Abigail Fricke

Mrs Stanford

ENG124

3 January 2019

Découverte de Soi

The Awakening,​ originally titled A Solitary Soul, is a novel written by Kate Chopin in

1899. With a setting of New Orleans and the Southern Louisiana coast at the end of the

nineteenth century, the plot of ​The Awakening ​centers around feminist, Edna Pontellier and

contains events that are similar to ones that happened in Kate Chopin's life. The novel starts off

by introducing the restrictive and French-inspired society of the Grand Isle where Edna and her

family spend their summers. Although a beautiful place, while she’s there Edna often finds

herself struggling with her dueling duties as a mother and wife, as well as her own personal

views about women’s place in society. Once the summer is over, she returns to her home in New

Orleans, only to find that these struggles are still persistent and that they’re causing her to go

through many sexual, spiritual, and emotional changes. This personal evolution causes her

tight-knit community to lose respect for her but ultimately allows her to discover her true self as

a person rather than the labels she has been assigned to. ​The Awakening ​is the 190-page account

of these changes and the results of them, ​where​ ​a combination of old-fashioned words and

French phrases are used to do so.​ Despite being a short novel, ​The Awakening ​is astonishing,

timeless, and something that every woman should pick up in their lives.​ Not only does it tell an
 Fricke 1

amazing story of ​découverte de soi1, but the novel also sheds light on how sexism and want for

personal freedom can be extremely influential to a woman’s actions in the 19th century.

Introducing the reader to a tendentious story, Kate Chop begins the novel in the late

1800s’ at a ​très populaire2 resort called the Grand Isle. Over the summer, the Grand Isle

occupies many of the wealthy families from New Orleans who wish to escape from the stress of

their everyday lives by relaxing near the ocean. During the week, the women gossip and chat on

the island, while their husbands return into the city for work. In the summer of 1899, Edna meets

a young man by the name of Robert Lebrun. Because of her husband, Leónce’s, preoccupancy

with his work, the two begin to grow to be very close, enjoying activities such as long strolls

down the beach, boat rides to Cheniere, and the occasional dinner. Realizing that is was socially

unacceptable at the time for the two to have this kind of relationship, Robert suddenly decides to

leave the island and go to Mexico, stating it was for business purposes. ​C'est dommage!3

Afterward, Edna quickly becomes depressed and confines in Adèle Ratignolle, the poster-child

for how a mother and wife should act in the 1800s and Mademoiselle Reisz, an unmarried, old

woman who often made Edna cry with her amazing piano skills. The two guide Edna out of her

depressed state and help her on the start of her “awakening”.

When the summer comes to an end, the Pontellier’s return to their home in the city.

Edna takes what she learned from Adèle and Mademoiselle Reisz and makes several changes to

her day-to-day life such as quitting her job to take up painting. Changes like this were

disapproved by her husband but ultimately were ones he couldn’t stop from happening due to his

1
​Self-discovery
2
​Verypopular
3
​ hat a shame!
W
 Fricke 2

business obligations in New York. Desperately wanting to feel a sense of freedom, while Leónce

is off in New York, Edna takes her children into the country to stay with their grandmother. Edna

uses this as an opportunity to try new things and does so by going to the racetracks to bet on

horses, while also engaging in a sexual relationship with Alcée Arobin, a handsome young man

who also has the reputation of being a philanderer. Being with Arobin gives Edna a new sense of

confidence which ultimately leads to her moving out of the Pontellier’s house on Esplanade

Street and into the smaller, "pigeon house" just around the corner. This furthers Edna and

Arobin’s affair but actually proves to be insignificant when Robert returns home and confesses

his ​amour éternel4 for Edna. Pretending as if her affair with Arobin never happened, she quickly

reciprocates those feelings and confesses to Robert that she’s always been in love with him.

