The Awakening An Emergence of Womens RIghts in the Late...

The Awakening: An Emergence of Women’s Rights in the Late Nineteenth Century Kate Chopin’s The Awakening addresses the role of women within society during the late nineteenth century. The novel is set in South Louisiana, a place where tradition and culture also play a vital role in societal expectations. The novel’s protagonist, Edna Pontellier, initially fulfills her position in society as a wife and as a mother while suppressing her urges to live a life of passion and freedom. Edna’s relationship with her husband, Là ©once Pontellier, represents her expected role in a marriage that lacks passion and excitement. Edna’s relationship with her lover, Robert Lebrun, represents her indulgence in her passion and freedom. Chopin juxtaposes the†¦show more content†¦Kate Chopin came from a traditional Creole family. Chopin incorporated many aspects of New Orleans life in her writings and included much local color (Pontuale). South Louisiana is ful l of tradition and culture. Creole culture is well known for its lively music and colorful art. Social gatherings and balls were prominent in a wealthy society. In the story, Edna Pontellier feels like an outcast amidst a society of Creoles and recognizes â€Å"their absence of prudery† (Chopin 12). Mr. Pontellier’s character portrays a typical husband of this time period. Clearly, The Awakening challenges the role of a woman in nineteenth century society. A woman’s purpose is centered on childbirth and child rearing. Women are expected to naturally receive pleasure from motherhood. According to Stone, birthing is a symbol for the rebirth of Edna as an artist. Stone argues that Edna shows progress throughout the novel and becomes more â€Å"self-defined,† rather than passive and regressive as argued by many scholars additionally. Birth also becomes a symbol for spiritual rebirth. The sea is also a powerful symbol for Edna’s rebirth of a new se lf (Stone 23-26). â€Å"The voice of the sea speaks to the soul,† (Chopin 18). Ultimately, when she commits suicide, she has completely been reborn and achieved independence. A woman’s traditional role during the late nineteenth century is to live for herShow MoreRelatedThe Yellow Wallpaper and the Awakening Comparison1488 Words   |  6 Pagesnarrator is apparently confused with the norm defining â€Å"true† and â€Å"good† woman constructed by society dominated by man. â€Å"The Awakening† addressed the social, scientific, and cultural landscape of the country and the undergoing of radical changes. Each of these stories addresses the issue of women’s rights and how they were treated in the late 19th century. â€Å"The Awakening† explores one womans desire to find and live fully within her true self. Her devotion to that purpose caused friction betweenRead MoreA SELECTION OF PAST AP U.S. FREE RESPONSE QUESTIONS:3529 Words   |   15 Pages 1. From 1600 -1763, several European nations vied for control of the North American continent. Why did England win the struggle? (73) 2. In the seventeenth century, New England Puritans tried to create a model society. What were their aspirations, and to what extent were those aspirations fulfilled during the seventeenth century? (83) 3. In the two decades before the outbreak of the American Revolutionary War, there was a profound shift in the way many Americans thought and felt aboutRead MoreImpact of Second Great Awakening on Modern Society1415 Words   |  6 PagesImpact of the Second Great Awakening in Modern-Day Society The Second Great Awakening laid the foundations of the development of present-day religious beliefs and establishments, moral views, and democratic ideals in the United States. Beginning back in late eighteenth century and lasting until the middle of the nineteenth century,1 this Protestant awakening sought to reach out the un-churched and bring people to a much more personal and vivid experience of Christianity. Starting on the SouthernRead MoreEssay on The Role Of Women in the Renaissance1645 Words   |  7 Pagesarchitecture. It is true that the Italian Renaissance was marked by some of the greatest and most prolific masters of painting, sculpture and building. It is also true that the era marked the emergence of a great deal more. It was a time of awakening from the intellectual darkness of the medieval order and the emergence of many of the concepts that would form the basis for civilization as it is known today. The era saw the birth of new attitudes concerning the role o f man in his relationship to the worldRead MoreEssay on Sex, Gender and Reform in the City2371 Words   |  10 Pagesconstruct the way sex and gender was viewed in the United States. Women began to acknowledge the way they were being treated and started to educate themselves about the rights they deserved and the effects it would have on the future generations. Religion became a forum where women could feel a sense of empowerment and the Second Great Awakening spoke of everyone being in charge of their own salvation, be that as a male or female. However, before the empowerment of women began, the male hierarchy of AmericaRead MoreAn Analysis of the Causes of Tess’s Tragedies in Tess of the D’urbervilles3739 Words   |  15 PagesEnglish Novel 5 February 2013 An Analysis of the Causes of Tess’s Tragedies in Tess of the D’Urbervilles Thomas Hardy is one of the most prominent novelists during the Victorian era in Britain. Trapped in the middle ground between the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Hardy not only inherited Victorian tradition but also initiated the modern innovation in literature. Tess of the Durbervilles is a masterpiece representing his reputation of a full-blown writer and it is also unanimously consideredRead MoreApush Chapter 7 Outline Essay4627 Words   |  19 Pagesdefending women’s rights to education, a defense set in terms very different from those used by most men. 8. Colleges provided very limited educated focused mainly on classics and theology. Subsection Summary: The patterns of education began with the Republicans’ belief of a public school system to the belief that any race or gender should be allowed an education. B. Medicine and Science 1. The University of Pennsylvania created the first American medical school in the eighteenth century. 2. MunicipalRead MoreA Critical Review of â€Å"the Ambiguities of Football, Politics, Culture, and Social Transformation in Latin America† by Tamir Bar-on.14147 Words   |  57 PagesCup, in which a select group of very well-paid men represent their country. FA Women’s Cup is its â€Å"equivalent†. Ever heard of it? Neither have I. In hockey, most sport fans are familiar with the NHL (National Hockey League). Not quite as many are familiar with the NWHL (National Women’s Hockey League). Easily the sport where the women’s teams get most recognition in comparison with any other sport is the WNBA (Women’s National Basketball Association). But again, the WNBA athletes do not get remotelyRead MorePublic Health Paper12265 Words   |  50 Pageshealth by Maria Joyce Key sections include: Environment, infectious disease, locating public health, the enlightenment, the Sanitarians, national provision of services, the inception of the National Health Service, ‘crisis in health’, The New Right, The Third Way, new public health. Public health, the new ideology may be taken to mean the promotion of healthy lifestyles linked to behaviour and individual responsibility supported by government action; whereas traditionally the description tendedRead MoreHistory of Social Work18530 Words   |  75 PagesThere are several specific areas in practical social philosophy dealing significantly with the theoretical self-conception of social work, for example the philosophy of family, educational philosophy, the philosophy of law, and the theory of human rights. In addition to this, issues of philosophy of science are of great importance for the development of the science of social work. http://eris.osu.eu/index.php?kategorie=35174id=5176 IN AN ERA OF CHANGE †¦to reach an understanding of what Social