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The Awakening is about Edna's dissatisfaction with the social constraints on women's freedom. Therefore, it is significant that it opens with two caged birds. Throughout the novel, Edna feels that marriage enslaves her to an identity she for which she is not suited. The parrot is an expensive bird valued for its beauty. The mockingbird is fairly common and plain, and it is valued for the music it provides. These two birds function as metaphors for the position of women in late Victorian society. Women are valued for their physical appearance and the entertainment they can provide for the men in their lives. Like parrots, they are not expected to voice opinions of their own, but to repeat the opinions that social convention defines as "proper" or "respectable."

The parrot shrieks "Go away! Damnation!" These are the first lines of The Awakening, and they signal the essentially tragic nature of the novel. The parrot speaks French, a little Spanish, and a "language which nobody understood." Again, the parrot serves as a metaphor for Edna's predicament. As she becomes more defiant, she voices unconventional opinion about the sacred institutions of marriage, gender, and motherhood. Throughout the novel, Edna

One evening at dinner, several people inform Edna that Robert is leaving for Mexico that evening. Robert read to her all morning without mentioning Mexico once. The dinner conversation degenerates into stories and questions about Mexico and its inhabitants. In her anguished state, Edna can think of nothing to say.

Edna is slowly beginning to think of herself as an individual with a relationship to the outer world. The "seductive voice" of the sea leads her to moments of "inward contemplation" that have awakened her to vaguely disturbing realizations. Edna is generally reserved. Even as a child, she was aware of the tension between "the outward existence which conforms" and "the inward life which questions."

Clothing is an important metaphor in The Awakening. It is important to remember that Victorian women's clothing was extremely confining. Therefore, it symbolizes the constraints of social conventions on feminine behavior. It serves as a "cage" because it imprisons the feminine body and hinders freedom of movement. In the beginning of the novel, Edna is fully dressed. When she and Adele walk to the beach, Adele wears a veil, gloves, gauntlets, and elaborate ruffles in order to protect her complexion. She pursues the feminine ideal of beauty. Edna, on the other hand, wears a much simpler muslin dress. Furthermore, she removes her collar and unbuttons her dress at the throat once they reach the beach. Edna's decision not to wear some of the more confining garments symbolizes her growing rebellion against social convention.

After Edna discovers that Robert is leaving, she returns to her home and exchanges her dinner gown for a "comfortable, commodious wrapper." Edna's shedding of more layers of constricting Victorian dress occurs in conjunction with another rebellion against social convention. When Mrs. Lebrun requests Edna's company, conventional rules of behavior require Edna to be polite and visit. She would have to dress again, and she does not want to reassume her constricting clothing.

The Farvial twins were dedicated to the Virgin Mary at birth and they wear her colors. They symbolize the expected destiny for young Victorian girls: chaste motherhood. The twins and Adele also represent the purpose of an "artistic" education for women. They are not expected to be artists, but entertaining adornments for social occasions. Adele does not play music for her own enjoyment, but to "brighten" her home. Like everything else she does, she plays music in the service of her role as wife and mother. Mademoiselle Reisz, however, is an artist. She plays music for her own enjoyment, and her skill far surpasses that of the twins or Adele. She defies social conventions because she is not married, she does not bother with dressing well, and she does not bother with being "nice." Clearly, she and Adele are foils to one another because Mademoiselle Reisz is always dressed in black, but Adele is almost always wearing white, and both women become close friends with Edna.

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The language describing the effect on Edna of Mademoiselle Reisz's music is almost sexual: "[T]he very passions themselves were aroused within her soul, swaying it, lashing it, as the waves daily beat upon her splendid body." Before, Mademoiselle Reisz's playing only evoked mental images, but within the context of Edna's growing rebellion, it takes on a more direct, powerful influence. Edna's response is connected with a series of awakenings she will experience throughout the rest of the novel. It is connected to her sexual awakening, her artistic awakening, and her awakening to her individual identity.

The lady in black is an important symbol in The Awakening because she represents the ideal for the widowed woman. Instead of embarking on a life of independence after fulfilling her duties as a wife,

Some common words found in the essay are:
Awakening Edna's, Edna Leonce's, Edna Edna, Robert Edna's, Edna Robert, Commentary Edna, Mademoiselle Reisz's, Orleans Leonce, Orleans Edna, Virgin Mary, social conventions, lady black, novel edna, social convention, possession edna, rebellion social, mademoiselle reisz, love robert, woman's life, throws wedding ring, wings ministering, throughout novel edna, edna sole object, music own enjoyment, rebellion social convention,

Approximate Word count = 2606
Approximate Pages = 10 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Miscellaneous