Coup de foudre!5 Not too long afterward, Edna gets pulled away by Madame Ratignolle but is

promised by Robert that he will be waiting for her when she returns. Feeling a sense of regret for

leaving, Edna hurries home, only to find a note that hints at the fact that Robert is gone and

won’t ever be returning. This sends Edna back into her depressed state of mind and causes her to

go back to the beach where she and Robert first met. Without much thought, Edna takes off all

her clothes and begins to swim into the ocean. ​Les enfants,​ ​méfiezvous!6 Memories of her

childhood flash before her eyes and she begins to think of how she escaped from her husband

and children. At last, finally feeling free of any commitments, Edna swims until she’s completely

exhausted. This results in an odd form of suicide, marking a​ tragique7 end to the book.

4
Everlasting love
5
Literally means lighting strike, but is commonly used to describe a feeling similar to love at
first sight.
6
​Children, beware!
7
Tragic
 Fricke 3

Based on events similar to those that happened in Kate Chopin's life, Edna Pontellier’s

story of self-discovery shows perfectly how a society based on sexism can influence a women's

actions. By definition, sexism is ​“prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against

women, on the basis of sex.​” Within the community of the Grand Isle, sexism was extremely

predominant and Edna Pontellier often fell victim to it. This was because she understood that

there were double standards for men and women and had no issue going against them. This was

most commonly shown through Edna and Robert’s relationship, where there was a double

standard when it came to the attention they gave one another. All the Grand Isle inhabitants

knew about the attention Robert would give Edna, yet no one, not even Edna’s husband, thought

anything of it. However, they did think something of it when Edna showed Robert any amount of

attention. Some argued that by doing so she would lose her rank in society, while others, such as

her husband, thought that Edna’s actions were due a nervous breakdown or possible insanity. In

fact, on page 109, he confined in their family doctor saying, “​Yes, yes; she seems quite well, …

but she doesn’t act well. She’s odd, she’s not like herself. I can’t make her out, and I thought

perhaps you’d help me.” ​By doing this, Leónce only furthered the issue whereas just confronting

Edna about it most likely would’ve resolved it. Nonetheless, this sexist double standard was

persistent throughout the entire novel, not only in regards to Robert and Edna’s relationship but

also to her short affair with Alcée Arobin. In the hopes of ​pour encourager les autres8, Edna tries

to do more socially-acceptable things such as engaging in more female relationships, hosting a

dinner party, and even swooning over her husband before he had to leave for business. This can

be seen on page 120, where it says ​“As the day approached when he was to leave her for a

8
​Literally
means so as to encourage the others, but is commonly used as a way to discourage any
future unrest or rebellion
 Fricke 4

comparatively long-stay she grew melting and affectionate remembering his many acts of

consideration and his repeated expressions of an ardent attachment. She was solicitous about his

health and his welfare...she bustled around looking after his clothing... she cried when he went

away calling him her dear, good friend and she was quite certain she would grow lonely before

very long and go to join him in New York”.​ This loving mindset only lasted for a little while

because once Edna remembered that her husband's misogynistic ​actes9, ones like confronting

their family doctor, were more consistent than the ones that made her feel like she was in love

with him, she was ultimately prompted to move into her own house. Moving into this new house,

otherwise known as the “Pigeon House”, shows how being surrounded by sexism influenced

Edna’s actions, as well as how it furthered something else; Edna’s want for ​liberté individuelle10.

Edna’s want for ​liberté individuelle​ came into play at the start of the novel when at the

Grand Isle, Edna realized that she wanted freedom from the labels her restrictive community had

given her as well as the obligations she held as a mother and wife. This want for a release comes

from her obsession with the sea, which she often saw as a place of complete solitude and

independence. Desperately wishing to feel as free as the sea, like previously mentioned, Edna

changes a lot of her every actions when she returns home to New Orleans. This included refusing

to sleep with her husband, sending her kids to live with their grandparents and even removing

herself from social situations because as she described on page 49, ​“The people about me are

like some uncanny, half-human beings”. ​Doing all these things was a good start, but Edna didn’t

feel the amount of freedom she truly desired until​ s​ he moved into the “Pigeon House”. Being no

longer connected to her community, Edna is shown discovering new things, such as gambling at

