Critical Analysis Of The Awakening By Kate

Chopin Essay, Research Paper

The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, is the narrative of a adult female who is seeking freedom. Edna Pontellier

feels confined in her function as female parent and married woman and finds freedom in her romantic involvement, Robert

Lebrun. Although she views Robert as her liberator, he is the ultimate cause of her death. Edna

sees Robert as an image of freedom, which brings her to arise against her function in society. This

chase of freedom, nevertheless, causes her decease. Chopin uses many images to clear up the relationship

between Robert and Edna and to demo that Robert is the cause of both her freedom and her

devastation.

Birds are a ample image in The Awakening. Edna feels like a caged bird, and wants to be

freed. When Madame Ratignolle plays the piano, Edna frequently creates images in her caput that

stand for the music. Edna & # 8217 ; s image of a musical peice called & # 8220 ; Solitude & # 8221 ; is & # 8220 ; the figure of a adult male

standing beside a desolate stone on the coast & # 8221 ; ( 71 ) . & # 8220 ; His attitude was one of hopeless surrender

as he looked toward a distant bird flying its flight off from him & # 8221 ; ( 71 ) . Edna feels like this adult male,

as though she is trapped and can non distribute her wings and fly. This is a danger, nevertheless. Caged

birds, although they are non free, are safe. They do non cognize of the dangers that can come with

freedom. Once Edna gustatory sensations freedom, she does non desire to travel back to the safety of a caged life.

She does non cognize of all the possible dangers, and being naif, she is really susceptible to them.

Edna besides relates to birds in that she is caged, yet she is making all she is permitted to make within her

confines. This is represented by Madame Lebrun & # 8217 ; s parrot and mocking-bird. Mr. Pontellier is

annoyed by the birds & # 8217 ; ceaseless yak. However, & # 8220 ; they had the right to do all the noise they

wished & # 8221 ; ( 43 ) . Edna is caged, and she is making what of all time she can to be free within her bounds. Mr.

Pontellier is upset by his married woman & # 8217 ; s battles for freedom. She allows herself to fall in love with Robert,

and purchases her ain house, despite the wants of her hubby. Merely as the birds have no concern

that their vocalizing may trouble oneself those outside their coop, so Edna does non care that her actions may

negatively affect others. Just before Edna kills herself, she sees a & # 8220 ; bird with a broken wing & # 8230 ; crushing

the air above, staggering, flap, circling disabled down, down to the H2O & # 8221 ; ( 175 ) . Edna is this bird ;

handicapped and heading to her decease in the H2O. Her freedom is non entire, and causes her decease.

For Edna, swimming represents freedom. When she learns to swim, & # 8220 ; A feeling of jubilance

[ overtakes ] her, as if some power of important import [ has ] been given her to command the working of

her organic structure and her psyche & # 8221 ; ( 73 ) . Because Robert is the 1 who teaches her how to swim, he is seen as

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her liberator. She fears the H2O, merely as she fears freedom. When she does gustatory sensation freedom, she

desires more of it. This is paralleled when she learns to swim. & # 8220 ; She wanted to swim far out, where

no adult female had swum before & # 8221 ; ( 73 ) . Robert AIDSs in her independency, but this leads to her decease. & # 8220 ; A

speedy vision of decease smote her psyche & # 8221 ; ( 74 ) . This foreshadows her eventual decease in the H2O.

Robert gave her the ability to swim, and the ability to decease. When she learns to swim, she besides feels

& # 8220 ; the first-felt poundings of desire & # 8221 ; ( 77 ) for Robert. She loves him because he has liberated her.

Robert himself is a symbol of independency. He is the personification of freedom in Edna & # 8217 ; s

eyes. He may make whatever he pleases, whenever he pleases. One twenty-four hours he decides to travel to Mexico,

merely becuase he can. No 1 tells him what to make, and he has no duties. Edna wants this

life for herself, and this causes her to idolise Robert & # 8217 ; s life. Edna believes that Robert is her liberator

and Jesus, yet the desire he brings for freedom causes merely decease, non felicity. She falls in love

with him, and he allows her to even though she is married. He gives her a gustatory sensation for freedom that she

can non to the full bask. When she realizes that she will be merely as unhappy if she belongs to Robert

alternatively of Leonce, she finds that the lone freedom she can truely hold is in decease. & # 8220 ; To-day it is

Arobin ; to-morrow it will be some one else. It makes no difference to me, it doesn & # 8217 ; t affair about

Leonce Pontellier & # 8221 ; ( 175 ) . This adult female on the route to devastation recognizes that & # 8220 ; There [ is ] no 1

thing in the universe that she [ desires ] & # 8221 ; ( 175 ) . The realisation that she will ne’er see true

felicity and freedom leads her to stop her ain life.

Edna & # 8217 ; s desire for independency from her function in society finally leads to her devastation.

Robert is the cause of her death, although she does non recognize this. In The Awakening, the

liberator becomes the destroyer. Robert claims to love Edna and seems to demo this by uncovering

freedom to her. But was it loving of him to give her the desire for something that she finally could

non accomplish? One may oppugn Robert & # 8217 ; s opinion in acquiring involved with a married adult female, and

wanting what both he and she could ne’er hold. Edna would hold been wiser if she had stayed in

the safety of her sensed imprisonment. Robert & # 8217 ; s influence over Edna causes her opinion to be

clouded, giving her the semblance that she can happen happiness in complete personal freedom. Having

been given a gustatory sensation of independency by Robert, she discovers that she will ne’er happen true felicity,

because she can no longer be content with the life she has been given.

Bibliography

Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. New York: Herbert S. Stone & amp ; Co. , 1899.

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