THE AWAKENING Kate Chopin

SETTING AND SOCIAL BACKGROUND  Settings: Grand Isle, Louisiana and New Orleans, Louisiana  New Orleans— Catholic, French, with a great deal of interracial mixing—is a relatively easygoing society. New Orleans was established in 1718 as a French-Canadian outpost. Its location near the mouth of the Mississippi River led to rapid development. Its unique social structure began to evolve with the first mass importation of African slaves in the 1720s. By the end of the eighteenth century, the port city was flourishing, and was an attractive haven for smugglers, gamblers, prostitutes and pirates.

SETTING AND SOCIAL CONT…  The growing population included British-Americans escaping the American Revolution and aristocrats fleeing the Revolution in France. The city also became a refuge for whites and free blacks—along with their slaves—escaping the slave revolts in Saint-Domingue.  The old “French Quarter” (or Vieux Carré), where the characters of The Awakening live, is the site of the original settlement.  The Quarter is laid out in a grid that is unchanged since 1721, bounded by the Mississippi River, Rampart Street, Canal Street and Esplanade Avenue (where the Pontelliers have their house). The architecture is actually predominantly Spanish colonial, with a strong Caribbean influence rather than French.

VICTORIAN AND EARLY TWENTIETH-CENTURY SEXUALITY  The Victorian attitude toward human sexuality was largely influenced by two individuals whose published works revolutionized how men and women viewed themselves: Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and Sigmund Freud (1856–1939).  Chopin is not at liberty to write openly about such matters. Men and women were not supposed to talk about—or even indulge in thoughts about—sex.  While it is clear that the issue of sex is not the sum total of Edna’s awakening, it is likewise clear that sexual freedom and expression are a part of it.

SYMBOLISM  Art: Art becomes a symbol of both freedom and failure.  Birds: Birds are a major symbol from the first sentence of the novel to the final image.  Swimming: Swimming appears as a central issue in the book three times.  Water: Water is a symbol of both freedom and escape.  Piano playing: There is a good deal of piano playing in the novel.  Sleep and Awakening: The first night of the novel, Edna cannot sleep after her husband rebukes her for neglecting the children. It is during this sleepless night that her awakening begins.

THEMES  Repressed feelings—almost everyone in the book, with the possible exceptions of Madame Ratignolle and her husband—repress their feelings, and this repression has a significant impact on how the characters interact and how the plot develops.  Personal freedom—All of the characters are trapped by social expectation.  Role of Women —The society of Kate Chopin’s novel allows for essentially one feminine role, and that is wife and mother.  Alienation and Loneliness  Consequences of Choices  The Ambiguity of Edna’s Suicide: