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 Awakened September 6, 2008
E. A Solinas (MD USA)
The lot of women in the 19th century wasn't a terribly impressive one -- many of them had been reduced to babymakers and inoffensive "property" for the men.
And Kate Chopin caused a massive scandal when she wrote about one woman who drifted from societal normal in "The Awakening," leading to a world of exploration, love, and ultimately tragedy. Her misty, vaguely dreamlike writing can pull a reader into the world of 1900s New Orleans and its society, but her heroine sometimes feels more like a vessel than a fully-realized person.
Edna Pontellier is the wife of successful New Orleans businessman Léonce, and mother of two lovely young boys. Yet she is dissatisfied by her life, and feels no connection to the other wives and mothers, who idolize their motherhood and subservience. And when she encounters handsome young Creole Robert Lebrun while on vacation, she begins to "awake" to the feelings she has left behind during her marriage.
Distancing herself from Leonce and her sons, Edna begins exploring art and emotions that have been denied her by the strictures of her society -- as well as an affair with the flirtatious Alcée Arobin. She even moves out into a cottage of her own, much to the horror of those who thought they knew her. Her romantic feelings have not moved on from Robert, but his return makes her realize how different she has become...
Kate Chopin's most famous work is often cited as a sort of proto-feminist work, with a woman rebelling against the male-dominated role she has been given. The fact that a story about a woman abandoning her husband and kids caused such a scandal only adds to that belief.
But that's a rather restricted label to give such a versatile author, and "Awakening" is a book with too many facets to be so restrained. In many ways Chopin resembles a Southern version of Edith Wharton, exploring the stultifying society that she once dwelled in, and the often-tragic consequences of people -- particularly women -- who dared to step outside those unforgiving boundaries.
Chopin's lush writing elevates this story even further, weaving an atmospheric, vaguely dreamlike web around everyday New Orleans. She makes readers feel the heat of a summer's day, the remote beauty of a party, the eerie majesty of an empty sea. And though "The Awakening" is infused by a feeling of languid dreaminess, Chopin creates a feeling of tension and inevitability that grows as the book goes on. It's almost a shock at the book's finale, when that tension releases in a quiet burst of poetic language.
And to her credit, Chopin is able to make her points about women and society without setting up straw-men. Such characters as "angel of the house" Adèle Ratignolle and the stuffy Leonce (who sees Edna as his personal property and expects her to obey) are examples of the usual society of the time, yet Leonce is a fully realized character who loves -- but can never understand -- his wife.
Perhaps the biggest problem is that Edna herself is at times rather thin as a character. While she has many conflicting desires, she sometimes seems like a mere vessel for all those desires to be displayed over time. But there are some scenes where she does seem like a fully realized person, such as when she meditates on her lack of housewifely virtues, is struck by wild mood swings around her sons, and befriends Mademoiselle Reisz.
"The Awakening" is more than just an early feminist novel -- it's an exquisitely written story about the roads that our own desires can take us down, and the tragedies that can come from it. A must-read, if nothing else for Kate Chopin's powerful writing.
A book showcasing the peril inherent in one's pursuit of self-reinvention June 20, 2007
Nolivienne C. Ermitaño (Manila, Philippines)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
A broad-brush, sociological analysis of the book reveals that it's a story that features an `individual-versus-society' theme, raising the usual thought-provoking questions: Can individuals flaunt with impunity the unwritten laws of society? Can they break out of the mold in which society has cast them? Or do they, for all their valiant efforts, end up affirming the truth of the Japanese proverb: `The nail that sticks out will be hammered down'?
