Introduction

The Awakening was written by Kate Chopin and published in 1899. It is set in nineteenth-century New Orleans, Louisiana. Kate Chopin, also the author of the short story "The Story of an Hour," was born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1851. Chopin drew from personal experience to write The Awakening; at the age of 20 she married, by the time she was 29 she had already given birth to six children, and she eventually became submerged in the Creole culture of New Orleans. The novel, which centered around Edna Pontellier and her inability to accept the motherly and wifely duties she was expected to have, was a social commentary on the role of women in an oppressive society. The Awakening became a staple in the world of literary feminism.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Analysis: Chapter 3

In chapter 3, the following is stated:

"An indescribable oppression, which seemed to generate in some unfamiliar part of her consciousness, filled her whole being with a vague anguish."

This hinted at the fact that Edna was not satisfied with her life. She was tired of the immobility she was experiencing with the obligations that came along with having a family. The statement also served to foreshadow future events. Edna sought ways to escape that "indescribable oppression," and in the end escaped in the most permanent way.
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