1) LeMarquand, Jane : ‘Kate Chopin as Feminist: Subverting the French Androcentric Influence.’ 2) Patriarchal Belief System 3) Edna Pontellier of ‘The Awakening’ was not a traditional woman of 19th century Creole society, and defies the patriarchal belief system of having a man at the center point and control of her life by making a life of her own, daringly separate of her husband. 4) A main concept of ‘The Awakening’ is the confinement that Edna experiences through her marriage. 5) Edna Pontellier too greatly loved the idea of a non-patriarchal life, and being impossible while having association with society of any kind, even friendships, the recognition of the incapability to attain her desire drove her to her death. 6) LeMarquand claims that which we love too violently ends by killing us and ‘The Awakening’ explores that very notion. 7) (paragraph: 27) 8) By classifying marriage as confining in 1898, Chopin was breaking revolutionary and controversial grounds in a patriarchal dominated society. A patriarchal base is laid in ‘The Awakening’ in the very beginning of the novel when Mr. Pontellier looks at her as if she were a “piece of personal property that had been damaged in some way” and at the mention of Edna’s wedding bands in his possession. This reflects the mindset of the patriarchal male, in this case, the protagonist’s husband, an important recognition into realizing the reasons behind Edna’s feeling stifled and bound. Chopin undermines the patriarchy that is presented in her own writings, either by creating a cunning female protagonist or portraying patriarchy as a negative concept through the actions of her characters. In ‘The Awakening,’ Chopin’s protagonist Edna undermines the patriarchal belief system which surrounds her. The ideals of patriarchy regarding women are that she is a cold, passionless creature, who is incapable of many emotions and thoughts that men may have. Edna Pontellier, is Chopin’s response to this ideology, showing that a woman can be everything that a man can: deceptive, independent, passionate, vulgar, distraught and burdened. The personality which Edna was given shows the multifaceted identity of women that men did not want to acknowledge existed. The mere character of Edna undermines patriarchy in ‘The Awakening;’ however, she cannot escape from its existence, and recognizing that she will be forever trapped, she commits suicide. By killing herself, Edna either ultimately defies the patriarchy, or it has defeated her.
1) Gilbert, Sandra M. and Gubar, Susan. ‘The Madwoman in the Attic.’ 2) Feminism in Patriarchal Time 3) It was not only through her subject matter that Kate Chopin differed from her peers and predecessors: she wrote in a stylistic language of her own, distinctly woman, separating her from her male contemporaries. 4) Chopin could easily write about her character’s struggles against patriarchy, for she battled it herself throughout her career as an author. 5) As a female author in a predominately male field Chopin’s ideas were commonly difficult to acknowledge, or even be respected. To believe that a female was in the same sexual standing as men was incomprehensible, and this hindered her career. Being a woman and writing with female interests caused Chopin hardship during her lifetime creating a respectable career. Men, and some women, were not prepared to accept the material presented by Chopin. 6) According to Gubar and Gilbert, the female author’s conflict with patriarchy was “seemingly futile” and viewed being female as a “painful obstacle.” 7) (49-50) 8) Chopin created characters which defied the patriarchal system in which they lived, similarly, Chopin set her self apart from the patriarchal world of writing. Chopin was also isolated for her subject material and the fact that she was a woman. Fortunately, she did not need the money, for her and her husband (deceased when she began writing) had created a modest income. Like Chopin, Edna Pontellier futilely struggled against the patriarchal society in which she lived, and her character may be an expression of Chopin’s struggles in her career. The character ‘Edna’ reflects the experience of extraordinary women in a time when males dominated the culture. A key difference between Chopin and her creation Edna is the factor of success and failure. Chopin’s career can be considered as successful; her works featured as contemporary canon of ante bellum American literature. Edna however, mirrors the outcome of many women who attempted to take on patriarchy, ending in failure to overcome society.
