Linnea Nelson English 271 LITERARY ANALYSIS

An Examination of Edna Pontellier as a Model of Feminism in Kate Chopins The Awakening

While Kate Chopins The Awakening is virtually universally recognized as having strong feminist themes and sentiments, the novels protagonist, Edna Pontellier, is far from embodying the ideal representation of an assertive and liberated woman. It is true that Edna is the means by which readers are shown the repressive societal expectations which women were required to meet in order to be respected and deemed as worthy of a good reputation. Accordingly, and of equal importance, is the acknowledgement that The Awakening is an essentially feminist text, as it focuses upon a woman actively questioning the role in which society has placed her. But it is, in fact, none other than Edna who renders herself incapable of reconciling the differences between a life of motherhood and the pursuit of uncommitted love. In ending her life, Edna completely gives over her power as a human being, and, therefore, as a woman. While this suicide may be viewed as the most poignant example of Ednas choice to reject what power she has, other elements present in the novella, such as her narrow and judgmental perceptions of other female characters (particularly Adele Ratignolle), also serve to signal how her behavior is, in fact, a perpetuation of anti-feminism. Edna therefore becomes not a representation of the feminist ideal, but that of the conflict which societys dictations to 19th century women created. Ednas central problem appears to stem from her inability to live within the limits of societal expectation in the Creole community, which is full of women who idolized their

L. Nelson 2 children and worshiped their husbands, after her taste of lifes delirium (Chopin 29, 78). This struggle proves so overwhelming for Edna that as the novella draws to its close, we are told that, all sense of reality had gone out of her life; she had abandoned herself to Fate, and awaited the consequences with indifference (Chopin 127). Robert Lee Mahon asserts that the tragedy which results from Edna's awakening springs from being caught between two extremes, (228). But he continues with: Edna's real problemlies, as most problems do, deeper: in a flaw or weakness in her character fundamentally removed from any question of sex or female position. In short, Edna is, after her awakening, still an almost person, a soul not so much solitary, as Chopin's original title (A Solitary Soul) would indicate, but incomplete, in a sort of indeterminate stage between sleep and actual activity. (Mahon 229) Thus, Ednas problem is more than a simple inability to find balance between desire and societal expectation, but a weakness in her charactera refusal to commit to anything at all. As evidenced in her half-hearted artistic endeavors, her uncommitted and changeable relationships with Robert Lebrun and Alce Arobin, and, indeed, virtually all her behavior, Edna remains a dabbler rather than a disciplined professional (Mahon 232). Harsh as this verdict may seem when taking Ednas admitted predicament into consideration, lack of resolve is hardly the only point against her as a feminist model. Simply judging Ednas sensibilities based on her view of the women around her reveals that she completely misses the feminist mark. In Ednas perceptions of Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz lie two of the most telling examples of her anti-feminism, as these perceptions lie in direct violation of Simone de Beauvoirs ideal of femininity as defined by itself rather than its relation to masculinity (Bressler 149). Feminist critic Katharine Kearns

L. Nelson 3 posits that Edna is guilty of a fundamental fallacy: she seems fully to have accepted a masculinist definition of selfhood and conceives of self in similarly idealistic terms, as if she and all women are at best crude approximations of the masculinely conceived transcendent I (76), as evidenced by her scorn for the two other significant female characters in the novella, Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz. With Chopins description of Adele as resembling the bygone heroine of romance and the fair lady of our dreams (29) and Mademoiselle Reisz as a little woman, no longer young (46), who has a temper which was self-assertive and a disposition to trample upon the rights of others (47), the pair appear to occupy opposite ends of a spectrum and offer Edna sufficient variety in female companionship. But Edna manages to dismiss Adele for her colorless existence which never uplifted its possessor before the region of blind contentment (Chopin 78), and Mademoiselle Reisz for her lack of refinement and verbal venom (Chopin 71). She rejects both as having failed to liberate themselves in some way. Ironically, the argument can be made that in Adele Ratignolle resides The Awakenings most successful character, by feminist standards. Adele effectively balances societal expectation with her own desiresa balance which Edna completely forfeits with her changeable behavior and eventual suicide. While Adeles position as a feminist is difficult for some readers to discern, she reveals her strength and feminist identity by working the patriarchal system to her advantage (Streater 407-8). Kathleen Streater draws attention to the fact that Adele is able to maintain a flirtatious relationship with Robert, while seemingly keeping her husband completely happy with their marriage. Adeles skill is also evident as she presents all on-lookers with the appearance of being the ideal mother-woman. It is through these subtleties that Chopin shows the reader that

L. Nelson 4 Ednas fatal choices were neither the only ones available to her, nor those most assertive of feminine strength. While Edna succumbs to exhaustion and bewilderment, Adele works quietly within the framework of her place as a woman in society, and possesses an assertive, bold identity that can barely suppress a knowing wink to the conventional demands of her society (Streater 410). While Edna Pontelliers standing as a representative of feminist qualities may be justly called into question, The Awakening as a whole is unquestionably a feminist text. It is impossible to witness Ednas dilemma without recognizing the inflexibility of her position. Rosemary Franklin refers to Chopins narrative point of view as complex, a blend of sympathy and criticism, (520) and indeed, Chopin successfully navigates the murky waters of the novellas fundamental moral issues, neither justifying Ednas actions nor condemning them. Rather, she brings the conflict between a womans emotional freedom versus familial and societal responsibility into the light. Biographer Emily Toth points out, The Awakening was greeted with hostile, even brutal reviews, but most were from men: women readers wrote Chopin warm letters of praise and invited her to give readings (121). Peter Ramos adds that, Chopins novella illuminates the socio-economic and cultural realities women like Edna faced, as well as the physical desires and social needs society denied them (151). Thus, despite the decades which passed between the publication of The Awakening in 1899 and its recognition as such, Ednas story remains a quintessential work in feminist literature.

L. Nelson 5 Works Cited Bressler, Charles E. Literary Criticism: An Introduction to Theory and Practice. 5th ed. Boston: Longman, 2011. Print. Chopin, Kate. The Awakening: Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism. Ed. Nancy Walker. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2000. Print. Franklin, Rosemary F. The Awakening and the Failure of Psyche. American Literature: A Journal of Literary History, Criticism and Bibliography 56 (1984): 510-26. Kearns, Katherine. "The Nullification of Edna Pontellier." American Literature 63.1 (1991): 62-88. Mahon, Robert Lee. "Beyond the Love Triangle: Trios in The Awakening." Midwest Quarterly 39.2 (1998): 228-34. Ramos, Peter. Unbearable Realism: Freedom, Ethics and Identity in The Awakening. College Literature 37.4 (2010): 145-165. Streater, Kathleen M. Adele Ratignolle: Kate Chopins Feminist at Home in The Awakening. Midwest Quarterly 48.3 (2007): 406-416. Toth, Emily. Kate Chopin on divine love and suicide: Two rediscovered articles. American Literature. 63.1 (1991): 115-121.