The Awakening Essay Paper Example For Students

The Awakening Essay Paper The Awakening is a story full of symbolism and imagery that can have many different meanings to the many who have read it. I have read several different theories on Kate Chopins meaning and though some are vastly different, they all seem to make sense. It has been said that Kate Chopin might have been ambiguous just for this reason. At some point, almost everyone struggles with knowing or not knowing their purpose in life, and therefore it seems, that on some level, most who read the story about Edna Pontellier can relate to her in some way. I believe that those who have theorized about this story, have done so based upon their own struggles with the same issue. To me, life is all about self discovery and what one does upon their self discovery. Each time that I read this story, I can feel the pain and the turmoil that Edna experiences before and after her awakening. The ocean is the center and foundation of this story. The ocean is also part of the scenery and the background, without the ocean, there would be no story. Not only is the ocean the center and the foundation, it is also a symbol of many things in this story. To me, the ocean in this story takes on human characteristics in that to me, it symbolizes a seducer or seductress. The ocean also becomes an escape from reality and symbolizes life itself. The ocean is important because it is what helps bring Edna into her awakening and that is good, in the sense that it helps Edna into finding herself. However, the ocean is evil in that it is responsible for Ednas demise. I believe that in the beginning of this story, Edna has not yet discovered who she is or what she really wants out of life. Edna has come to the Grand Isle as a dutiful wife and mother who grew up in an oppressive, unloving and un-nurturing home without her mother. Ednas marriage is not a loving one, neither she, nor her husband have an emotional connection to each other. Edna goes about her life as a mother and wife in a mechanical fashion, she doesnt have the mind for it and its obvious that her current position where she wants to be although at first she doesnt see it yet. Edna most likely has never experienced any sort of love or connection with anyone. She doesnt seem to think very highly about her husband, father, or sisters. Her love for her children is flighty at best. Its as if shes been locked in a cage most of her life and has received very little attention leaving her love starved and lonely. I think that she is probably too ripe for her awakening by the time that it happens, which is why her awakening becomes so tumultuous for her. Its as if shes been in her cage so long, that once she is released, the results are almost too much to bear. Ednas awakening begins with the ocean and I feel that the way Kate Chopin describes the ocean in the beginning of the and throughout the story makes the ocean seem like a seducer or seductress, enticing Edna and awakening her imagination, creativity, spirituality and sexuality. For example, when Edna begins to feel to anguish of her oppression the everlasting voice of the sea, that was not uplifted at that soft hour broke like a mournful lullaby upon the night. she begins to cry a flood of tears, which to me makes her seem like a lost and lonely child. I say child because Ednas emotional, spiritual, and even sexual growth has been stunted or gone untapped. However, later on as Edna begins to make real connections with other people such as Madame Ratingnolle and Robert, she begins to pay closer attention to the ocean, and again there is another incident in which the oceans seductive character emerges: the voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude; to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation. If one takes a close look at that passage itself, it almost sums up the entire story. As the ocean never ceases to seduce Edna into her awakening she begins to isolate herself from society ( to wander in the abysses of solitude) and begins to lose herself in mazes of inward contemplation. Informative Speech About Identity Theft Essay I think that Kate Chopin saw women as caged birds, beautiful, graceful yet unable to use their wings to fly and express their inner selves as they chose. When Kate is describing women in this story she uses references towards birds several times and birds are always in the background, from the very beginning to the very end. Edna, is clearly a bird in this story, a caged bird that after being given the taste of freedom can never go back to her cage. The very beginning of the story is with a green and yellow parrot hanging in a cage saying in French go away! go away! For Gods sake! I find it interesting that the story begins this way, its as if the parrot is talking to Leonce Pontellier. Could the parrot be Edna telling him this herself, or could the parrot be speaking on her behalf? There is also a point in the story where Edna tells Arobin that Madame Reisz once felt her shoulder blades to see if her wings were strong and said the bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth. Madame Reisz telling Edna that in order to be free from the traditions and prejudices of society one must be strong enough to deal with the consequences that follow. A person does not possess such strength will become bruised and exhausted and will not be free. In Ednas case, to be free and be herself is to be a nonconformist, which ultimately results in isolation and loneliness. Isolation and loneliness are what Edna has probably felt most of her life. Edna does not want to conform and yet she does not want to be alone either. Therefore, Ednas wings are broken and she cannot be free. At the end of the story, when Edna is alone on the beach she sees a bird with a broken wing beating the air above, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water. That bird is herself, and seeing the bird with its broken wing, falling to the water, is seeing the reality of what has happened with her awakening. She cannot return to her old life because doing so would be returning to the isolation of her cage, she cannot remain as a nonconformist because she would have to live in isolation from society, therefore she escapes from reality into the accepting ocean whose voice is still seductive, whispering and calling to her. It is tragic to me that Edna had to choose suicide however, I dont see Edna as a failure for what she did. I think that Edna was a woman who was ahead of her time, just as some have said Kate Chopin was ahead of hers. The ocean in this story also symbolized life for Edna. Tragically, Edna was not ever afforded the tools necessary to deal with her awakening. Edna was love starved due to her upbringing and her marriage, which made it impossible for her to live life as a lonely nonconformist as Madame Reisz had done. Edna was also born into a society where women were not aloud to be anything but mothers and wives, which are positions that Edna was intended for. At first, Edna feared the ocean and life as an individual, then she is awakened sexually, spiritually, creatively, and emotionally and throws herself into her discoveries, and she learns to swim in the ocean and the void in her life seems to be filled. However, Edna sees terror and death while swimming and begins to feel the terrors of isolation as she casts off her facade. Edna begins to struggle and fight lifes currents, getting caught within the tumult, she becomes exhausted with it all until she can no longer stay afloat.