An Analysis Of Marxist Feminism in

The Awakening Novel

Chapter one
Introduction

1.1 Background of study

As an idea that is widespread and popular in various parts of the world, feminism has its
own concepts and theories. The essence of feminism itself is to highlight "freedom",
"independence" and the emancipation or equality of women with men in all aspects such as
political, social, and economic aspects. However, please note that the equal rights demanded by
feminists are not only of full equality, but also concern the availability of choices and
opportunities as possessed by men. For example, if men can pursue their careers without
worrying too much about having a family, then women should have the same freedom. Feminism
gives women the power to pursue their dreams, whatever they may be. It's a good thing in their
lives.

In this study, a famous novel that is familiar with feminism inside the story "Kate
Chopin's novel The Awakening," which was published in 1899, is the story of a woman's
realization of the world and the potential within her. Edna Pontellier discovered three important
aspects of herself on her journey. Edna's realization of her true humanity and motherhood.
Chopin uses these three awakenings, artistic, sexual, and maternal, to define womanhood, or
more specifically, independent women, in his novels. The revival has been labelled a case study
of nineteenth-century feminism. Self-ownership is one of the book's main themes. It represents a
woman's right to self-determination in terms of her body and identity. The so-called first wave
feminists argued that the only way for women to achieve freedom was for them to refuse to give
up control of their bodies to others, particularly men. They focus on the wife's right to refuse
sexual relations with her husband in particular. Their argument is that a woman's service as a
wife and mother grants her ownership of her body and, as a result, the right to refuse to have sex
or become pregnant. Conflict theory, according to Karl Marx, was born with several conceptions,
namely the conceptions of social class, social change, power, and state, all of which are mutually
sustainable.

The history of human society, according to Marx, is the history of class struggle, which
gave rise to the bourgeoisie (or upper class) and the proletariat (or lower class) (described as
lower class). The groups who realized that their position was with the proletariat, at that time
they consciously carried out various kinds of rebellion against the bourgeoisie. This inter-class
conflict then gave birth to changes in society. Marxism is a socioeconomic analysis method that
uses a materialist interpretation of historical development, also known as historical materialism,
it is applied to understand class relations and social conflict to see social change. According to
Marx too, one day the proletariat will win this class struggle which will then give birth to a
classless society. Still in the perspective of Marx looking at conflict, he developed a theory of
conflict with several conceptions, namely the conception of social class, social change, power
and the state where these conceptions are mutually sustainable with each other.

Marxist feminism is a collection of theoretical frameworks born of the collision of

Marxism and feminism. Both Marxism and feminism investigate various types of systematic
inequalities that result in oppression of marginalized people. Marxism is concerned with a
particular type of inequality that arises from capitalism's class dynamics. Feminism deals with a
different kind of inequality: gender inequality. According to feminism, gender inequality is the
primary axis of oppression in patriarchal societies. The Marxist feminist framework seeks to
liberate women by addressing oppression and exploitation. Marxist feminism is strongly
influenced by radical feminism. The contribution of radical feminism to Marxist feminism
includes critical questions about male domination that has been so strong throughout history in
terms of sexuality, interpersonal relationships, and ideology. At the theoretical level, the concept
of the woman question from socialists has become one of the main footholds used by Marxist
feminists to this day.
1.2 Research question :

1. What is the correlation between Marxist and Feminism in The Awakening novel?

2. What are some plots and characters in the novel that also show feminism?