In-Depth Literature Review: Themes and Characters in The Awakening

This literature review delves into Kate Chopin's 'The Awakening', analyzing Edna Pontellier's relationships with men, her alienation from Creole society, and the contrasting influences of Madame Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz. It explores Edna's awakening to her sexuality and independence, discussing the symbolic use of sea imagery and the critical reception of the novel's ending. The review references key secondary sources and provides a comprehensive understanding of the novel's themes, characters, and literary elements, including the influence of societal expectations on Edna's tragic fate.

Running head: THE AWAKENING LITERATURE REVIEW 1
The Awakening Literature Review
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THE AWAKENING LITERATURE REVIEW 2
1. Comment on Edna’s relationship with men (her husband, Robert, Alcée Arobin). To
what extent do they influence her final decision? Use at least one quotation from the novel
in your answer and/or Reesman/Sprinkle.
Edna’s relationship with men is seen through her role in the society. Through her
struggles and identity, she comes to discover her worth in the society. Edna seeks rebirth for her
suicidal. This is due to her awakenings. She awakens in many different ways which is emotional,
physical and sexual. To show her relationship with men, she enters into a relationship with
Robert. This is due to the urge of pleasure. Chopin gives Edna permission to defy the male
society forces. He allows her to do that without any criticism. “There was with her a feeling of
having descended the social scale, with a corresponding sense of having risen in the spiritual.
Every step which she took toward relieving herself from obligations added to her strength and
expansion as an individual.” Her relationship with men makes her to become reluctant towards
living and adopting to the male dominated society. Through her love triangle she ends up
engaging herself in immoral acts. In addition to that, she tries to search for her identity plus
liberation (Xue, S.O.N.G., pp. 34, 2010).
2. Edna is somewhat of a stranger in the social group she has married into. What problems
do you detect? Use at least one quotation from the novel in your answer and/or
Reesman/Sprinkle.
Edna is a stranger to the social group she has married. Due to that, there are some
problems which she will face. Because of her growing independent from the society, she tends to
adopt some of the aspects which are “unwomanly” in terms of behaviour. Despite her having a
tolerant husband, she lived truly after the death of Oscar. “Her life was one of sadness and
unfulfilment.” In addition to that, Edna being in her twenties, her marriage has lasted for over

THE AWAKENING LITERATURE REVIEW 3
five years now. Due to her being married at a younger age, she lacks the quality of a “mother
woman”. She also lacks the embodiment for the ideal woman like that of Adele Retignolle. Even
when she was a child she “had apprehended instinctively the dual life that outward existence
which conforms, the inward life which questions.” The other problem is that Edna got into
marriage way so that she can transform into adulthood through the marriage. “She felt she would
take her place with a certain dignity in the world of reality, closing the portals forever behind her
upon the realm of romance and dreams.” The other problem is the conflict between her and the
Creole society. Edna has the problem of understanding the social codes for the Creole society.
For instance she does not understand how the men plus women get to treat each other. “Mrs.
Pontellier, though she had married a Creole, was not thoroughly at home in the society of
Creoles. They all knew each other, and felt like one large family, among whom existed the most
amicable relations.” (McConnell, pp. 41, 2014).
3. What significant differences are there between Edna’s friends Madame Ratignole and
Mademoiselle Reisz? How do these differences affect Edna? Use at least one quotation
from the novel in your answer and/or Reesman/Sprinkle.
There is a great difference between Edna and Ratignolle. Ratignolle being a friend to
Edna represents the ideal of Victorian feminine. She portrays that character that every woman
should have in the society. For instance, she treasures her children plus the husband. She also
centers her life in the family plus the domestic duties. Whereas Edna is opposite of that. She does
not have that much care for the kids. She is not happy with the marriage she has. She even takes
her kids to live with the grandmother as she engages herself in an affair. She does all this in a
selfish manner unlike to Ratignolle. Despite all this, she gets suicidal at the end. This is because

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she was never happy at all and is not satisfied at all with what she has (LIU and WANG, pp. 24,
2014)
4. Discuss the title of the novel. To what is Edna awakening? The following secondary
sources will be especially useful in answering this question (see the “Background text”
folder). Sprinkle, Russ. “Kate Chopin’s The Awakening: A Critical Reception.” English
Department, Bowling Green State University, OH. Web. 30 Aug. 2017.
The title of the novel gives a representation of the work which can be understood through
different themes within the novel. The title paints a nebulous mental picture to anybody who is
reading the novel. The title does not also show clearly what the novel will possess. However, the
novel represents Edna as the main character. Edna is awakening due to her encounters. She
encounters the other character whom plays the musical instrument. She is also sexually
awakening. This is seen through her relationship with Robert (Glendening, pp.41, 2010).
5. Sea imagery in The Awakening. Find examples of language that evokes or refers to the
sea in the novel. Discuss the symbolic use of such images. Use at least one quotation in your
answer
Sensory language has been used to describe the sea. Sounds, visual elements, and tactile
things have been used in the description of the sea. For instance “There were strange, rare odors
abroad-a tangle of the sea smell and of weeds and damp, new-plowed earth, mingled with the
heavy perfume of the field of white blossoms somewhere near.” This description puts emphasis
on sensuousness for the settings (Sprinkle, Russ, 2017).

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6. The ending. Is Edna’s decision understandable? Pardonable? Discuss. Use at least one
quotation from the novel in your answer and/or Reesman/Sprinkle.
Lastly, Edna’s decision is not understandable at all. This is due to her nature of life.
Despite her getting what she needed in life, she is not still satisfied. Her greedy life makes her
end her own life. For instance she is not satisfied with the society she is married into “Mrs.
Pontellier, though she had married a Creole, was not thoroughly at home in the society of
Creoles. They all knew each other, and felt like one large family, among whom existed the most
amicable relations.” (Kate Chopin, 2007).

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References
“Background text” folder in Moodle.Reesman, Jeanne Campbell. “Introduction: Kate Chopin:
1850-1904.” The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Volume C. Gen. ed. Nina Baym.
New York: Norton, 2007.
Sprinkle, Russ. “Kate Chopin’s The Awakening: A Critical Reception.” English Department,
Bowling Green State University, OH. Web. 30 Aug. 2017.
Glendening, J., 2010. Evolution, Narcissism, and Maladaptation in Kate Chopin’s The
Awakening. American Literary Realism, 43(1), pp.41-73.
LIU, Z. and WANG, N., 2014. The Epiphany of Women's Consciousness: A Reading of Kate
Chopin's The Story of an Hour [J]. Journal of Northeastern University (Social Science), 6. Pp.
24-56.
McConnell, M., 2014. A lost sense of self by ignoring other in The Awakening by Kate
Chopin. The Explicator, 72(1), pp.41-44.
Xue, S.O.N.G., 2010. A Feminist Interpretation of The Dream of An Hour [J]. Journal of
Shenyang Agricultural University (Social Sciences Edition), 1. Pp.34-46.