Thesis statement: Edna achieves her awakening thanks to her social problems that push her to discover herself and her freedoms while Nora’s family life when she starts to question her morality courtesy of her familial obligations that pushed her to indebt secretly herself.
INTRODUCTION
Society and gender roles
Introduction of the required texts
Introduction of the two protagonists, Edna and Norah and their awakening
Thesis statement
NORAH HELMER AND HER AWAKENING TROUGH FAMILY PROBLEMS
Treatment by her husband
Her maturity as exhibited through borrowing of money
Her acknowledgement as an unhappy woman
Her disengagement from her “play- room” of a home
EDNA POTELLIER’S AWAKENING THROUGH SOCIETY’S EFFECT
Edna as her husband’s property
Edna seeks time to be alone
Self realization of independence
Mademoiselle Reisz’s influence
Conclusion
Restatement of the thesis statement
Summary of the main points
Triumphant ending of Edna and Norah
Society has always had well-defined gender roles that have pitted men and women on extreme ends on matters of freedom and self-reliance. Women have always been presented as the weaker sex and are controlled by men almost all the time. In the play A Doll’s House by Henrik Ibsen, the character of Nora fits this scenario perfectly just like Edna, another character in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening does. These two women start off as women who are trapped in a largely male dominated society but defy the norm to become independent women who become aware of themselves and who get their much needed freedom. These two women start off as though they are there to serve the interests of the men in their lives and meet societal expectations but as the stories progress, they become aware of themselves, their abilities and their needs that are independent of their male chauvinistic societies. Edna achieves her awakening thanks to her social problems that push her to discover herself and her freedoms while Nora’s family life when she starts to question her morality courtesy of her familial obligations that pushed her to indebt secretly herself.
These two women are the perfect examples of defiance to societal norms as Edna is never ashamed of her actions and does not see them as wrong. Norah on the other hand, comes to the realization that her sacrifices have not been appreciated. Edna is not ready to live a frustrated life which her marriage limits her to, but Norah tries to survive through it but in the end they achieve an awakening that leads them to defy their societal norms. The gradual awakening of these two women makes them heroes in the end; they might have defied the norm and tradition, but at least, they achieved their independence.
Norah Helmer is perceived and treated like a doll by her husband; she is a passive character who lacks personality as seen through how her husband treats her. Her husband teasingly calls her several pet names like “squirrel, skylark, and sweet little songbird” (Ibsen Act I). One gets the impression that in deed she is a doll or rather a young girl who enjoys being called such names for the fun of it. But her other mature side is revealed by the fact that she borrowed money in secrecy; that makes her mature and more of an adult because no child would think of such drastic measures of borrowing money to help treat her husband (Tornqvist 12). At least, she knows what it means to struggle and make sacrifices. In the end, Norah acknowledges that she was never a happy woman, and that is when set the pace for her realization that there was more to live for than her marriage and family, she says, “No, I have never been happy. I thought I was, but it has never really been so” (Ibsen Act III. She called her home a play room and acknowledged that she had been a doll- wife all along.
As for the case of Edna, Chopin presents a woman who achieves social, personal and sexual awakening. Her society expects her to be a good wife and mother who is expected to surrender herself fully to the service of her husband (Beer & Nolan 45). She was his property, just like it is illustrated in the manner in which Mr. Pontellier admonishes her for bathing in the heat, he looked at her “as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage” (Chopin 4). To escape from her social trappings, she “would like to be alone” (Chopin 34), in the island of Grand Terre with Robert where she can feel free, and the best thing that happened to Edna was the self-realization that she could be independent of her husband and children. In the beginning, Edna is a comfortably married woman who is not aware of her emotions and feelings (Chopin 3). But even with the responsibilities of marriage, she pursues her sexual passions that she carries from her youth. Edna associates herself with Mademoiselle Reisz, who helps change her attitude towards her society and rediscover her inner self.
Works Cited
Beer, Janet & Nolan, Elizabeth. Kate Chopin’s The Awakening: A Sourcebook. New York: Routledge, 2004. Print
Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. New York: Herbert S. Stone Company, 1918. Print
Ibsen, Henrik. A Doll House. Web. Retrieved on 2nd April, 2016 https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2542/2542-h/2542-h.htm
Tornqvist, Egil. Ibsen: A Doll’s House. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995. Print
