The Awakening

Term Paper Title	The Awakening
# of Words	1056
# of Pages (250 words per page double spaced)	4.22

The Awakening

�The Awakening� is a novel in which we can notice many significant influences that

made this book Kate Chopin�s masterpiece. I chose the last chapter ,because in my opinion it

reveals the results of cultural, biographical and literal backgrounds in the most apparent way.

In the last XXXIX chapter Victor and Mariequita flirt and discuss Edna�s dinner party.

Suddenly they see Edna�s walking toward them. It is still quite long before the summer

season, but Edna explains that she has arrived in order to rest. She makes plans to have lunch

with them and then walks down to the beach for swim. As she walks along the beach, Edna�s

thoughts are completely different. When she reaches the water, she removes all her clothes.

For the first time Edna stands �naked in the open air, at the mercy of the sun, the breeze that

beat upon her, and the waves that invited her�. She swims far into the ocean, thinking of

Leonce, of her children, of Robert and of Mademoiselle Reisz�s words: �The artist must

posses the courageous soul that dares and defies�. Finally exhaustion overcomes her. The

memories of her childhood fill her thoughts as she plunges into the water of the ocean.

First of all, I would like to talk about feminist approach in the XIXth century.

When Edna Pontellier decides to commit a suicide she breaks away from the

conventional feminine role which required women to be good wives and mothers. According

to the XIXth century code of values growing out of women�s culture woman should mostly

care about her family, love and devote to it with all her heart, support it in all difficult

situations. She ought to put away or simply forget about her own needs and feelings.

Unfortunately, for Edna Pontellier social as well as aesthetic stereotypes and expectations

have no importance and don�t play any role. Edna longs for independent life and only wants

to free herself from social and moral obligations.

She sacrifies all her responsibilities towards her family in favor of her own

needs. She confirms her opinion in the words pronounced during her talk with Madame

Ratignolle:

�I would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my

children; but I wouldn�t give myself�.

Making the decision to commit a suicide Edna rejects the domestic duties, world of women�s

culture and doesn�t fulfill in a role of good wife and mother.

The next thing which I would like to mention is New Historicism that is an approach

to texts which especially pays attention to their historical situation, not only as a decorative

backdrop to the work, but as the whole part of it. One of the most important functions of New

Historicism is to blur distinctions not only between history and other social science but also

between background and foreground. They cannot be divided because they always become

mixed. As a result of this, if we want to understand �The Awakening�, firstly we have to

know that behind every work of literature there are political as well as cultural backgrounds.

I...

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