The Awakening Symbolism Essay - 1756 Words

Kate Chopin uses powerful and significant symbolism in The Awakening to depict the feminist ideas involving women s longing for sexual and personal emancipation through the development of the main character, Edna Pontellier, as she recognizes the extent of her passion and ultimately the disappointment after the realization of her inevitable limitations in life. Symbolism is used to tell the story of Edna s journey toward self-discovery and the pursuit of her desires and freedom while defying Victorian society s expectations and her limited domestic female role of wife and mother. Some of these symbols include art, music, and houses. These images are also used to portray the different women of the Victorian era. Birds and water appear to†¦show more content†¦These personal struggles are emphasized with Chopin s use of symbolism and imagery. Chopin uses third person point of view, omniscient narrator to report the feelings and actions of Edna Pontellier. The narrator is anonymous but many critics believe that the narrator seems to align with Chopin s own convictions especially since Chopin began to write in the years in which she was trying to come to terms with her individuality, making her acquaintance with the wholly convincing self that was no longer defined by her husband (Boren, 160). Chopin clearly demonstrates her own support of the character rebelling against the conventions of Victorian society. Although the narrator is mainly objective, it also appears at times that the narrator has sympathy for Edna and support for her female struggle. This is especially evident in chapter six of the narrative, when Chopin is describing the beginning of things that represent Edna s first steps toward self-discovery by stating that a certain light was beginning to dawn dimly within her, --the light which, showing the way, fo rbids it (Perkins, 550). Chopin continues by stating that, In short, Mrs. Pontellier was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being, and toShow MoreRelated Symbolism in Kate Chopins The Awakening Essay1467 Words   |  6 PagesSymbolism in Kate Chopins The Awakening Chopins The Awakening is full of symbolism.   Rather than hit the reader on the head with blunt literalism, Chopin uses symbols to relay subtle ideas.   Within each narrative segment, Chopin provides a symbol that the reader must fully understand in order to appreciate the novel as a whole.   I will attempt to dissect some of the major symbols and give possible explanations as to their importance within the text.   Art itself is a symbol of both freedomRead MoreEssay on symbolaw Use of Symbols and Symbolism in The Awakening1292 Words   |  6 PagesUse of Symbolism in Chopins The Awakening The Awakening is a novel full of symbolism; within each narrative segment there is often a central and powerful symbol that serves to add meaning to the text and to underline some subtle point Chopin is making. 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