Self-realization in Heart of Darkness and The Awakening

A detailed Summary of Self-realization in Heart of Darkness and The Awakening

What is the role of society in the process of self-realization as presented in Heart of Darkness and The Awakening?

The role that society plays in Heart of Darkness and The Awakening are strikingly different. In the former novel, a concise idea is presented stipulating what it means to be a realized person, while in the latter we find many examples, each contrasting the other, of realized people. Conrad's realization holds society in its center, while Chopin's many examples interact with society in a unique way.

To begin, we must identify the afore mentioned ideas of self-realization. What characterizes Conrad's idea is of self-realization is the centrality of civilization to the process. This is not to imply that this necessary condition is also sufficient, for his base portrayal of Belgium shows that the existence of society does not imply its members are self-actualizing. Similarly the natives throughout the story dwell in forms of society while they are depicted as being far from any notion of self-realization. For Conrad to consider a person to be self-realizing, that person needs to live in a self-realizing society, or failing that, act like it. An example of this is the Chief Accountant residing in the Outer St

For Mademoiselle Ratignolle in The Awakening, civilized society also plays a positive role in her ability to be a self-actualizing person. Chopin's idea of self-realization is the romantic notion of being true to one's self. And for Mademoiselle Ratignolle her cultural role as a "mother woman" is gratifying both externally and internally, and it is through the internal gratification that we view her a fully self-realized person. However, this portrayal of society being catalyst to an awakened being is not consistent. We see that society has little to do with Mademoiselle Reisz's self-realization since it takes place solely through music. And things need not be so cut and dry as we have yet to consider the case of Edna Pontillier's process of self-realization. Edna first goes through a more naive realization process that consists of "becoming" a Creole woman. In this role she learns to express herself openly and view herself as sexual being, specifically through her interaction with Robert Lebrun. She quickly transcends this cultural role and by her yearning to break the taboo of female adultery she realizes a self that she cannot survive in its society. Hence Chopin presents three different paths to self-realization one that is aided, one that is hindered, and one that is unaffected by society.

While reading Heart of Darkness and The Awakening, th

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Approximate Word count = 921
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English