Edna Pontellier's The Awakening

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In the process of awakening, Edna takes pains to individualize her body and wrests back the right of control over her body, during which the inscriptions of the female body by power and discipline are gradually eradicated. Now Edna sees the world with different eyes and makes new acquaintances of herself as if she had been born anew. As a woman who has a "sensuous susceptibility to the beauty"(14; ch.7), when Edna comes to the realization of her independent status and existence significance as an individual, she also becomes a subject who discovers and creates beauty positively. Thus, this part will argue that with the rise of her female consciousness, Edna's body becomes a practical site for beauty discovery and creation. In return, beauty …show more content…
She possesses a sharp intuition to capture any details of beauty around her. Those beautiful things will not only bring pleasure to her senses, but more importantly, it inspires her internal power and evokes the resonance with her soul. One instance is when Edna listens to the piano of Mademoiselle Reisz at a party night: "the very first chords...sent a keen tremor down Mrs. Pontellier's spinal column...the very passion themselves were aroused within her soul, swaying it, lashing it...She trembled, she was choking, and the tears blinded her" (26; ch.9). Edna deeply feels the beauty of music and the shock it brings spreads over her body and shakes every sense of her senses. Thanks to music, she seems to discover the self that is hidden in the depths of the soul. That night a transformation occurs within Edna's body, and she suddenly gains a mysterious power that enables her to swim freely in the sea. From here, it is noteworthy that her keener perception of beauty also facilitates her awakening. The above examples demonstrate Edna's aesthetic experience and also reveal the close relationship between the body and

Edna Pontellier's The Awakening

In the “awakening” by Kate Chopin, Edna Pontellier’s attempt at learning to swim is a metaphor for her journey of self-discovery and freedom. Initially, Edna’s worry about swimming mirrors her reluctance to break free from social expectations. As she’s going to the beach for her first lesson, the narrator describes her as being scared of getting wet and afraid she would sink. This fear correlates with her fear of embracing her own desires and her identity outside of being a wife and mother. However…

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Edna Pontellier's Suicide In The Awakening

Edna Pontellier’s suicide through swimming into the sea, is her final awakening and strongest display of defiance to society’s confining norms. When Edna talks to Dr. Mandalet, she mentions that in order to attain her way of life she would be willing to “trample upon the lives, the hearts, the prejudices” of others (TA 105). But, she cannot trample upon those of her children. To Edna, her children would “drag her into the soul’s slavery for the rest of her days” by reminding her of her motherly duty…

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Edna Pontellier's Awakening

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Edna Pontellier's The Awakening

Edna Pontellier is unhappy with her role as a wife and mother of two in the late nineteenth century. Her children are healthy and beautiful, her husband is one of the most patient men around, yet there is something missing from her domestic life. It is too bland, too monotonous, and Edna longs for something more—an independence too often out of reach from women in her position. The Awakening by Kate Chopin illustrates Edna’s development of self, as she learns to make her yearnings and curiosities…

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Edna Pontellier's The Awakening

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Edna Pontellier's The Awakening

Edna Pontellier story takes place in 1890s Louisiana, within the upper-class creole society. Edna and her family are vacationing for the summer on the grand isle, located in Louisiana shore near New Orleans. They are staying at a pension and also Ratignolle family are staying in the pension too. Adele is a close friend of Edna although their philosophies and attitudes are different from each other. Another character who was staying in the pension is the young and charming Robert Lebrun. He was a…

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Essay On Edna Pontellier's Character In The Awakening

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Essay On Edna Pontellier's Suicide In The Awakening

The Awakening by Kate Chopin discusses the shy and quiet life of Edna Pontellier. Telling her silent journey of self discovery, leading up to her ultimate decision of departure from her husband, and the holds of oppression. However all fell short, as she makes the decision to commit suicide, along with not essentially being the most relatable, self righteous protagonist many books display. Instead Edna's thoughts makes one constantly raise the question of whether or not she had truly developed as…

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