The Awakening's Ending

Those who have finished the book know that Edna dies by drowning. Her suicide leaves questions like, what happens to her children? What happens to her husband? What happens to the rest of the characters? But the biggest one is possibly, why? Why did she kill herself?

It is shown in the novel that Edna's suicide was not premeditated, but an act of impulse. "She was not thinking of these things when she walked down to the beach." (Chopin 155). As she continues to go farther and farther into the water, she decides that this is what she'll do. Although I don't agree with her final actions, seeing as how I was especially curious as to what she would do with her life, one can understand how she arrived at that point. The author demonstrates that the reason possibly lies within her family and Robert. "There was no one thing in the world that she desired. There was no human being whom she wanted near her except Robert; and she even realized that the day when he, too, and the thought of him would melt out of her existence, leaving her alone. The children appeared before her like antagonists who had overcome her; who had overpowered and sought to drag her into the soul's slavery for the rest of her days." (Chopin 155). It's important to take note that she does not directly state that her children are part of what causes her to make her decision. It's what they represent. It's what they remind her of: that she has been "fitted" for this role and nothing else.

As for Robert, Edna acknowledges that whatever relationship she could've had with him would have been short-lived and potentially kept under wraps. Edna also acknowledges that the one thing she desires, Robert, is one of the things she can't ever possibly have. Edna Pontellier was a lot of things, but she wasn't clueless. In the most basic terms, she was trapped and she knew that's how she would've stayed. She may have made progress by moving out of her house and allowing herself to love Robert, but she was most likely never going to be able to proudly walk down the street, with her head held high. How could she, when she knew she could not have the right to love Robert? To be free? To live as she pleases? And so the end of Edna Pontellier came about, with subtlety and without hesitation.

Robert and Edna's suicide (Not Robert and Edna, more like Robert, and Edna's suicide) :^D

   When Edna realized that even the man she claimed to be the love of her life could never understand or relate to her, it was the straw the broke the camel's back, so to speak. Once she decides to move away and become independent of Mr. Pontellier, "she had resolved never again to belong to another other than herself." This is important in her re-connection with Robert because when she becomes candid in her feeling for his leave describing it as "the embodiment of selfishness...neglect[ful]." (Chopin 143) Robert calls her comment, "...cruel...Maybe not intentionally cruel; but you seem to be forcing me into disclosures which can result in nothing..." (Chopin 143) His comment shows that he sees that Edna's expression of anger for his leave is bitter and unnecessary unless it will fix anything - which in his eyes it doesn't. After it was obvious that Edna's love wasn't able to love her exactly as he had before in the careless and playful summer and that he was just as socially indifferent as everyone else, she had begun to feel truly alone. 

The Awakening Post #4

After reading the Awakening, by Kate Chopin, I had many thoughts and opinions. My opinion of Edna had changed the most throughout the novel. At first, I did feel bad for her and wanted her to seek her happiness. But, as I continued reading, she became too selfish. Edna did not care at all about her husband or children. She could have lived the life she had always wanted but with her children. They did not deserve this. The most selfish act Edna made out of the entire book was when she committed suicide. This ending was a huge shock. After reading an entire novel about Edna fighting for her independent lifestyle, she drowns herself. This was a major disappointment. This also made me, once again, feel bad for her children. She committed suicide because Robert, her true love, had left her and she felt like she had no one. Edna felt alone when she still had family and friends who cared about her. Edna never considered anyone else's feelings throughout the entire novel.

Awakening Review

The Awakening

    The Awakening by Kate Chopin is a fiction novel that took place in the late 1800’s in Louisiana.

     One theme showcased in The Awakening is love, as Edna was trying to figure out what love meant to her throughout the novel. Within the novel Edna had relationships with three different men, but she only loved one of them. One of the men she didn’t love was her own husband. For example, when asked about her husband, “Mrs. Pontellier was forced to admit that she knew of none better.” (Chopin 9). Her marriage to this man was not her choice. The next man was Mr. Arobin, whom she had a very intimate relationship with. That first time the two kissed, Chopin wrote that it, “...was not love…” (Chopin 113). Edna only liked this man because he fulfilled her desires. However the third man, Robert Lebrun, ultimately won her affections, “because his hair [was] brown and [grew] away from his temples; because he open[ed] and shut his eyes, and his nose [was] a little out of drawing; because he [had] two lips and a square chin, and a little finger which he [couldn’t] straighten from having played baseball too energetically in his youth.” Edna loved him because he was just him.

     Another theme found was family. Edna’s relationship with her family was very complicated, and continuously got worse throughout the course of the novel. For example, Edna refused to attend her sister’s wedding, which led to, “...a warm, and almost violent dispute…” (Chopin 96), between her and her father. Another example of the bad relationship she had with her family is the way she explains that, "...[She] would give [her] money, [she] would give [her] life for [her] children; but [she] wouldn't give [herself]” (Chopin 64).

 One shortcoming in the novel is the use of foreign words and phrases. They made it impossible to read without having to take a break and look up what each specific word meant to piece together what was going on. For example, the opening dialogue of the novel is, “Allez-vous-en! Allez-vous-en! Sapristi! That’s all right!” (Chopin 1). Not only this, but she would weave in and out of English and French, which made the confusion even more severe. For example, when Robert Lebrun and Mrs. Ratignolle were arguing, he said, “"Tiens!... Voila que Madame Ratignolle est jalouse!" (Chopin 26), and she responded with, "Nonsense! I'm in earnest; I mean what I say. Let Mrs. Pontellier alone." (Chopin 26). 

