of these developments affected women significantly, and contributed to their changing status both inside and outside the home. Throughout time, women’s roles and opportunities in the family, workplace, and society have greatly evolved. Women’s role in the family before 1815 was based around the idea of Republican Motherhood. Republican Motherhood is the idea that children should beRead MoreThe Kingdom Of Matthias By Paul E. Johnson And Sean Wilentz1087 Words   |  5 Pageshis kingdom based on his religious beliefs related to the Second Great Awakening. The Second Great Awakening was a religious movement that took place during the early nineteenth century. During this time period women played the role as the caregivers who stayed at home with the children while their husbands were out working. However, it wasn’t until the Second Great Awakening that women began to play a more dominant role in society, especially in the church. Matthias was one of the main people whoRead MoreGender Roles in The Awakening Essay931 Words   |  4 PagesGender Roles in The Awakening The 1890’s were an era of rapid social change in regards to women’s rights. In 1893, Colorado was the first state granting women the right to vote with Utah and Idaho following soon after in 1896. This soon set momentum towards of ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. It was in 1899 the Kate Chopin published The Awakening, a novel telling the tale of a suppressed mother, Edna Pontellier, and her desire for something more in her life. Literary scholars consider