Love and Self in Kate Chopins The Awakening Essay

Love and Self in The Awakening Kate Chopins The Awakening is often said to triumph the exploration on the emotional and sexual needs of women, and the novel certainly is about that to a great extent, but even more importantly, it is a quest for individuality and the meaning of love. Through the protagonist, Edna Pontellier, Chopin describes in her novel one womans journey towards self-consciousness. Several stages of awakenings can be detected on the road, which are discussed in detail, along with the themes of romantic love, possession and an individual self. Darwinian theories are used to some extent to explore the nature of love and the meaning it had for Chopin. According to Bert Bender, Kate†¦show more content†¦According to Darwins study, however, usually the male is the more active member in the courtship of the sexes (p. 229). The female is less eager, even coy, and may often be seen endeavoring for a long time to escape from the male (p. 230). This eagerness and passion in the male is natural and even necessary, since the acquirement of such passions would naturally follow from the more eager leaving a larger number of offspring than the less eager. (p. 231). Sexual selection has a highly important part in differences between the sexes. Woman is more tender and unselfish, owing to her maternal instinct, and her mental powers are based on intuition, rapid perception and imitation. Man, on the other hand, is competitive and ambitious, which often leads to selfishness. He has attained greater eminence in deep though, reason, imagination and in using his senses and hands. Thus man has become ultimately superior to woman (Darwin, p. 585). Bender argues (p. 461) that Chopin found the general principles of Darwins natural and sexual selection reasonable and accepted the basic premises of the evolution theory. Chopin would not have been a rebel in her time, however, had she not rejected his so very Victorian ideas of natural female passivity and mens superiority over women. Here, says Bender, begins Chopins meditations on sexual selection and its implications for the meaning of love (p.Show MoreRelatedThe Unique Style Of Kate Chopin s Writing1603 Words   |  7 PagesThe unique style of Kate Chopin’s writing has influenced and paved the way for many female authors. Although not verbally, Kate Chopin aired political and social issues affecting women and challenging the validity of such restrictions through fiction. Kate Chopin, a feminist in her time, prevailed against the notion that a woman’s purpose was to only be a housewife and nothing more. Kate Chopin fortified the importance of women empowerment, se lf-expression, self-assertion, and female sexuality throughRead MoreKate Chopin s Literary Creativity And Women s Independence1097 Words   |  5 Pages Kate Chopin has become one of the most influential feminist writers of the century. From Chopin’s literary rejection of The Awakening, the rejection sparked a fire in Chopin’s feminist side. Chopin began writing short stories that would become society’s lead in literary creativity and women’s independence. Kate Chopin’s biography is astonishingly intriguing and the importance Chopin plays to the feminist literature genre is exceptional. Critics either rave Chopin’s work or completely destroy itRead MoreThe Awakening: An Emergence of Womens RIghts in the Late Nineteenth Century1330 Words   |  6 PagesThe Awakening: An Emergence of Women’s Rights in the Late Nineteenth Century Kate Chopin’s The Awakening addresses the role of women within society during the late nineteenth century. The novel is set in South Louisiana, a place where tradition and culture also play a vital role in societal expectations. The novel’s protagonist, Edna Pontellier, initially fulfills her position in society as a wife and as a mother while suppressing her urges to live a life of passion and freedom. Edna’s relationshipRead MoreEssay about Feminism in The Awakening986 Words   |  4 PagesIn the novel The Awakening, by Kate Chopin the critical approach feminism is a major aspect of the novel. According to dictionary.reference.com the word feminism means, â€Å"The doctrine advocating social, political, and all other rights of women equal to those of men.† The Awakening takes place during the late eighteen hundreds to early nineteen hundreds, in New Orleans. The novel is about Edna Pontellier and her family on a summer vacation. Edna, who is a wife an d mother, is inferior to her husbandRead MoreHow Did Kate Chopin Influence Literature949 Words   |  4 PagesKate Chopin’s distinct influence in literature Kate Chopin was an innovative influence for literature in the late 1800’s. Her stories and characters conflicted with the societal norms of inequality towards women. Women in the 1800’s were oppressed, and treated more like property than individuals. Living in the 1800’s as a woman meant they had no rights, or power to create a life of their own. The men, in that period of history, held all prestige positions; therefore, formed all of the laws, and socialRead MoreKate Chopin Literary Analysis793 Words   |  4 PagesKate Chopin was an innovative influence in literature in the late 1800’s. Her stories and characters conflicted with the societal norms of inequality towards women. Women in the 1800’s were oppressed, and treated more like property than individuals. Living in the 1800s as a woman meant they had no rights, or power to create a life of their own. The men, in that period of history, held all prestige positions, and formed the laws, and soc ial norms of that time. Kate Chopin, and other writers of herRead More Womens Issues in The Awakening by Kate Chopin, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Souls Belated by Edith Wharton1028 Words   |  5 PagesWomens Issues in The Awakening by Kate Chopin, The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, and Souls Belated by Edith Wharton In comparing the three authors and the literary works of women authors Kate Chopin (1850 -1904), The Awakening, Charlotte Perkins Gilmans (1860-1935), The Yellow Wallpaper, and Edith Whartons (1862-1937) Souls Belated, a good number common social issues related to women are brought to light and though subtly pointed out are an outcry against the conventionsRead MoreA Doll s House By Henrik Ibsen1135 Words   |  5 PagesHouse† by Henrik Ibsen, and the novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, the two protagonists named Nora Helmer and Edna Pontillier depict feminist ideals during the Victorian era in their struggle for independence, both sexually and emotionally. Nora and Edna are feminists in the late 1800s, trapped in an era and a society dictated by men. Both works parallel together and are significant because they show how Edna and Nora awaken, as their roles and self-realization progress in their respective familiesRead MoreKate Chopin and How the Feminist Movement Inspi red Her Writings1666 Words   |  7 PagesKate Chopin and How the Feminist Movement Inspired Her Writings Kate Chopin was an American author who wrote novels as well as short stories. Her work was extraordinary and some of her greatest work was based on the feminist movement. Kate Chopin became known throughout the world as one of the most influential writers during the feminist movement. She has attracted great attention from scholars along with students, and her work has been translated into many different languages. Kate Chopin wasRead MoreEssay about Kate Chopins Awakening is Not a Tragedy1321 Words   |  6 PagesKate Chopins Awakening is Not a Tragedy      Ã‚  Ã‚   When we think of a tragedy, thoughts of lost love and torments abound. The most human of emotions, sorrow, overwhelms us. We agonize over the tragedy, and the tragic figure. We lose sight of reality, enthralled by the suspense, captured by the Irony that, we know what plight lies ahead for the characters. We feel the suffering and the helplessness of the characters as the tragedy unwinds. Although Kate Chopins The Awakening