Amitabh Bachchan said, “Because you are women, people will force their thinking on you, their boundaries on you. They will tell you how to dress, how to behave, who you can meet and where you can go.” In the Victorian Era, this quote was especially true. Women would be subjected to overly specific guidelines and rules which they were expected to follow. Venturing beyond these societal standards was rare and undoubtedly reproached. In The Awakening by Kate Chopin, the main character rebels against the Victorian conventions placed on her as she tries to find her identity.
The creole men and women Edna, the protagonist, interacts with on Grand Isle especially have a strong influence on Edna and her awakening as they unknowingly lead her to become more aware of herself. Adele Ratignolle, Edna’s friend at Grand Isle and a foil to Edna’s character, is seen as the perfect mother and wife. She is obedient to her husband and overprotective over her children. She is also careful to maintain her appearance for her husband, such as when she wears a large sun hat to protect her face and white gloves to protect her hands. According to Schweitzer, “…there are competing versions of motherhood at work in this text: the social and existential demands of motherhood which oppress Edna, and the metaphors of self-birth and the seductive, maternal sea which liberate her.” Edna is not naturally drawn toward motherhood and typically strays from her husband and his preferences for her. She loves her children, but is not as active in their lives and is willing to have them far from her for a long period of time when they go on vacation with her husband, Leonce. However, she is orn into a new mindset within the sea. Additionally, Edna’s hands are sunburned in the beginning of the book. This creates a reaction from Leonce which introduces Edna’s expected role as his wife. “‘You are burnt beyond recognition,’ he added, looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage” (Chopin, 5). Through this quote, we see that as one would pay attention to the condition of what they own, Leonce does the same with Edna. However, we also see her lack of concern for how she appears, which builds upon the strong contrast between Edna and Adele. When Edna sees who she is supposed to be in comparison to who she really is, she realizes that she is unhappy with her position and that she does not fit in with the Creoles and their social norms. Juxtaposition is a literary element which Chopin makes use of. In addition to Adele and Edna being opposites, Edna herself is an oxymoron. Chopin describes her as a woman whose qualities are juxtaposed with masculine qualities. Rather than pretty or beautiful, Edna is called a “handsome woman” because she possesses qualities that can be attributed to men. She is independent rather than dependent on a man. She does not feel the need to play her required role in society. She has sunburned, strong, shapely hands rather dainty and gloved hands. She has thick, straight eyebrows rather than thin and arched. Adele and Edna’s contrast continues with their appearance. Adele is described which extremely feminine characteristic. She has curly, gold hair, blue eyes, and pale skin while Edna’s is sunkissed, and has yellowish-brown hair and eyes.
“In Adèle, Chopin has created a siren figure who both lures and imperils Edna, a human counterpart to the seductive sea that beckons to Edna's soul, inviting her to swim… she invites Edna to embark upon the ultimately solitary journey that eventually destroys her” (Lant). Adele brings out Edna’s inner self through her liberal character. She leads her on the journey not only by making Edna realize that she does not want to lead a life like Edna’s, but also by enticing her to do things she has never done before – most importantly, swimming. A lot of her personality comes from the fact that she is creole. The novel clearly illustrates them as flirtatious and open-minded people. Edna takes this openness and truthfulness with the creoles and applies it to her daily life back home.
Another creole who plays a very important role in Edna’s awakening is Robert Lebrun. Kate Chopin shows them as having more intimate interactions with each other than Edna and Leonce do – another example of juxtaposition in The Awakening. Robert is more understanding and cares about Edna and what she says to him. He also asks about her and her life and listens to her. On the other hand, Edna and Leonce are very distant from each other and their relationship seems to be a lot more serious – as if their marriage were a business arrangement instead. “She has married Leonce Pontellier, partly because ‘his absolute devotion flattered her’ (21), and partly to spite her father and elder sister, who disapproved of any alliance with a Catholic” (Evans). Edna even says that she marries Leonce as a form of rebellion as well as the opportunity to marry somebody who expressed intense admiration for her – not for love itself. This also reveals to the reader that Edna has always been independent at heart in both her infatuations and marriage – always having a strong desire to do what she wishes. Eventually, Edna even falls in love with Robert, and toward the ending Edna wishes to be with him more romantically after seeing him back from Mexico. However, due to the fact that their relationship would be rejected by society and the value he puts on how he is seen, he ends things with a letter explaining why it is not going to be a possibility despite how much we wishes it was. This event sets off a chain of events which leads to the resolution of the book. Edna begins to question everything around her as the last possible opportunity to a new life is shattered. It becomes evident that is unable to have the control that she wants over who she is and what she wants to have. After everything, she returns to Grand Isle when few people are there, and goes to the beach. With her cluttered thoughts, she decides to remove all of her garments and stand in the open air, naked. Just as she was born, Edna dies as well in the ocean where she first learned to swim in order to achieve the freedom Robert showed her in the first place.
