The Awakening was set in the year 1899 in Louisiana. Edna Pontellier is unsatisfied with her marriage; she feels she is sleepwalking through life. On her trip to Grand Isle, she meets a handsome young man named Robert, and the affair begins. The Golden Bowl, on the other hand, is set in 1903 in England. Maggie Verver and her father have both just gotten married. The problem? Their spouses were former lovers who have rekindled their old flame, without the father’s knowledge. The reader must keep in mind that both these books were set in a time period in which women were just starting to break out of their shells. These two women are good examples of feminist heroes, just not in a very traditional …show more content…
The title piece, the golden bowl, is a cracked bowl given to Maggie by a shopkeeper, though she knows not of its defect. (insert quote here) This, of course, symbolizes the fact that Maggie does not yet know of the affair her husband in having. Many people, including Walter Wright, think Maggie went through an awakening of sorts to realize her marriage, like the bowl, is cracked and will eventually break. Edna Pontellier does go through an awakening, once she finds love again. Yet, when her lover deserts her, Edna commits suicide, refusing to continue living a life she detests. These two women fit the average instinct of any person faced with a conflict: flight or fight. (insert lit crit here: American Psychology Association) Maggie Verver demonstrates a person’s fight response. Despite her lack of “training’, per say, she chooses to fight for her husband rather than letting Charlotte have him. Edna is, of course, the flight response. She does not feel the need to save her marriage, though the problems are entirely her fault. The question here is: which response is the correct