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The Awakening by Kate Chopin - Coggle Diagram
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
The Setting
Grand Isle, Louisiana is an upper class vacation destination where many of the families vacation to in the summer. The group is very close as they all stay in cottages close to one another and oftentimes host each other for dinners and parties.
New Orleans, Louisiana in the upper class parts of the French Creole community where the characters live besides the summer.
The book takes place in the nineteenth century, in the deep south of Louisiana, and primarily is surrounded by the Catholic and Creole community.
Themes
Identity can be shown as a theme throughout the book due to Edna's search for who she is throughout the whole book. Edna transforms from an upper class wife and mother who lives the same day everyday to a woman who feels free, has hobbies, and has open opinions.
Woman versus Society: Edna represents this theme by rejecting motherhood and marriage and in result of rejecting society views she is left depressed and can no longer function in society.
Isolation goes hand in hand with identity, and it can be considered a common theme throughout the book as well as the time period it is set in. In the 1800's there were very few ways to show or have self expression.
Authors purpose: I think Kate Chopin wrote the book during the time period she did, to show others the realizations a woman may have about the life they live in. Chopin expressed her own feelings by showing how flawed society was and how limited a woman was. Chopin wanted to let woman that there was a way out of the demanding cycle that woman are only good to be housewives and mothers, when they can be much more. She demonstrated this by using Edna as a protagonist and wrote about her transformation out of this cycle. As she transformed her life, she ended Edna's by showing that once she was finally free she wouldn't be fully satisfied until she was out of society's eyes (resulting in suicide.)
Symbolism
The sea: the ocean symbolizes the freedom and escape Enda is longing for in her life.
The Lady in Black is silent throughout the book she is also a widower. She symbolizes the socially acceptable women without a husband.
The two Lovers only speak to each other or do their own thing. As they are mentioned throughout the book represent how society accepts young love and represents that a woman should only be devoted to her relationship and husband.
The Farival Twins are teenage girls that vacation at Grand Isle. They were dedicated to Virgin Mary when they were born so they symbolize how girls should look forward to motherhood and that they meet society expectations.
Historical Context: The book was written in 1899 and takes place in a time period where a woman was considered a mans property. Especially, since the book is based in the south it was ran largely by a Catholic state, therefore the idea of divorce was unimaginable.
Relationships between charcaters
Edna is married to Leonce, she has two boys Etinee and Raoul. Their marraige is estranged as they don't quite love each other or get along.
She does fall in love with Robert after a complex friendship over the summer. He moves to Mexico since he knows Edna will never leave Leonce and knows society's views that women are "possessions" to their husband.
While Robert is the man Edna loves, she knows the circumstances. Therefore, she has an affair with Alcee who enjoys going after married women. She has this affair while she is battling internal thoughts and Leonce is away for buisness.
Mademoiselle Reisz is who Edna confides in as she is the only person that knows about the love between Edna and Robert. She becomes a great listener to Edna despite their differences.
Adele Ratignolle is a friend of Edna although they have completely different viewpoints on life. She accidentally helps push Edna to transform to who she truly wants to be.
Mariequita is a young Spanish girl who lives on Grand Isle who has had relations with both Robert and Victor.
Leonce goes to Dr. Mandelet who is a doctor and family friend. Leonce asked him to look into Edna after her strange behavior and that she is "sick." Dr. Mandelet realizes nothing is wrong with Edna but her changed mindset.
The Colonel is Edna's father who believes society's views that the husbands are in control of their wives.
Ednas mother passed away before the book started.
Janet and Margaret are sisters to Edna. Edna refused to go to Janets wedding which caused controversy.
Characters
Leonce Pontellier: Leonce is a 40 year old businessman, medium height and slender build. He wears eyeglasses, straight brown hair, and a cleanly shaven beard. He is married to Edna Pontellier but spends much time away on business trips or with his friends.
Madame Lebrun is a fresh, pretty woman. Always wearing white clothes with elbow sleeves and starched skirts. She is a widowed mother to Victor and Robert, and she owns the cottages they all stay in on Grand Isle in the summer.
Edna Pontellier: Edna is a 28 year old woman, her eyes are yellow/ brown, similar to her hair color. Her eyebrows are thick, her manner is engaging and she can be known for being handsome rather than beautiful. She is married to Leonce Ponteller although she feels dissatisfied with her marriage and lifestyle.
Mademoiselle Reiz is an unmarried and childless woman who devoted her life to music. She is a talented pianist but is a recluse.
Victor Lebrun is Roberts younger brother who is known for
having loud opinions and chases women, rather then settling down.
Robert Lebrun is the 26 year old who Edna falls in love with on Grand Isle. He is known for being wealthy and charming while also usually picking one womean to fall in love with over the summer. He genuielly falls in love with Edna.
Alcee Arobin is the man who Edna has an affair with while Leonce does bushiness in New York.
Adele Ratignolle is known for idolizing being a mother and wife, they are her whole world. She is a close friend of Edna and is a Creole woman.
Genre: Feminist Fiction, Psychological Fiction, Domestic Fiction
Dialouge
"Authority, coercion are what is needed. Put your foot down good and hard; the only way to manage a wife. Take my word for it." (Chopin 89). Edna's father is talking to Leonce about Edna and that she needs to be controlled by him.
"Some way she doesn't seem like the same woman." (Chopin 77).
Victor talking about how Edna has visibly changed since returning to the city after Grand Isle.
"Edna felt as if she were being borne away from some anchorage which had held her fast, whose chains had been loosening- had snapped the night before when the mystic spirit was abroad, leaving her free to drift whithersoever she chose to set her sails" (Chopin 44). Edna realizing the sea is the once play she feels free.
The Awakening was censored or "banned" in many libraries across the United States due to people thinking that the sexual nature, her viewpoints, and the early feminist thoughts within the book were controversial and outrageous.
Figurative LanguageAllusions in the book
Victor in a way compares Edna to Venus, which in mythology Venus stands for love, sex, and beauty.
Water is symbolized in the bible, in one way for baptism. Baptism are to start a new life or represent rebirth. Edna committed suicide in the sea but throughout the book she felt freedom and independence in the ocean.
Edna compares her life to Frankenstein. Edna is faced to live a depressing life due to society and she is met with harsh realities when she tries to leave. Frankenstein is seen as a monster. although he has big emotions who was misjudged by society's views.