Kate Chopin's The Awakening

The Awakening by Kate Chopin represents how women were treated in the Victorian era. Women were expected to have the same view and opinions that the society had rather than having their own opinions and beliefs. Never were women asked to voice how they felt about a particular topic. Essentially, women were confined by society. This idea is represented through a metaphor of two women and birds. But before this is explained, understanding the context in which these women “live” is important.

In the first chapter, readers are introduced to Léonce Pontellier—a wealthy businessman. As he’s sitting outside, we are told of two birds making a lot of noise. These two birds are a mockingbird and parrot. Shortly thereafter, Edna—Léonce’s wife—approaches him and he notices that she’s sunburnt. As a result, he scolds her. Since this is the first interaction we see between a man and a woman in the novel, we notice it’s a negative one; therefore, we can assume that women will be treated negatively throughout the novel. While I have not finished the novel, I am guess this is how women are perceived in the novel—not as individuals. We are only introduced to Edna after her husband notices her. 

In the late 1800s, women were expected to perform domestic duties rather than becoming independent from society. The first line of the novel is “Go away! Go away! For God’s sake.” This quote sets the mood of the novel, which is that of negativity or tragedy. This line, however, captivates readers’ attention in that we’re encouraged to read more. This line could also reference the attitude toward women in the novel. More so than the novel’s first line, the important part of the first few chapters is understanding two women—Edna Pontellier and Mademoiselle Reisz. 

As the novel’s protagonist, Edna experiences what the novel refers to as an “awakening.” Realizing that she in not content with her marriage, Edna then explores her self-identity throughout the novel. The best guess I can make thus far is that Edna becomes an independent woman, but is struck by some tragedy. I do not know what this tragedy could be, but judging by the first line of the novel, I can tell it’s not good. The other woman is Reisz who cares deeply about music, piano playing in particular. Edna listens to Reisz play and her music evokes her thought. I believe it is in chapter eight that Edna and Reisz become companions. 

There is a unique metaphor that exists between Edna and Reisz as well as the birds from the first chapter. Like the birds, these women are in society’s cage in that they aren’t asked for their opinions; they’re expected to repeat society’s ideas. Edna, especially, is put in this metaphorical cage by her husband because he expects her to run the household. Edna, like that of the parrot, is valued for her appearance and Reisz is like the mockingbird in that people admire her for her musical talent.