The Awakening (Kate Chopin novel)

The Awakening is a novel by Kate Chopin, published in 1899. The novel examines the smothering effects of late 19th-century social structures upon a woman whose simple desire is to fulfill her own potential and live her own life. It is a story of both courage and defeat, lyrically written and boldly poignant.

Themes

In literature, a theme is what an author has to say regarding a broadly relevant topic. In The Awakening, Kate Chopin expresses the following:

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• Women as Property. The Awakening chooses a time period and culture which regards women as the property of their spouses. This is exemplified at every turn, from Leonce Pontellier's straightforward comments, to the discussion of the topic by the narrator.
• Hopelessness and the Power to Act. As property, the protagonist is left powerless, feeding a sense of despondancy and hoplessness. This state of being is eventually nullified by a desperate act of defiance. Death nullifies the physical bodies emotional states.
• The Call of Art. Superficially, art entertains, exposes one to beauty, and provides escape. Experienced more deeply, however, art calls the individual to migrate into its realm; it is "the call of the wild". Edna's evolving response to Mademoiselle Reisz's music illustrates this along with her developing desire to become an artist in her own mind.
• Isolation versus Solitude. In The Awakening, society uses isolation as punishment for non-conformity, but the isolated individual can nullify isolation by embracing solitude. Isolation is externally imposed; solitude is internally embraced.
• The Demands of Society versus the Needs of Individuals. Society, in order to cohere, must impose certain expectations upon its members who are motivated to comply through economic and social rewards. Some individuals may find fulfillment in meeting society's expectations (e.g., Adele Ratignolle), but some, like Edna Pontellier, cannot. Society often sees this as rebellion, failure, and a general character flaw, as well as a threat to its own survival, and so refuses to accommodate such behavior.
• The Purity of Sexual and Artistic Desire. In Edna, independent sexual and artistic desire become the highest good. Traditional values, especially those imposed upon women, are swept aside.
• The Need to Be Taken Seriously. Leonce Pontellier dismisses Edna's aspirations as frivolous and is confident of his own power to force her to conform. To Edna, this is painful, frustrating, and unacceptable. Her need to be taken seriously transcends her obligations to those who will not take her seriously. Robert Lebrun, while initially seeming to take Edna seriously, ultimately shows every indication of being no different than Leonce.
• Escape From Control. For Edna, escape from control by others transcends the value of safety. If she had been a prisoner in a jail, she would probably have preferred being shot in the act of escape to rotting in a cell. Worse things can happen to a person than death.
• Motherhood versus Self-determination. Edna is concerned about the way she wants to be determined by herself and the moral standards which a family woman is expected by society caring for her children and her husband. It is a psychological tension in her "moral conscience."