Here, you have Edna Pontellier, a married Creole woman of the late 19th century who, by a confluence of circumstances, realizes that she's been straitjacketed by conventions all her life and thereafter resolves - without much thought of the consequences - to free herself from the chokehold of a bland existence and give full form and substance to her intellectual, artistic, emotional, and sexual proclivities. She thus takes a series of bold, reckless steps in this direction, and not even the sweet joys of parenthood or the discreet interventions of friends like Adele Ratignolle and Dr. Mandelet can hold her back. Indeed, she finds herself incurably captivated by the prospect of attaining full independence (and by implication, gaining unqualified affirmation of her individuality); she's drawn to it like a moth to a flame.
Not surprisingly, however, her precipitate transformation heightens her sense of isolation even as it gives her a sense of empowerment. The more she becomes more of herself, the more her sense of attachment to others unravels. Unfortunately for her, the trade-off between independence and isolation takes on the character of a Faustian bargain, and consequently, her situation becomes increasingly unbearable. Things come to a head when Robert Lebrun, for whom she has felt the stirrings of passion, eventually, reluctantly, reveals his affection for her but proves unable - or unwilling? - to act on it. Unlike her, he is still pretty much a product of the society in which he has been bred. He can't - or won't? - bring himself to defy communal expectations by having an illicit affair with her no matter how much he loves her, no matter how much she wants it. And this turn of events proves to be the proverbial last straw, predisposing her to kill herself.
In view of the ending, how then should one interpret the story? Is this a resounding triumph of society over a defiant individual? Or is this a tragic yet heroic struggle of a defiant individual? It's all a matter of perspective, I reckon. Those who regard Edna Pontellier's transformation as a mutation will say it's about the dire, social consequence of individual maladjustment, of an individual's misguided desire to defy social conventions in pursuit of self-reinvention. On the other hand, those who regard it as a metamorphosis (yours truly included) will say it's about the provocative assertion of individuality in the face of overwhelming social constraints; it's about an individual who has tired of playing by the stipulated rules of the game, as it were, and dares to quit for good - and does so to good effect.
Ahead of its time; ahead of the pack March 9, 2003
Peter Reeve (Thousand Oaks, CA USA)
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
A century after the publication of Kate Chopin's novel, its themes -- a woman's awakening to the full potential of her sexual passion and her sense of being smothered by marriage and motherhood -- have become the staple ingredients of 'chick lit'. It is thus easy to overlook how revolutionary and shocking the events and ideas of this story must have seemed at the time. Then, the book was banned from public libraries in America; now, it is required reading in schools.In many ways, both in theme and treatment, it resembles "Madame Bovary". Although Chopin lacks Flaubert's scope and breadth of vision, she reaches deeper into the soul of her heroine. Her style is restrained and elegant and some modern readers, accustomed to a pacier and more explicit treatment, may grow impatient at times. But there is beautiful writing here, embodying rich characterizations, strong evocations of time and place and thought-provoking moral ambiguity. An undoubted masterpiece.
 Not for shallow minds August 25, 1998
7 out of 14 found this review helpful
How could any woman not like this book? I am FAR from being a feminist, but- WOW! Ms. Chopin was ahead of her time in describing the oppression of women and how they were considered nothing but an extension of their husbands. She ventured where few female authors dared and boldly expressed the idea that if a woman wasn't free to be herself it was better, not only for her, but for all around her, that she were dead instead of living as someone that she was not. Suicide was a little extreme, but what other choice did Edna have in that time period? Ms. Chopin's ideas of liberation and identity and equality are still applicable today. A woman must become someone before she becomes someone's wife.
My Favorite Book Ever! May 13, 1998
5 out of 8 found this review helpful
This is my absolute favorite novel. I read it for the first time in high school, and have reread it several times since my initial engagement with Edna and her strength to decide not to be the woman society tells her she should be. Perhaps it is the writing and story that drew me in initially, but it is the message that keeps me going back to this book. Many say her suicide shows her weakness. I wholeheartedly disagree -- this is her strength, her decision that she cannot be someone she is not. Kate Chopin's thoughts and words are amazing -- a message many today need to appreciate, a message about women as strong individuals, not haphazard followers. The Awakening is incredible!
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