Summary of The Awakening and Other Stories
Summary
The Awakening stands as an enlightening story for women at the time it Kate Chopin wrote it. Women during the 19th century typically stayed within the confines of their socially constructed roles, limited to that of being a wife and mother. Yet, the protagonist of the book of Chopin, Edna Pontellier, bravely stood against said roles, imposing herself instead as an epitome of individualism. Throughout the story, Edna had to struggle in dealing with society, which typically defined her as just the wife of her husband Leonce and the mother of her son Raoul. Helpful in the gradual construction by Edna of her individualism are two female characters named Mademoiselle Reisz and Adele Ratignolle. Edna dealt with the malaise of the frequent comparison to Reisz and Adele by male conformists urging her to follow the societal norms on women of her time. The ascendancy of women as figures defined through association with men during the time of Edna eventually forced her to commit suicide (Knights 3-128).
A female living during the time of Edna is either a person centered on male definitions or a figure detached from the rest of society. Indeed, Chopin herself noted, “Mrs. Pontellier was not a mother-woman”, meaning to say that Edna is not highly protective of her children, particularly when they faced harm. Adele, possessing charming talent in music, has become one of the figures compared frequently to Edna. However, Edna herself noted of the shortcomings of Edna in relation to her own individualistic stand, as she emphasized that the talent of Adele is not one that she uses for herself, but only for the benefit of her children. In other words, Edna described her as a fitting example of a mother-woman. Moreover, Edna noted that Adele is truly devoted to her role as a mother. The pregnancy of Adele, for instance, is one example Edna noted, as she has pointed out that the former constantly focuses on her well-being in order to keep herself and the unborn baby safe. The pride Adele takes in being a mother is something Edna has found truly unsettling for her individualistic ideals (Knights 3-128).
In noting the life of Adele, Edna impresses her notion of inadequacy over becoming a mother, seeing it as a factor preventing her from gaining an individualistic impression independent from any association related to motherhood or her married life. In fact, Edna has found the position of Adele a pitiful one, thinking that she has just wasted her life in thriving under male dominance that is preventing her to gain an individualistic impression. Edna even tried to make Adele understand her premise on individualism in saying, “I wouldn’t give myself”, in reference to her views on motherhood. Adele, intensely centered on her role as a mother-woman, could not comprehend with the views of Edna on individualism, given her strong association of her identity to motherhood (Knights 3-128).
Reisz, on the other hand, is vastly different to Adele, in that she is somewhat lenient to the views of Edna. Desiring solitary confinement from the rest of society and its dictates, Reisz has exhibited several objections to symbols attributed to motherhood, particularly when she scorned a nurse over a crying baby at the start of her introduction in the story. Edna formed a strong friendship with Reisz, which was unquestionable given their somewhat similar views. However, what Edna saw as disagreeable in the case of Reisz is her lack of sexuality. As an asexual, Reisz has profoundly focused on engaging in the arts and has discounted any instance in which she felt sexual arousal. By “absconding to an area of sexlessness”, Reisz was able to confine herself from the rest of society – something that does not sit well with the views of Edna on feminist individualism (Knights 3-128).
In sum, Edna has a two-tier definition characterizing her sense of individualism – separation from the male-dominated definitions and associations towards women and sexual liberation. In the case of Adele, Edna has found herself at her most indifferent state. It would seem that Adele has stood as the complete opposite of Edna in terms of their attitudes, but more than that, the former has successfully shown that it is completely possible for a woman to center her whole existence on becoming a mother. While it would emerge that motherhood is among the flurry of choices Edna would assert on her premise of individualism, her profound portrayal of the male-dominated society enveloping the story has made it a regrettable decision in her view. Verily, Edna notes that women should have the chance to experience individualism, in the sense that they would gain recognition for their achievements, talents or noble deeds without raising their connections with their husbands and offspring. Adele may not have shown any form of abhorrence in her role as a mother which she greatly embraced, but Edna noted her as a woman who chose not to take on the chance to fulfill her potentials on an individualistic level, particularly her talent in music. On the other hand, Reisz is very adamant to the male-centric views of the society of her time, hence gaining the friendly affection of Edna. Nevertheless, Edna criticized Reisz for not expressing her sexual liberty fully, considering such is highly taboo for women during their time. What Edna has tried to emphasize is not just feminist individualism in terms of detachment from the traditional notions on motherhood and male-centric views. Rather, Edna also stressed the importance of the freedom of women to keep in touch with their sexual side without fear of retaliation from society, given the fact that women are, as with men, also free-spirited human beings.
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Works Cited
Knights, Pamela (Ed.). The Awakening and Other Stories. United Kingdom: Oxford University Press, 2000. Print.
