Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin, born Katherine O'Flaherty, was an American author of short stories and novels. She is now considered by some to have been a forerunner of feminist authors of the 20th century

Realism Renders reality closely and in comprehensive detail. even at the expense of a well-made plot Character is more important than action and plot; complex ethical choices are often the subject. Class is important; the novel has traditionally served the interests and aspirations of an insurgent middle class. Events will usually be plausible. Realistic novels avoid the sensational, dramatic elements of naturalistic novels and romances. Diction is natural vernacular, not heightened or poetic; tone may be comic, satiric, or matter-of-fact. Objectivity increases as authorial intrusions diminish as the century progresses.

Creole At one point there were over 30 definitions of Creole Descendents of early French and/or Spanish settlers born in Louisiana are called “Creole.” Another definition is a mixture of African and French and/or African and Spanish born in Louisiana A third definition is the “Gens de Couleur Libres” or “Free People of Color” who had lived in New Orleans alongside European settlers from the city’s founding The Spanish, French and free people of color lived together and created a distinctive Creole culture with its own traditions, dialect, and cuisine.

The Cultures Creole Women Creole women were very conservative, perhaps the most conservative group in the nation They were frank and open in discussing their marriages and children, but could do so because their very moral nature did not allow any doubt as to their chastity They were committed as a group to their husbands and children and had a deep personal and religious commitment to fidelity

The Cultures Under the Louisiana Code, patterned after the Napoleonic code of France, a woman belonged to her husband. Article 1388 established the absolute control of the male over the family. Article 1124 equated married women with babies and the mentally ill, all three were deemed incompetent to make a contract.

The Cultures The one-drop rule is an historical colloquial term in the United States that holds that a person with any trace of sub-Saharan ancestry (however small or invisible) cannot be considered whiteUnited Statessub-Saharanwhite Unless the person has an alternative non- white ancestry that he or she can claim, such as Native American, Asian, Arab, Australian aboriginal, the person must be considered black.Native AmericanAsianArabAustralian aboriginal black

Quadroon - is someone of one-quarter black ancestry. A quadroon has a biracial parent (black and white) and one white parent.blackbiracialwhite In other words, the person has one black grandparent and three white grandparents. Octoroon - means a person of fourth-generation black ancestry. An octoroon has one parent who is a quadroon and one white parent. In other words, the person has one black great-grandparent and seven white great- grandparents.

Quintroon - is a rarely used term that means a person of fifth-generation black ancestry. A quintroon has one parent who is an octoroon and one white parent. In other words, the person has one black great- great-grandparent and fifteen white great- great-grandparents. Hexadecaroon - is an even less common term to describe a person of sixth-generation black ancestry. A Hexadecaroon has one parent who is a quintroon and one white parent. In other words, the person has one black great- great-great-grandparent and thirty-one white great-great-great-grandparents.

Symbols in The Awakening The Awakening is a novel full of symbolism; within each narrative segment there is often a central and powerful symbol that serves to add meaning to the text and to underline some subtle point Chopin is making. Understanding the meaning of these symbols is vital to a full appreciation of the story. Here are listed some of the major symbols with explanations of their import.

Art: Art becomes a symbol of both freedom and failure. It is through the process of trying to become an artist that Edna reaches the highest point of her awakening. Edna sees art as a way of self-expression and of self-assertion. Mlle. Reisz sees becoming an artist as a test of individuality.

Birds: Birds are major symbolic images in the narrative. They symbolize the ability to communicate (the mockingbird and parrot) and entrapment of women (the two birds in cages; the desire for flight; the pigeon house). Flight is another symbol associated with birds, and acts as a stand in for awakening. The ability to spread your wings and fly is a symbolic theme that occurs often in the novel. Mlle. Reisz lectures Edna on the need for strong wings in artistic endeavors.

Clothes: Edna is fully dressed when first introduced; slowly over the course of the novel she removes her clothes. This symbolizes the shedding of the societal rules in her life Her growing self-awakening and stresses her physical and external self. As she disrobes, the reader is presented with an internal voyeuristic view.

Food: There are several symbolic meals in the text and each stress mythic aspects in the text. The meal on Cheniere Caminada occurs after she awakens from a fairy tale sleep The dinner party in chapter thirty is viewed by some as a re-creation of the Last Supper

Houses: There are many houses in the novel The one on Grand Isle The one in New Orleans The pigeon house The house in which Edna falls asleep on Cheniere Caminada The first two of these houses serve as cages for Edna. She is expected to be a "mother-woman" on Grand Isle She is expected to be the perfect social hostess in New Orleans The other two are places of supposed freedom

Learning to swim: Edna has struggled all summer to learn to swim. She has been coached by the men, women, and children on Grand Isle. In chapter ten, Chopin uses the concept of learning to swim as a symbol of empowerment. It provides Edna with strength and joy. Also attached to the concept of swimming are the ideas of staying afloat and getting in over one's head Edna manages to do both.

The moon It is used as a symbol of mythic power and connects Edna with the goddess Selene and the associated implications. Selene was the Titan Goddess of the moon. Selene's great love was the shepherd prince Endymion. The beautiful boy was granted eternal youth and immortality by Zeus. Edna is sexually aware of Robert for the first time, this is the fertility aspect of the goddess Artemis. Artemis is strong and commanding, the goddess of the moon and the hunt. Moonlight also symbolizes the struggle Edna has with the concepts of sexual love and romantic love.

Ocean, Gulf, or Sea: The ocean is a symbol of both freedom and escape. Edna remembers the Kentucky fields of her childhood as an ocean, she learns to swim in the gulf, and she finds a kind of escape in the sea. The ocean is also a source of self-awareness, both an outward knowledge of the expansion of the universe and an inner direct obsession with self. The sound of the surf calls to her, comforts her throughout the novel, and acts as a constant beckon in the text. As you read, notice how often, even in New Orleans away from the sea, the language mimics the sound of the surf or the actions of the water.

Piano playing: Music is an important symbol in text, both Adele and Mlle. Reisz play the piano. Each woman functions to underscore a different aspect of the narrative. Adele is considered a musician by Leonce, but she does not play for art, instead she does so to keep her husband and children cheerful and to set time for parties. Mlle. Reisz, on the other hand, is disliked by all, but is granted status as a musician by only Robert and Edna. The issue of the piano playing echoes the issue of placement in society. If you follow the rules and norms whatever you accomplish is considered great, if you defy those rules you are shunned and disparaged. Thus, the piano playing becomes a symbol of societal rules and regulations.

Sleep: Sleep is an important symbolic motif running through the novel. Edna's moments of awakening are often preceded by sleep and she does a great deal of it. Each major episode is punctuated by specific mentions of Edna’s sleep or lack of sleep Robert Levine calls it the "sleepiest novel in the American literary canon" (71) and sees Edna's sleep patterns as a rebellion against natural rhythms. Sleep is also a means of escape and of repairing her tattered emotions. In fairy tales, sleep is a key ingredient.