1) Sullivan, Ruth and Smith, Stewart. ‘Narrative stance in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening’
2) Edna’s uniqueness and society
3) Edna is highly impulsive and wants no way other than her own; her way is such that she refuses to accept the social norms. 4) By allowing herself to awaken and seemingly wander in her thought processes without holding any specific objective in mind Edna is setting herself up for destruction. She recognizes it at points, particularly when describing a childhood memory of wandering in a field on impulse. Although she recognizes the fallacies in her thought processes and herself as a specimen that society will never accept, she continues onward in her endeavors. 5) According to Sullivan and Smith, Edna is not to be admired for acting upon her artistic and sexual impulses. The reinforcement of Edna’s liberation is not found in her suicide at the end of the novel, however displays her “wanton self-destructiveness.” 6) (148) 7) The Awakening is unique in that it features a woman engaged in an adult emotional relationship. Edna is also set out to be unique in the text she is described as ‘stand(ing) alone.’ Edna recognizes that she is in fact different, revealed in her thoughts and specifically in a dialogue with Alcee Arobin where she tells him that she is a ‘wicked specimen of the species.’ Despite her uniqueness, Edna still falls prey to fantasy. The romanticized French Creole society around her bathes women in fantasy of domesticity; however, Edna chooses her own fantasy of freedom and emancipation. Another separation of Edna from the other women of her time is characterized in her role as a mother. Mostly growing up without her mother, who died when Edna was young, Edna herself does not understand the role of a true maternal figure. Her lack of concern for her children, who are mentioned less and less as Edna experiences rebirth, shows a lack of emphasis on motherhood as a priority in Edna’s life. By moving out of her husband’s house, Edna is taking an action that is almost unfathomable: for all women lived with their children, in the house provided for them by their husband. Although it is her husband’s money which provides for Edna’s separate house, that is not the home in which her and Mr. Pontellier and made for themselves. The new residence does not even include the presence of her husband or children; therefore Edna’s separate house is completely severed from the roles of her domestic life as a wife and mother.
1) Felman, Shoshana. ‘Women and Madness: the critical phallacy.’ 2) Protagonists in light of society 3) Both Calixta and Edna reject the roles given them by the societies around them, through similar and dissimilar means: Calixta rebels solely by committing adultery, whereas Edna commits adultery in addition to several other acts which reject the definition of womanhood as defined for her by society. 4) According to Phyllis Chesler, this would constitute both women falling subject to madness as defined by the patriarch of society - “Madness is the rejection, either partial or total of one’s sex role stereotype.” 5) Calixta and Edna both defy the conception of woman as silent and subordinate, for they are neither. By purchasing a separate home, and having the audacity to host dinner parties within, Edna is flagrantly insubordinate; and her insubordination is therefore far from silent. Calixta, similarly is insubordinate; however, her insubordination is through a covert act, making the act itself ‘silent’ to cognizance. 6) Felman states that the woman has been reduced by man to the status of a “silent and subordinate object” 7) (7) 8) Generally, characterized as outcast type characters in literature, ‘madwomen’ are featured as the protagonists in Chopin’s writing. The sociological sexism predominant to the patriarchal societies in which Calixta and Edna lived established their characters as being unique; however the uniqueness was not correlated as a positive attribute to their personage, but as a waywardness to be pitied. Madam Ragtinolle, the portrayal of the ideal patriarchal woman of society in ‘The Awakening’ coddles Edna, and is concerned for her well being and her children as if Edna were not capable of doing so herself. Mdm. Ragtinolle is the narrative device to sympathetically portray a direct interaction of patriarchy with the characters is perceives as helpless and naïve, like Edna. Although Edna is seemingly satisfied in her progressive rebirth; the systematic viewing of patriarchy would be that of Edna as a deprived individual, for she is not indulging herself in the provisions which it (patriarchy) has set forth. Chopin varies from the principles of patriarchy in that men are not the possessors. Men do not direct the destinies of Edna or Calixta. Edna and Calixta both have a man which is influential to them, but by their own willingness to allow that element of control. Edna is influenced by Robert, whom she believes she is in love with, and his reactions to her, including his rejection of allowing her to love him affect Edna. This effect on Edna is not the application of patriarchy, for Robert was neither her husband, nor a lover. Calixta’s destiny is influenced by Alcee merely by his presence during the time of the storm. The passions resulting between them were from a previous romantic encounter which was initiated by both wills. Neither women succumb to patriarchy in their acts of rebellion. Calixta, in the end of ‘The Storm’ reverts to the acceptance of patriarchy as dominant of her lifestyle in that she, in subconscious compensation for her adultery, performs the domesticated acts of cooking for her husband and son. Calixta before the affair is portrayed as a figure of domesticity in that Bobino refers to her keeping the house in dialogue with Bibi at the store, she is sewing before the storm, and that she is rushing to tend to Bobinot’s clothing prior to the storm’s arrival. She is silently insubordinate; outside the picture of patriarchal womanhood, but internally with ideals conflicting to society’s image of her definition.
