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 5

In chapter 5 Edna describes Madame Ratignolie as possessing the same "grace and majesty which queens are sometimes supposed to possess." Shortly thereafter, Mrs. Pontellier also describes the scene as her friend's kids run up to their mother and pull on her skirt. The indirect connection made between "grace and majesty" and motherhood is evident. Society at the time placed being a good mother on the top of the list of values women were to uphold. At the beginning of the novel, even Edna was convinced that such a standard was right.
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1 comment:

  1. James WangFebruary 16, 2011 at 8:46 PM

    I agree with this analysis, and it's something I didn't catch the first time through. Nice catch!

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