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The Awakening

The Awakening. By Kate Chopin. The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. Kate Chopin. Born February 8, 1850 One of five children Lived with Mother, Grandmother, and Great-Grandmother whom were all widowed

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The Awakening

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  1. The Awakening By Kate Chopin

  2. The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings

  3. Kate Chopin • Born February 8, 1850 • One of five children • Lived with Mother, Grandmother, and Great-Grandmother whom were all widowed • Childhood lacked male role models • Forerunner of feminist authors • Common theme of female freedom and sexual awareness in her stories

  4. Kate Chopin (Continued) • Had 6 Children by the age of 28 • Was known as a great wife and mother but often grew tired of domestic life and would find ways to escape societies expectations (smoking, solitary walks through New Orleans) • Rumored to have had an affair with a married man after her husband had passed • Life experiences basis for Awakening? • Awakening marked the end of Chopin’s writing career • The Awakening was widely condemned. Considered “morbid”, “vulgar”, and “disagreeable”

  5. Foundation • Setting Time- 1899 Place- • Beginning- Grande Isle (Vacation Spot) • Rest of the Novel- the French Quarter of New Orleans • Point of View: Third Person (with a clear sympathy and support from the narrator towards Edna)

  6. Important Characters • Edna Pontellier • Mademoiselle Reisz • Adele Ratignolle • Robert Lebrun- Edna’s Emotional Lover • Alcee Arobin- Edna’s Physical Lover • LeoncePontellier- Edna’s Husband

  7. Secondary Characters • The Colonel- Edna’s father • Victor Lebrun- Robert’s younger brother • Madame Lebrun- Robert and Victor’s widowed mother • The Two Lovers- Representation of young love • The Farvial Twins- Representation of proper young women • Mrs. Highcamp- introduces Edna to Alcee • Janet and Margret- Edna’s younger and older sister • Mariequita- a Spanish girl involved with the Lebrun brothers • Madame Antoine • The Merrimans, Miss Mayblunt, and Mr. Gouvernail- party guests • Etienne and Raul Pontellir- Edna and Leonce’s sons

  8. Stages of a Woman’s Life Represented by Characters

  9. Adolescent Victorian Girls The Farival Twins • Chaste motherhood • Dedicated to the Virgin Mary (always dressed in her colors) • Use art to make themselves delightful in contrast of using art as self expression • Embody societies expectation of young women

  10. Young Lovers • Lovers on vacation • Represent Society’s view on young love • Always in proper settings at proper times • Appearance in conjunction with lady in black • The stage before a women’s maternal duties

  11. Mature Women/Widower • The Lady in black • Embodies the solitude that is expected when a women becomes a widower (always alone) • Socially acceptable “husbandless women” • Loss her passion with the loss of her husband • Remains silent • Stage of life after a women’s maternal duties

  12. Summary

  13. Summary • Edna Pontellier and friends are vacationing at Grand Isle • Mr.Pontellier is always busy with work and • Edna becomes best friends with Adele Ratignolle • Edna discovers freedom of expression • Edna begins to “awaken” • Robert Lebrun (a boy in his 20s that likes older women) comes into the picture • Robert becomes devotedly attached to Edna • A relationship blooms • Edna begins to paint again and learns to swim and in the process becomes aware of her independence and sexuality

  14. Summary • Robert leaves to go to Mexico to avoid consummating their love • Edna and Family return home to New Orleans • Leonce thinks his wife is behaving strangely and calls upon the doctor for help • Doctor Mandelet suspects an affair is causing her weird behavior • He keeps his suspecions to himself and tells Leonce to just let her “defiance” run its course • Leonce goes on a business trip and leaves Edna home • Edna buys herself a new house and decides to be independent

  15. Summary • Since Edna’s true love Robert is still away, she turns to a friend, Alcee Arobin, to satisfy her sexual needs • Edna is taken under the wing of pianist Mademoiselle Reisz as she continues her awakening process • Mademoiselle Reisz knows about Edna and Robert and encourages their relationship • Robert comes back • Tells Edna he loves her but can’t be with her because of her husband • Adele notices Edna’s distance and tells her to think of her Children and all she would be leaving behind

  16. Summary • Edna comes home to find Robert gone with a goodbye note being all he left • Edna realizes that eventually even Robert wouldn’t be enough to satisfy her • Edna feels completely alone with no where to belong • She returns to the place of her emotional, sexual, and intellectual awakening, Grand Isle • Edna gives herself to the sea

  17. The voice of the sea is seductive, never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander in abysses of solitude But whatever came, she had resolved to never again belong to another than herself Quotes The Voice of the Sea speaks to the Soul

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