'The Awakening' by Kate Chopin

Mr. Pontellier, at the beginning of the novel, however was “unable to read his newspaper” because he was getting irritated by the parrot and the mocking bird and “had the privilege to leave the society when they ceased to be entertaining” – this shows that Mr. Pontellier only gave Edna the amount of time he felt was necessary and not what Edna actually desired for. When Mr. Pontellier was going to Klein’s hotel he wasn’t sure whether he would return back for dinner or not and “It all depended upon the company which he found”. Edna had the talent, which was unable to reveal itself due to her husband’s misunderstanding as he thought Edna was fine and happy the way she is but this was not true.

Therefore, birds are major symbolic images in the narrative. Edna awoke and confronted the reality to such an extent that she escaped her home, her husband, her life, by leaving for the “little pigeon house”. Everything in this house is described as being “little”; “small”; “narrow”, this probably meant that Edna wasn’t interested in the grandness and the outward look of her life but instead she longed for a small and willing full life of her own.

Many animals have also been used as symbols. Firstly, Edna spends time stroking a “drowsy cat”; the word “drowsy” states something that is lazy and does not want to fulfill his/her duty. Similarly, Edna seems to be unwilling to accomplish her goals according to the role she has in the society because of her misguided feminist notions, therefore symbolizing her misuse of her life as a wife and a mother. Secondly, Edna hears the “barking of an old dog” as she drowns in the suicide scene. Dogs are sometimes considered to be heroic or saints which may symbolize Ednas’s brave act of purification and wisely escaping a conventional life, on the other hand, dogs are also regarded to be evil which may state Edna’s refusal of self-sacrifice for the sake of her children. This shows how selfishly she behaved, thus the barking of the dos maybe a reminder of her selfish choice.

Another creature that is used as a symbol is a bee that generally symbolizes resurrection and the mind. When she dies, Edna also hears the hum of bees. This means that all that Edna experienced throughout her life basically the “awakening” had has a positive intellectual impact. There has also been a little irony created because “bees collectively ensure the survival of their species”, however Edna trying to rebel against her dominated behavior and removing herself from the community, can no longer survive now.

Furthermore, when Robert returns from Mexico and asks Edna what has she been doing “all these days”, she replies that she’s been “…seeing the waves and the white beach of Grand Isle” and “…working with a little more comprehension than a machine and still feeling like a lost soul”. The waves probably represent Edna’s inability to stop her from fulfilling her own desires and return to a more conventional life after experiencing the sense of awakeness. It has become quite difficult for her to do this as he says that she’s been “working with a little more comprehension” which shows that she has started understanding her own feelings which never arose when she worked like a “machine”. She seems to face a conflict or moral danger between herself and the society.

Edna’s boundness of marriage and her only escape from this is stated at the start of the novel itself when Edna gives the “rings” to her husband, when she returns from the beach. The rings probably show Edna’s feeling of isolation and her boundness by marriage. Rings are usually meant to prove a freely faithful affection for the other partner

Some topics in this essay:
Pontellier Klein’s, Grand Isle”, Robert Edna, Secondly Edna, , Cheniere Caminada, Moreover Edna, Kate Chopin, Similarly Edna, Adele Ratignolle’s, mocking bird, learning swim, wings weak, edna’s affection, usually associated, conventional life, edna hears, “awakening” edna, symbol freedom, kate chopin,