The Role Of Feminism In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

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During the turn of the century, Kate Chopin, a rising author, published one of her most controversial novels, titled The Awakening. The Awakening, almost immediately after it was published, was mired in heavy backlash against its non-conformist, feminist ideals. Although venerated by realist writers throughout the 20th century, the novel, and Chopin herself, was ostracized from communities across the south. It portrayed feminist ideals that would appear in 1920s feminist movements and would be held in high esteem decades following Chopin’s death in 1904. Moreover, its main character, Edna Pontellier, would be remembered as a women who followed her inner desires and diverged from stereotypical southern gender roles. Enda’s final decision to be “free” from her second-class-citizen status and her unhappy marriage would be a hallmark in feminist literature. In addition, her novel would have powerful lasting effects long after it was published. Therefore, Chopin’s eminent novel The Awakening embodied Realism and was idiosyncratic to contemporary literature the late 1800’s, contained radical contemporary ideals, and left a momentous impact on early …show more content…
First, the plot of The Awakening hinges on the slowly growing dissatisfaction of her role as a mother and a wife (Greene 3). Moreover, Enda, unlike her conformist, conventional friend, Adele Ratignolle, spends less time with her family and becomes focused on self-discovery. This would set the basis for her final “awakening,” which causes her to finally become her true self. Therefore, she finally felt independent and free for the first time, but, consequently, this results in her death. She would only feel free for an ephemeral time until she finally became awakened, and swam to her death. In short, this would become an archetype for feminist who advocated for self-discovery and
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