Self Expression In The Awakening - 1505 Words

The plot of The Awakening by Mary Chopin shows Mrs. Pontellier’s journey to self-expression and personal happiness. Mrs. Pontellier has a moment of awakening, when she realizes that the way that she lives her life does not make her personally happy, and spends the rest of the novel trying to change her life for the better relentless of how the rest of the society will react to her decisions. This tension between outward conformity and the inward questioning present in the plot of The Awakening helps demonstrate Edna’s journey of self-expression. Mrs. Pontellier and Madame Ratignolle’s discussion that they have at their beach house opens Edna’s journey towards self-expression. At this moment, Edna realises the source of her frustration and†¦show more content†¦Society considers the Pontellier’s as one of the more wealthier families, so having a maid that could be responsible for doing Mrs. Pontellier’s duties, while she focuses on her passions could have been an option. Judging from the way Mr. Pontellier carries himself and how he brands himself, he likes to follow tradition and does not like to stand out. Demonstrated from this passage from the novel,†Mr. Pontellier had been a rather courteous husband so long as he met certain tacit submissiveness in his wife. But her new and unexpected line of conduct completely bewildered him. Then her absolute disregard for her duties as a wife angered him,† even with his background, he could have Edna, not do her chores, but would rather stay humble and have her do the work like the rest of the ladies mentioned in the novel (Chopin 108). Focusing back on Edna’s hobbies, she starts to focus on painting, which gives her an outlet of self-expression. The novel states that while she was painting, â€Å"she was working with great energy and interest, without accomplishing anything, however, which satisfied her even in the smallest degree†(Chopin 109). Mrs. Pontellier starts to be more openly self-indulgent by this part of the novel and she does not care if people disagree with the way that she handles herself, which testifies that through contrast in habitual behavior, Mrs. Pontellier is showingShow MoreRelated Theme of Isolation in The Awakening Essays787 Words   |  4 PagesTheme of Isolation in The Awakening      Ã‚  Ã‚   One theme apparent in Kate Chopins novel, The Awakening, is the consequence of solitude when independence is chosen over conformity. The novels protagonist, Edna Pontellier, is faced with this consequence after she embarks on a journey of self-discovery. As Ednas ability to express herself grows, the number of people who can understand her newfound language shrinks (Ward 3). Ednas awakening from a conforming, Victorian wife and mother, intoRead MoreGrace Millan . Mrs. Schroeder . 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