The Awakening Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

The Awakening - Essay Example Though she chooses to act on her own, she fails to understand that freedom without responsibility brings about anarchy. While defying the Victorian ideals of femininity, she gullibly defies her motherhood and wifehood by deserting her children and husband. Her husband Leonce Pontellier appears to be the ideal Victorian male who is devoted to his family and remains busy in his business. Though Leonce effectively represents the authoritarian and possessive Victorian patriarchy, he –as a father and a husband- is less culpable. Before her romance with Robert, Edna’s relationship with Leonce was quite healthy. It essentially testifies that apart from the authoritarian patriarchal essence Leonce appears to be a good husband. Before the awakening at Robert’s second escape, Edna appears to be one of those heroines, of feminist metanarrative, who are aggressive to their men accusing them as their restrictive superiors. Chopin’s heroine also grows hatred for her hus band’s restrictions. She actively seeks a way out of it and begins to isolate her from the so-called male dominated society. She learns how to swim. Here swimming metaphorically refers to Edna’s perception of freedom. In the vast expanse of the ocean Edna can realize her own strength. When she is in the water, she perceives her position as an individual entity amid the universe. Until the readers reach the end of the novel, they mistake Edna’s husband Leonce Pontellier for a traditional patriarchal antagonist. Chopin presents the male characters as the passive patriarchal role-players of the society. Both Leonce and Robert cannot but succumb to the demands of the male dominated society. Neither Robert nor Leonce can be considered as villainous toward Edna. Rather the true villain, if there is any, is the society in which Robert and Leonce live. Chopin further explores deep into modern feminist metanarrative with a question how far it will be justifiable to conde mn motherhood and wifehood as the patriarchy-imposed restriction on women’s freedom. Far from portraying men as villains she attempts to impeach the society in a broader context for mutilating women’s freedom. Also she does not let a feminist go unquestioned. In the first place, she puts Edna’s role into question whether her decision to leave her husband and family is justified or not. She longs for Robert’s love. But she is not considerate enough to think that someone else such as her husband and children need her love. If she needs absolute freedom, she has got it. But even then she commits suicide because she does not get Robert’s love. Thus Chopin attempts to show that loveless freedom is meaningless. In addition, Chopin wants to purport that Edna is in search of freedom. Necessarily she asks the readers what Edna’s freedom is for. It is seems that Edna’s freedom is to fulfill her carnal hunger. She is infatuated with Robertâ€⠄¢s charm. But she seems to be oblivious to the aftermaths of such extramarital affair. Very likely, Chopin wants to say that the society which Robert, Leonce and even Edna herself are committed to is one based on the universal rules of human relationship. Robert’s awareness of adultery and his Declination from their extramarital affair are more of his respect for the marital agreement between Edna and Leonce than of his fear of patriarchal authority. Again through Edna’s attempt to attain freedom by distancing herself from