The Awakening
Kate Chopin's The Awakening is a work of fiction that tells the story of Edna Pontellier, Southern wife and mother. This book presents the reader with many tough questions and few answers. It is not hard to imagine why this book was banished for decades not long after its initial publication in 1899. At that time in history, women did just what they were expected to do. They were expected to be good daughters, good wives, and good mothers. A woman was expected to move from the protection of her father's roof to the protection of her husband. Edna didn't fit this mold, and that eventually leads her husband to send for a doctor. It is here that Edna Pontellier says words that define The Awakening, "I don't want anything but my own way. That is wanting a good deal, of course, when you have to trample upon the lives, the hearts, the prejudices of others - but no matter..."As the book begins, Edna is a married woman who seems vaguely satisfied with her life. However, she cannot find true happiness. Her "awakening" begins when a persistent young man named Robert begins courti
The merits of The Awakening far outweigh its few faults. It tells a story of independence, freedom and will power unheard of during the times of its publication. It's a stirring book that forces you to confront tough issues. It paints a picture of what goes through the mind of a person who loses hope. The only shortcoming I found in The Awakening was its lack of dialogue. The book is filled with page after page of descriptive phrases, thoughts and actions. This doesn't leave much to the imagination, and in spots, the book seems to drag. Edna stays married because divorce was unheard of in those days. She wants to marry Robert, but he will not because it will disgrace her to leave her husband. No matter how much Edna exceeds social boundaries, she is held down by the will of others, despite what she wants. In today's world divorce, sadly, is almost commonplace, but in her time she would have been an outcast of her society. By the end of The Awakening, Edna feels like a possession - of her husband, of her children, and of her society. The only solution she sees is to end her life, wh
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Approximate Word count = 735
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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