9
Actions
10
Personal Freedom
 Fricke 5

the horse races, a quaint garden restaurant, and her love for painting. In fact, Edna is actually

able to pay for the “Pigeon House” with money she’s earned from selling her paintings and

gambling. Doing all these things truly showed how Edna’s want for personal freedom greatly

influenced her actions and additionally how it allowed her to discover a different version of

herself because as said on page 156, ​“Every step which Edna took toward relieving herself from

obligations added to her strength and expansion as an individual.” ​These steps were deemed

socialement inacceptable11 a​ nd seemly useless due to her suicide at the end of the book, but

regardless they can be seen as significant to her journey of self-discovery, and ultimately to ​The

Awakening a​ s a whole.

Although deemed a controversial book by the standards of the 19th-century, the story told

in ​The Awakening i​ s one that influences people all around the world today. ​Through the writing

of Kate Chopin, readers are able to learn an amazing story of ​découverte de soi12, as well as how

sexism and want for personal freedom can be extremely influential to a woman’s actions in the

19th century. Obtaining the role of this women is feminist, Edna Pontellier, whose actions are

actually based on ones similar to those of the author, Kate Chopin’s. First introduced on the

sandy shores of the Grand Isle, Edna Pontellier was a 28-year-old woman who​ often found

herself struggling with her dueling duties as a mother and wife, as well as her own personal

views about women’s place in society. Going through her ​journey of self-discovery, Edna can be

seen dealing with these things as well as being greatly influenced by how they relate to sexism

and her want for personal freedom. She can be seen additionally comparing herself to the ocean

because of her wish for complete solitude and independence. Within her community​, sexism was

11
Socially unacceptable
12
​Self-discovery
 Fricke 6

extremely predominant and Edna Pontellier’s actions were often influenced by it because she

understood the double standard of her and Robert’s relationship and had no issue going against

it. These actions were seen as socially unacceptable and therefore, rose concern within her

husband, Leónce, who that they were the end result of a nervous breakdown or possible insanity.

Leónce thinking such a thing forced Edna into an odd state of mind, that eventually resulted in

her purchasing “Pigeon House” down the street. Purchasing the “Pigeon House” showcased her

true wish for personal freedom and actually allowed her to escape from her obligations as a wife

and a mother by discovering a different version of herself, who of all things, enjoyed painting,

gambling, and a quaint garden restaurant located down the road. After discovering these things,

Edna slowly reconnects with Robert, who had been in Mexico. The two reconcile over stories

and their shared love for one another, which seems right and extremely appropriate at the time.

However, doing so proves to be deadly for Edna when one of Roberts actions results in her

returning to the beach where they first met. Returning to this beach causes Edna to feel a rush of

emotions that ultimately lead up to her committing suicide. This marks the end of Edna

Pontellier's self-discovery story as well as ​The Awakening. ​Although she didn’t fully finish her

journey, ​the narrative of her actions in ​The Awakening ​is something that makes the novel ​hard to

put down. Not only does it question the standards of women in the 19th century but it also proves

to be something every woman can learn from. Throughout ​The Awakening​, Edna Pontellier is

shown breaking the societal rules of her community in the hopes of living beyond the labels she

was given. In the 21st century, people, especially women, spend so much time focused on labels

whereas not worrying them would result in a more fulfilling life. Edna Pontellier showed this
 Fricke 7

throughout certain aspects of her life, and this is something we must all strive to do because as

the French phrase says “​vivre selon les normes de quelqu'un d'autre ne vit pas du tout”.13

Works Cited

Chopin, Kate. The Awakening: By Kate Chopin. Avon Books, 1972

13
​Living by the standards of someone else isn’t living at all.