"The Awakening" - Edna's awakening on her marriage

Victorian society

Susanne Wrobel

• Publisher: GRIN Verlag
• Year: 2012
• eBook ISBN: 9783656183303
• Edition: 0
• Topic: Literature
• Subtopic: English Literary Criticism
• Index: Literature

Seminar paper from the year 2012 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: "keine", University of Heidelberg (Anglistisches Seminar), course: The Awakening Proseminar 1, language: English, abstract: 1)Introduction"It is not good that the man should be alone" People all over the world are given in to marriage. But for what do people enter into this covenant? Men are social beings and need each other for love and companionship. Marriage is one of the closest unions and intimate relationships among humans. For this very reason it is of the utmost importance that the couple builds a relationship which is founded on deep affection, respect and trust. Prerequisite for this mutually beneficial marriage tie is the idea of equality of both men and women. Back in the time, women were not always seen as equal to men. On the contrary they were seen solely as objects, who were supposed to quietly submit to their husband in every aspect of life. To our time, this would clearly speak against human rights, which declares everyone to be born equal, with dignity and rights. Though even in the past, the somewhat innate consciousness of these rights caused oppressed women to speak up and not to remain silent. This sense of justice not rarely caused individual women to be confronted with seemingly insurmountable obstacles that society placed in their way, offering only death to escape. Edna Pontellier, the protagonist of the novel "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin, was such a women caught up in her role as wife and mother but awakened to the realities of a male dominated culture that would counteract her self-definition and made self-denial a prerequisite for marriage. The purpose of the first chapter will be to examine the early stage of Edna in her marriage when she overlooked her husband's inadequacies and lived the submissive life given to her by the Victorian society of the 19th century as property of her spouse. This is followed by Edna's alienation from the patriarchic society, when she rebels against Léonce as the head of the family and the common mindset of the people of her time. Furthermore it will be examined which consequences this liberation from a male dominated environment in a marriage entailed. Special attention will be given to Edna's financial independence as well as her self-determined authority over her own life. Last but not least, the analysis will end with a brief summary and a conclusion.