The Symbolic Role of Birds in Kate Chopins The Awakening...

The Symbolic Role of Birds in Kate Chopins The Awakening The Awakening by Kate Chopin is a truly enlightening novel about a young woman who begins to really live her life for herself, breaking out of the various barriers of society and family. Chopin uses symbolism as an excellent tool to slip her ideas to readers, causing them to think, giving readers a glimpse into the life of this young woman at a time when women were harnessed by many restraints. The birds that appear throughout the novel are the most intriguing symbols; they are used many different ways, to mean many different things, and to portray various emotions and situations. As the novel begins, Chopin likens Edna to a bird in a gilded cage. Edna is not†¦show more content†¦Edna is not a particularly motherly woman, unlike most women of her social circles. She certainly does not measure up to her husbands idea of a good mother, and in the beginning pages of the novel, he criticizes her. He reproached his wife with her inattentions, her habitual neglect of the children (637). Edna certainly does not fit in with the mother-woman role the other women of her acquaintance are astute in assuming, but she feels she has taught her boys to be strong and does not feel the need to hover around them. The use of birds is slipped in here also. The women of Grand Isle are fluttering about with extended, protecting wings when any harm, real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood (638). While Edna does not hate her children, she comes to realize the extent that they tie her down, and she feels that she has given up her life for them. As the novel progresses, Edna realizes she has friends who at times know her better than herself and are always willing to give advice. Mademoiselle Reisz realizes Ednas struggle but is very careful while conversing to Edna about her knowledge of the situation. She believes Edna is strong and tells her she must be like a bird; she [Mademoiselle Reisz] felt my shoulder blades to see if my wings were strong, she said. The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacleShow MoreRelatedThe Awakening By Kate Chopin1563 Words   |  7 Pages The Awakening by Kate Chopin The title of Kate Chopin’s novella is significant and full of enriched symbols that reflect Edna’s Awakening. Edna is waking up her understanding of herself as an individual. Not as a mother nor a wife, but who she is as a woman and a sexual being. Throughout the novel, there are a few distinct types of awakenings; from her awakening to herself as an artist, realizing that she can have her own opinion over what kind of music she liked, and the most important, Edna realizedRead MoreA Solitary Soul By Kate Chopin1995 Words   |  8 PagesOn April 22nd, 1899, Herbert S. Stone Company published a novel written by female Author, Kate Chopin. According to Chopin’s official website published by the Kate Chopin International Society in which biographers and editors detail information of the authors life, works, and commonly asked questions, Chopin was 49 years old at the time that The Awakening was published. This novel was originally titled A Solitary Soul, but was c hanged just prior to publication. Though today this novel is heavilyRead More Essay on The Awakening712 Words   |  3 PagesCritical Views of The Awakening      Ã‚  Ã‚   The Awakening, written by Kate Chopin, is full of ideas and understanding about human nature. In Chopins time, writing a story with such great attention to sensual details in both men and women caused skepticism among readers and critics. However, many critics have different views with deeper thought given to The Awakening. Symbolism, the interpretation of Ednas suicide, and awakenings play important roles in the analysis of all critics.    SymbolismRead MoreEssay on The Awakening751 Words   |  4 Pages The Awakening Analytical Essay THE AWAKENING Throughout Kate Chopin’s, The Awakening, numerous scenes of birth and renewal are depicted. Various symbols placed throughout the book show Edna Pontellier’s awakenings. For instance, many references are made to oceans and water. It is in the water that Edna has her first rebirth, but it is also the place where she chooses to die. Water symbolizes life, which is the reason that Edna’s renewal takes place there, but it also symbolizes darkness andRead MoreThe Symbolism Of Birds Throughout Chopin s The Awakening1564 Words   |  7 PagesThe Symbolism of Birds in Chopin’s The Awakening In the 1899 novella, The Awakening, Kate Chopin illustrates the social oppression that women experienced during the Victorian Era (1837-1901). The protagonist in the novella, Edna Pontellier, reflects the progressive women of the late 1800s who began to question the traditional gender roles of society. In contrast to customary women such as Adele Ratignolle, the model character in the story who displays very high standards of being a wife and a motherRead More feminaw Seeking a New Identity for Women in The Awakening Essay1461 Words   |  6 PagesSeeking a New Identity for Women in  The Awakening      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In The Awakening, Chopin questions gender roles. Chopin seeks an identity for women that is neither wife nor mother. To achieve this end, she incorporates progressive feminist ideas into her writing. Yet, in the end, Chopin also shows that, because of years of conditioning, many women are unable to escape society’s stereotypical roles by any satisfactory means. The protagonist of the novel, Edna Pontellier, does not possess the skillsRead MoreKate Chopins The Awakening1871 Words   |  8 Pagesworshipping her children and submitting to her husband. Kate Chopins novel, The Awakening, encompasses the frustrations and the triumphs in a womans life as she attempts to cope with these strict cultural demands. Defying the stereotype of a mother-woman, Edna battles the pressures of 1899 that command her to be a subdued and devoted housewife. Although Ednas ultimate suicide is a waste of her struggles against an oppressive society, The Awakening supports and encourage s feminism as a way for womenRead MoreKate Chopins The Awakening is full of symbolism such as birds, clothes, houses and other narrative1200 Words   |  5 PagesKate Chopins The Awakening is full of symbolism such as birds, clothes, houses and other narrative elements are symbols with an extremely significant meaning. The birds are the major symbolic images from the very beginning of the novel: A green and yellow parrot, which hung in a cage outside the door, kept repeating over and over: `Allez vous-en! Allez vous-en! Sapristi! Thats all right! (Chopin pp3) In The Awakening, caged birds represent Ednas entrapment. She is caged as a wife and mother;Read MoreThe Awakening by Kate Chopin1366 Words   |  5 PagesKate Chopin’s novel The Awakening depicts a conflict between a woman’s inner desires and society’s standards. As the plot develops, the protagonist, Edna, has an increasing self-awareness that is termed in the story as an â€Å"awakening.† Once awakened, Edna begins a search to discover and define her self-identity and shed off the one placed on her by society. As Edna becomes impulsive and follows her desires, her self-awareness progresses into emotional and sexual awareness. She begins to realize thatRead MoreEssay on Kate Chopin and Edna Pontellier as Feminist s1554 Words   |  7 PagesKate Chopin and Edna Pontellier as Feminists Kate Chopin is known for her literary works that depict culture in New Orleans, Louisiana, and of womens struggles for freedom. She was born Katherine OFlaherty in Missouri, and later married Oscar Chopin in 1870. He was a Creole cotton trader from New Orleans. Later they moved to a plantation near Cloutierville, Louisiana, where her husband died in 1882. She returned to Missouri with her six children, and began her writing career. She began