1 Comments:
1) LeMarquand, Jane : ‘Kate Chopin as Feminist: Subverting the French Androcentric Influence.’
2) Patriarchal Belief System
3) Edna Pontellier of ‘The Awakening’ was not a traditional woman of 19th century Creole society, and defies the patriarchal belief system of having a man at the center point and control of her life by making a life of her own, daringly separate of her husband. 4) A main concept of ‘The Awakening’ is the confinement that Edna experiences through her marriage. 5) Edna Pontellier too greatly loved the idea of a non-patriarchal life, and being impossible while having association with society of any kind, even friendships, the recognition of the incapability to attain her desire drove her to her death. 6) LeMarquand claims that which we love too violently ends by killing us and ‘The Awakening’ explores that very notion. 7) (paragraph: 27) 8) By classifying marriage as confining in 1898, Chopin was breaking revolutionary and controversial grounds in a patriarchal dominated society. A patriarchal base is laid in ‘The Awakening’ in the very beginning of the novel when Mr. Pontellier looks at her as if she were a “piece of personal property that had been damaged in some way” and at the mention of Edna’s wedding bands in his possession. This reflects the mindset of the patriarchal male, in this case, the protagonist’s husband, an important recognition into realizing the reasons behind Edna’s feeling stifled and bound. Chopin undermines the patriarchy that is presented in her own writings, either by creating a cunning female protagonist or portraying patriarchy as a negative concept through the actions of her characters. In ‘The Awakening,’ Chopin’s protagonist Edna undermines the patriarchal belief system which surrounds her. The ideals of patriarchy regarding women are that she is a cold, passionless creature, who is incapable of many emotions and thoughts that men may have. Edna Pontellier, is Chopin’s response to this ideology, showing that a woman can be everything that a man can: deceptive, independent, passionate, vulgar, distraught and burdened. The personality which Edna was given shows the multifaceted identity of women that men did not want to acknowledge existed. The mere character of Edna undermines patriarchy in ‘The Awakening;’ however, she cannot escape from its existence, and recognizing that she will be forever trapped, she commits suicide. By killing herself, Edna either ultimately defies the patriarchy, or it has defeated her.
1) Gilbert, Sandra M. and Gubar, Susan. ‘The Madwoman in the Attic.’
2) Feminism in Patriarchal Time
3) It was not only through her subject matter that Kate Chopin differed from her peers and predecessors: she wrote in a stylistic language of her own, distinctly woman, separating her from her male contemporaries. 4) Chopin could easily write about her character’s struggles against patriarchy, for she battled it herself throughout her career as an author. 5) As a female author in a predominately male field Chopin’s ideas were commonly difficult to acknowledge, or even be respected. To believe that a female was in the same sexual standing as men was incomprehensible, and this hindered her career. Being a woman and writing with female interests caused Chopin hardship during her lifetime creating a respectable career. Men, and some women, were not prepared to accept the material presented by Chopin. 6) According to Gubar and Gilbert, the female author’s conflict with patriarchy was “seemingly futile” and viewed being female as a “painful obstacle.” 7) (49-50) 8) Chopin created characters which defied the patriarchal system in which they lived, similarly, Chopin set her self apart from the patriarchal world of writing. Chopin was also isolated for her subject material and the fact that she was a woman. Fortunately, she did not need the money, for her and her husband (deceased when she began writing) had created a modest income. Like Chopin, Edna Pontellier futilely struggled against the patriarchal society in which she lived, and her character may be an expression of Chopin’s struggles in her career. The character ‘Edna’ reflects the experience of extraordinary women in a time when males dominated the culture. A key difference between Chopin and her creation Edna is the factor of success and failure. Chopin’s career can be considered as successful; her works featured as contemporary canon of ante bellum American literature. Edna however, mirrors the outcome of many women who attempted to take on patriarchy, ending in failure to overcome society.
