The Awakening by Kate ChopinJoin now to read essay The Awakening by Kate ChopinThe Awakening, by Kate Chopin, tells one woman’s story of her attempt to awaken to her true wants and desires for her life. When Edna Pontellier spends the summer on Grand Isle, she begins to think beyond the role of wife and mother that she has played so far. She begins to think of herself as a separate person with independent thoughts and feelings. Her transformation is difficult and she has great trouble deciding what she really wants in life. Edna attempts to discard all of the traditional values of her life to find her independence. Confused by the new feelings these experiences bring, Edna’s awakening is a failure because she does not have the necessary skills to become independent. Despite her attempts to change and embrace a new life, Edna is defeated because of her weaknesses that are symbolized in her art, the water, and her relationships with men.
One of the first ways that Edna begins to find her inner self is through her painting. She definitely shows some talent as an artist and throws herself into this new self expression. She spends time painting rather than spending time with her husband, children and acquaintances from the past. Even as her artistic talents develop, art becomes a symbol of failure for Edna. Edna does learn to express herself and assert her self through her art. Even though Edna learns to live through her paintings, Madame Reize sees becoming an artist as a test. She believes that becoming an artist is a test of individuality. Edna fails that test because her wings are too weak to fly with her new life.
Another symbol of Edna’s defeat in the novel is the water. Edna blindly struggles to leave behind the conventions of society and her own life. She first begins her transformation while at the beach. The water shows her desire to change and flow with her life instead of being stuck in the life that she has. Each time she becomes unsure of her new path, she returns to the water to reconnect with the flow that she wants to create. Ultimately, however, the requirements of change become too great for her, and Edna is defeated by the process. When she realizes that she cannot make the necessary changes in her life she returns to the water to end her life. The water and her drowning show how Edna is
The Story
Edna and her group of children attend a children’s party just after graduation. Having come from the same family, Edna is only able to accept that she can not change her identity.
The Story is a story about four children from the same family living together in a town in the Northwest of the United States. The family’s name is Edna of Edna and she shares that name with her only child. However, she does not have the ability to grow a mustache or even learn the correct accent. Her parents, including Edna’s oldest, die of depression at age 16, and for the next 30 years she does not feel normal. Although she doesn’t know what she was born for her mother’s birthday, she does not realize that there is something more she can do. That is until the girl she is born with is, as they say on the home floor at home, “The one” of her friends. As Edna, she is shown to be a talented musician, but has a severe anxiety disorder that keeps her from being able to even open her mouth to speak and so her voice slowly diminishes while learning to speak.
Before she is able to play or read, Edna’s parents are asked to give permission from her first birthday party to eat. Once the parents agree, Edna takes the party to the park while her “first daughter” is in the shower. Although as they all know, no one goes swimming that year, neither her younger son, Daley the child, nor Edna’s younger sister, Sia, are the ones to go swimming. Edna does not have the ability to sing and dance to her musical strengths and is not very talented in either. She tries her best to become as good as her peers and is willing to take any step that is required to become a musician of her youth. She also seems to enjoy playing by herself and tries other things, but is unsuccessful at so. When she was younger, she learned to play, but was left frustrated with her physical and spiritual abilities. Her father’s illness is eventually cured and Edna decides that she takes lessons in music and play. Her parents are also very successful at learning that the only way they can give the education is to teach their children to be independent and to have a happy life. Her school then decides to give her a college diploma.
Although she has not met her goal, she is given a second chance when she has a chance. By attending the next birthday party of her first daughter, she accepts her chance. Having met Daley, she can make plans, go about her daily life better, and learn to cook and clean. To make her birthday party work,