The Awakening- Essay

Conformity is obedience. Whether to social standards, morals, or rules, conformity is a major theme in Kate Chopin's The Awakening. Like with everything in life, obedience comes with questions. It is hard to follow someone blindly without considering your own thoughts and feelings. Edna Pontellier chooses herself over society.1

She faces many obstacles along her way to self-discovery, always with the rules of society staring her in the face. Adele Ratignolle was one such force trying to hold Edna back. Adele is written as the epitome of mothers and wives. She is beautiful, full of grace and charm; she can play music and sew garments, all while keeping her children in order, her husband happy, and her house spotless. Adele is perfectly content with her life, and does everything which society commands of her without flaw. It is this contrast to Edna which greatly increases the meaning of the story. Adele as Edna's foil sheds light on Edna's flaws and shortcomings with more intensity than Edna alone might have shone. The fact that Adele does not question, is not curious about things other than her own household is quite shocking when compared to Edna's elevating self-esteem. In this way, Chopin is able to show human nature, or more likely, woman nature, in true honesty. 2

Just as Adele is a conformist, Robert Lebrun is shown as a questioner. He is always pushing the limits of society, but never intends to break them. His character, unlike Madame Ratignolle's, is dynamic, and he begins to explore his feelings for both his world and Edna, and which of the two is more important to him. Outwardly, he too is a conformist; visiting gentleman's clubs, earning a living, and maintaining a respectable status in society. However, inwardly he wishes for freedom from the bonds of life, for the freedom to love without constraint. Chopin created Robert as Edna's male counterpart, revealing to her world that women could have the same thoughts as men, that men could be encouragement and inspiration for women to find themselves. 3

Edna herself is a walking contradiction. She is married with children, entertains guests when they come to call, lives in a picturesque house, and has the means to obtain almost anything she wants. Yet, she fails to be happy with her situation. Contrary to her companions, Edna wishes for something more. Within the walls of her mind, she explores herself, questioning what is important to her, and what good she can do as her own person. Edna is the embodiment of the woman that dares to be different. In Chopin's time, Edna was criticized and condemned. However, Kate created Edna's world as a reflection on her own changing society, and without the boldness of her characters, women could still well be forced into unhappy marriages and suicide.