1) Sullivan, Ruth and Smith, Stewart. ‘Narrative stance in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening’
2) Edna’s uniqueness and society
3) Edna is highly impulsive and wants no way other than her own; her way is such that she refuses to accept the social norms. 4) By allowing herself to awaken and seemingly wander in her thought processes without holding any specific objective in mind Edna is setting herself up for destruction. She recognizes it at points, particularly when describing a childhood memory of wandering in a field on impulse. Although she recognizes the fallacies in her thought processes and herself as a specimen that society will never accept, she continues onward in her endeavors. 5) According to Sullivan and Smith, Edna is not to be admired for acting upon her artistic and sexual impulses. The reinforcement of Edna’s liberation is not found in her suicide at the end of the novel, however displays her “wanton self-destructiveness.” 6) (148) 7) The Awakening is unique in that it features a woman engaged in an adult emotional relationship. Edna is also set out to be unique in the text she is described as ‘stand(ing) alone.’ Edna recognizes that she is in fact different, revealed in her thoughts and specifically in a dialogue with Alcee Arobin where she tells him that she is a ‘wicked specimen of the species.’ Despite her uniqueness, Edna still falls prey to fantasy. The romanticized French Creole society around her bathes women in fantasy of domesticity; however, Edna chooses her own fantasy of freedom and emancipation. Another separation of Edna from the other women of her time is characterized in her role as a mother. Mostly growing up without her mother, who died when Edna was young, Edna herself does not understand the role of a true maternal figure. Her lack of concern for her children, who are mentioned less and less as Edna experiences rebirth, shows a lack of emphasis on motherhood as a priority in Edna’s life. By moving out of her husband’s house, Edna is taking an action that is almost unfathomable: for all women lived with their children, in the house provided for them by their husband. Although it is her husband’s money which provides for Edna’s separate house, that is not the home in which her and Mr. Pontellier and made for themselves. The new residence does not even include the presence of her husband or children; therefore Edna’s separate house is completely severed from the roles of her domestic life as a wife and mother.
1) Felman, Shoshana. ‘Women and Madness: the critical phallacy.’
2) Protagonists in light of society
3) Both Calixta and Edna reject the roles given them by the societies around them, through similar and dissimilar means: Calixta rebels solely by committing adultery, whereas Edna commits adultery in addition to several other acts which reject the definition of womanhood as defined for her by society. 4) According to Phyllis Chesler, this would constitute both women falling subject to madness as defined by the patriarch of society - “Madness is the rejection, either partial or total of one’s sex role stereotype.”
5) Calixta and Edna both defy the conception of woman as silent and subordinate, for they are neither. By purchasing a separate home, and having the audacity to host dinner parties within, Edna is flagrantly insubordinate; and her insubordination is therefore far from silent. Calixta, similarly is insubordinate; however, her insubordination is through a covert act, making the act itself ‘silent’ to cognizance. 6) Felman states that the woman has been reduced by man to the status of a “silent and subordinate object” 7) (7) 8) Generally, characterized as outcast type characters in literature, ‘madwomen’ are featured as the protagonists in Chopin’s writing. The sociological sexism predominant to the patriarchal societies in which Calixta and Edna lived established their characters as being unique; however the uniqueness was not correlated as a positive attribute to their personage, but as a waywardness to be pitied. Madam Ragtinolle, the portrayal of the ideal patriarchal woman of society in ‘The Awakening’ coddles Edna, and is concerned for her well being and her children as if Edna were not capable of doing so herself. Mdm. Ragtinolle is the narrative device to sympathetically portray a direct interaction of patriarchy with the characters is perceives as helpless and naïve, like Edna. Although Edna is seemingly satisfied in her progressive rebirth; the systematic viewing of patriarchy would be that of Edna as a deprived individual, for she is not indulging herself in the provisions which it (patriarchy) has set forth. Chopin varies from the principles of patriarchy in that men are not the possessors. Men do not direct the destinies of Edna or Calixta. Edna and Calixta both have a man which is influential to them, but by their own willingness to allow that element of control. Edna is influenced by Robert, whom she believes she is in love with, and his reactions to her, including his rejection of allowing her to love him affect Edna. This effect on Edna is not the application of patriarchy, for Robert was neither her husband, nor a lover. Calixta’s destiny is influenced by Alcee merely by his presence during the time of the storm. The passions resulting between them were from a previous romantic encounter which was initiated by both wills. Neither women succumb to patriarchy in their acts of rebellion.
Calixta, in the end of ‘The Storm’ reverts to the acceptance of patriarchy as dominant of her lifestyle in that she, in subconscious compensation for her adultery, performs the domesticated acts of cooking for her husband and son. Calixta before the affair is portrayed as a figure of domesticity in that Bobino refers to her keeping the house in dialogue with Bibi at the store, she is sewing before the storm, and that she is rushing to tend to Bobinot’s clothing prior to the storm’s arrival. She is silently insubordinate; outside the picture of patriarchal womanhood, but internally with ideals conflicting to society’s image of her definition.
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