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.

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Analysis: Chapter 7

In Chapter 7, the following is stated:

"'Of whom---of what are you thinking?' asked Adele of her companion, whose countenance she had been watching with a little amused attention, arrested by the absorbed expression which seemed to have seized and fixed every feature into a statuesque repose.

'Nothing,' returned Mrs. Pontellier, with a start, adding at once: 'How stupid! But it seems to me it is the reply we make instinctively to such a question.'"

This conversation between Madame Ratignolle and Edna highlights the whole belief that women were unintelligent, unthinking beings. Adele is almost shocked to see that her friend is truly in thought, deep in thought, something she may not experience and may not agree with since she believes that a woman’s thoughts should revolve around the household, husband, and kids. Edna exclaims “How stupid!” after mechanically replying with a “Nothing” because she realizes that women often fall into the trap of reinforcing the idea that they are one-dimensional. This conversation foreshadowed the protagonist’s upcoming awakening.
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