Friday, February 26, 2016
You don't know what you have until it's gone
Towards the end of The Awakening, Kate Chopin portrays that you don't know what you have until it's gone. In the beginning of the book Edna shows a strong dislike for her children and we don't even know her children's names until page seven but even then it's just one. Towards the end of the book Edna has this new love for her children who she neglected for so long. Chopin writes, "She would sometimes gather them passionately to her heart; she would sometimes forget them," (page 25). Edna would sometimes care for her children but most of the time she found them more of a problem and in the way. Later, Chopin writes, "It was with a wrench and a pang that Edna left her children... All along the journey homeward their presence lingered with her like the memory of a delicious song," (page 128). After being alone for so long and without her kids, she sees them again and she realizes how much she misses them and loves them. She realizes this from living without them for a while and realizing it's better to have them around even if she wasn't a very good mother to them before. She was excited to spend time with people who were familiar to her rather than the loneliness she had wanted for so long.
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For the most part, I agree. I did find that Edna had much love for her children, however it seemed to sort of disburse when something else would take her focus. Edna's relationship with Robert for example, would easily take prioritization over her children's well-being.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I liked how you used the quote about her comparing her children to a song, there is a point where you want to stop listening to the song and hear something new. I think the author elaborates on Edna's affection for her children, but her love doesn't change. She still has the same stance: she would give everything for her children, other than who she is.
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