    Another shortcoming is the extremely short chapters. This created more chapters to read, which made for a dragged out process of reading. For example, a majority of the chapters are 2-4 pages long such as chapter 1 (Chopin 1-4), chapter 19 (Chopin 76-78), and chapter 27 (Chopin 111-112). The shortest chapter in the book is 28, and it doesn’t even cover a page (Chopin 113). Chopin made a mistake by writing The Awakening like this.

     Despite the shortcomings, Chopin made the right choice by having Edna transform into an independent woman. For example, in the beginning when Edna sneaks off to be with Robert she, “...was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being” (Chopin 16). This was only the start of her self realization. By the end of the novel, Edna became completely independent, and decided to end it all by swimming as far out into the ocean as possible. Whilst swimming, “A feeling of exultation overtook her, as if some power of significant import had been given her to control the working of her body and her soul. She grew daring and reckless, overestimating her strength. She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before” (Chopin 156) Many women before her would only go so far as their husbands tell them to, but Edna then had full control of what she does, and she was not going to stop for anything or anyone. Edna’s independence inspires readers-- especially women-- not to conform to what their loved ones tell them to do, and to keep doing whatever pleases them.

In summary, The Awakening by Kate Chopin was an outstanding novel, which was an enthralling read that inspired feministic ideals. Though the book had its faults, they were greatly surpassed by Chopin’s ability to write such a relatable and realistic story. 

Edna's Escape Through Suicide

The Awakening ends somewhat abruptly as Edna kills herself. She does this to escape all her troubles. The readers can deduce this because in reference to my first blog post, where I concluded that Edna regards the water as a means of escape from being a mother, a wife, and also an outsider in the society, she also commits suicide in water. However, Edna has some seconds thoughts about suicide as she thinks, “Perhaps Doctor Mandelet would have understood if she had seen him—but it was too late…” (Chopin 176). These second thoughts still don’t affect her resolve for escape, showing that she is much stronger than the last time she tried to escape her troubles through water.

Regardless of this, her actions can be considered selfish because she has children. These children will now have to grow up without a mother. Although she wasn’t the best of mothers to them even when she was around, they still need a mother figure. But she thinks solely of herself as she begins to regard her kids as “antagonists… who had overpowered and sought to drag her into the soul’s slavery for the rest of the rest of her days” (Chopin 175). This is only because she has chosen never to let her children or let anyone else come before herself. She is now finally free.

 

Realism

     In reading the final chapters of The Awakening, it began to feel like less of a novel written by a realist, and more of one written by a romanticist. Edna was finally getting her way and beginning to feel free. She had a private romantic talk with Robert where she says "Now you are here and we shall love each other my Robert.We shall be everything to each other. Nothing else in  this world is of any consequence." (Chopin 147) The whole scene seems a bit romanticized and things seem to be going too well for her. However, this was just a setup by Chopin to deliver the dose of realism that would have been missing without it. Edna presumably kills herself by drowning. Many people as I've read do not like this ending. They complain that it's too abrupt and that things were finally starting to work for Edna. BUT THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT REALISM IS ABOUT. This is the same type of realism Chopin uses in The Story of an Hour. I personally found the ending interesting for what it is, and that is a realistic, not-so-happy ending. However, I am curious as to what Mr. Pontillier's and Robert's reaction, respectively, to the news of Edna's death would be. I believe Robert would still move on next summer and pry on another married woman. The Awakening has been an interesting novel, and an excellent example of realism. Maybe this is how Edna went out...

The Awakening Final Post

     Edna Pontellier has transformed immensely throughout The Awakening. As the title suggests, Mrs. Pontellier had undergone a sort of ‘awakening’. In the beginning of the story, she had been unaware, almost, of her true wishes and personal desires. Edna Pontellier was content with her position as the wife and mother of Léonce Pontellier and his children. Throughout the story and until the very end, she develops more and more as an individual. She is not just a woman or a wife. She is able to identify herself and someone who has sexual and nonsexual desire, wants and needs. After assessing the final chapter of this short story, I have been able to find many different forms of symbolism and examples in which Edna has transformed. “All along the white beach, up and down, there was no living thing in sight. A bird with a broken wing was beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water.”(Chopin 175) I am sure that this damaged bird is meant to represent Edna herself. The bird flies and flies with the broken wing, but finally allows itself to fall, unable to sustain itself with its preceding injuries. Edna Pontellier, with her life falling before her, is unable to keep going. She has done so much to identify as a free-woman, but with her deep despondency, she cannot go on. Edna no longer has the will to live. In just the next paragraph, Edna is entering the water and decides to remove her bathing suit for the first time. “But when she was there beside the sea, absolutely alone, she cast the unpleasant, pricking garments from her, and for the first time in her life she stood naked in the open air, at the mercy of the sun, the breeze that beat upon her, and the waves that invited her. How strange and awful it seemed to stand naked under the sky! how delicious! She felt like some new-born creature, opening its eyes in a familiar world that it had never known.”(Chopin 175) I understand this to be precisely as it states, and more. Kate Chopin could not have better stated this in any way. Simply, by removing the bathing suit and allowing the water of the gulf to submerge her body, Edna Pontellier had allowed herself to become fully conscious. She is awake to the horrors and beauties of the world around her and of her own self. Edna swims, further and further into the ocean until she begins to become exhausted. The story then abruptly, but not surprisingly, ends with her giving in to this exhaustion. This represents her death, figuratively and spiritually.