There are symbols involved in the novel which are important to the development of the story. The sea near Grand Isle is where Edna learns to take control over her own body. “A feeling of exultation overtook her, as if some power of significant import had been given her to control the working of her body and her soul. She grew daring and reckless, overestimating her strength. She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before” (Chopin, 31). This quote reveals how empowered Edna felt in this event. She gains a love for the ocean at that moment. When it is revealed that she wants to be so daring as to swim as far as possible, we find foreshadowing of her unfortunate demise. The two young lovers, often near the lady in black with her rosary, serves as a reminder that young love is not a permanent thing. It can be compared to Edna and Robert, who are clearly in love, and foreshadows the event where Robert rejects their relationship.
The pigeon house is a symbol of Edna’s attempt at self-ownership. She purchases it and moves out of her husband’s home so that she may live independently. There, she only brings what she owns – not what her husband has supplied to her. While she is there, she becomes involved with Alcee Arobin, who the reader recognizes from a prior conversation between Robert and Adele to make men into cuckolds by becoming involved in affairs with their wives. Despite being warned of his actions, Edna does keep him as a companion and inevitably has an affair. He strengthens her sense of her sensuality and her willingness to do such things with Robert in the near future. When she is not at her pigeon house, Edna visits Mademoiselle Reisz, a pianist who she befriended at Grand Isle. Edna ultimately becomes inspired by Mademoiselle Reisz and her life. She has no husband or children and remains devoted to her passion for making music. When Edna wants to have this same sense of independence, she sees her in her home. Mademoiselle tells her that in order to be the artist she wants to be, she has to be brave and rebellious. Additionally, Mademoiselle becomes a bridge between Robert and Edna who knows what is going on in between them and is somebody who is trustworthy to her. She shares Robert’s letters with Edna when she comes, giving her something to look forward to each time. She finds comfort in knowing what Robert is up to in Mexico and being updates on his life. Mademoiselle Reisz can also be viewed as a foil for Adele do to her nontraditional lifestyle.
In a way, Edna is brave and defiant – especially for the Victorian era. One example is related to the idea of voluntary motherhood.
“Edna… soon determines that voluntary motherhood means withholding herself sexually. After her first successful swim (during which she experiences a moment of self-support and the absolute solitariness of death), she stays on the porch, refusing Léonce's repeated orders and entreaties to come inside to bed… It is by withholding herself sexually, then, that Edna exercises the "eternal rights of women" in insisting that she has a self and that she owns that self” (Stange).
Edna denies her husband’s request for her to sleep inside in their room. Instead, she tells him not to talk to her in the controlling manner he was using or she will not respond. She also makes it clear that she will stay inside, which she sticks to until she becomes uncomfortable in the hammock and goes inside at her own will. After this night, she feels a change within her – as if she woke up from a dream. Additionally, Edna ignores the rule of calling. In the Victorian era, women would be required on specific days and times to remain home in waiting for visitors. However, one day she decides to go on a walk instead. From then on, she refuses to follow the typical procedures. Edna’s behavior is perceived as being so strange that Leonce goes as far as consulting with Doctor Mandelet, the family physician. He is aware is Edna’s dissatisfaction with Victorian conventions. He suspects that Edna is in love with somebody else (which was true), but doesn’t tell Leonce because if he continues to limit her, she will continue to rebell. As a result, he offers Edna help and is worried about her future actions.
In The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Edna claims her newfound identity and rebels against the Victorian conventions which it conflicts with. Before her awakening, Edna was simply going through life with the purpose which was preset for her. After finding a new sense of self, she has personal goals for herself which the world around her doesn’t permit. As a result of not being able to be supported by those around her, she drowns herself as her only means of escape and freedom from the tight hold of the era.