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

I've noticed that Edna is referred to by her full name or last name in equal amounts in the novel. Her friend Madame Ratignolie is, however, referred to either nearly entirely or solely by her last name. Her being referred to as Madame Ratignolie throughout The Awakening automatically stamps her with the wife label, "Madame" used to address a married woman and Ratignolie being the last name she adopted as her own after marriage. The way she is addressed throughout the novel makes it obvious that she is identified by her status as a wife and a mother.
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1 comment:

  1. James WangFebruary 16, 2011 at 8:48 PM

    Agreed, and by extent, that means that she is less her own person than she is merely the wife of Mr. Ratignolie and the mother of their children. Edna, on the other hand, has her first name mentioned, much like Robert Lebrun, a man, meaning she's trying to break into that male world subtly.

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