Relationship of Patriarchy and Feminism Within and Without Chopin 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. Chopin could easily write about her character’s struggles against patriarchy, for she battled it herself throughout her career as an author. 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. According to Gubar and Gilbert, the female author’s conflict with patriarchy was “seemingly futile” and viewed being female as a “painful obstacle.” (49-50) 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, but only after her death; her works now 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. The Awakening is considered as feminist theory because Edna’s journey is contingent solely upon her gender, the events occurring as they did only as a result of Edna’s being female. Edna experiences isolation from society, however finds solace in nature. Ecofeminism incorporates a woman’s close tie to nature and its ability to provide spiritual empowerment to women. Nature’s appearance in The Awakening is in Edna’s connection to the sea which provides here empowerment to begin her self discovery. Edna’s tie to nature through the sea can be explained by ecofeminist beliefs that both woman and nature are reduced to object status under a patriarchal system. Klein supports her ecofeminist argument by claiming that a “parallel between the condition of women and nature under patriarchy” exists. (Paragraph: 7) Edna and the sea are both equally disregarded in her society; therefore it is sensible that the sea would lead her into her awakening. Ecofeminism can also explain the choice to use a storm as a symbol of Calixta’s adultery. A parallel between the actions of Calixta and height of her passion are conveyed by the violence and changing nature of the storm. The sea is speaking to Edna, and its voice that seemingly only Edna hears has a sensual quality. The sensuality can be explained as the allure of emancipation from patriarchal confinement. Edna has a relationship with the sea in that their discourse initiates her awakening, and her awakening ends in the sea. It is what excites Edna, a similar objectified item that is seemingly living and whispers to her, and tempts her into finding the freedom that the objectified woman desires. Calixta has a relationship with nature, however not as correspondent as that of Edna with the sea. Calixta does not interact with the storm; rather her actions imitate the storm. As the storm intensifies Calixta’s desire for Alcee re-emerges and becomes uncontainable. The level of passion between the adulterers increases as does the violence of the storm, shown best when a lightning bolt pushes them together and the longing is consummated in action. At the peak of the sexual act the storm similarly peaks. Although it is not the primary focus of the short story, Chopin is displaying a relationship between woman and nature. Ecofeminism asserts that a woman’s strength is in nature, and to establish her own inner strength, a woman must shed the confines of patriarchy. In order to discover herself, each protagonist must realize that she is surrounded by something that will not allow her growth; and that that thing which inhibits her must also be eliminated, or destroyed. Calixta and Edna are both confined women in the sense that the patriarchal system in which they live short changes and discounts their humanity as a result of their genetic sex, and the gender role which they chose to fit. In Chopin’s writings, each woman must deconstruct what she knows to find a different part of herself. That deconstruction is either methodical like Edna’s, or spontaneous like Calixta’s. Jehlen states that a woman must “destroy in order to create.” (82) In order to “create” herself, both Edna and Calixta must deconstruct the values that surround the patriarchal system in order to experience awakening or a different reality. Although the reality into which both women emerge is one that they have created for themselves, and one that only works exclusively for them. Calixta’s new reality which is that of a married woman carrying out passionate sexual relations with another man disregards the values of patriarchal and brings Calixta into a new era of being. This is considered a reality in that it is in fact real, and happening to the character. Edna similarly creates the death of patriarchy by disregarding and disengaging from that society and its beliefs and exchanging them for her own. By having women creating for themselves their own realities, it portrays a side of woman that men did not want to acknowledge, much less accept. Man’s refute and rejection therefore reinforce Chopin’s ideology that women, especially those who are unique, are oppressed by the society in which they live. 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. A main concept of ‘The Awakening’ is the confinement that Edna experiences through her marriage. 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. (paragraph: 27) 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 woman is 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, and yet it has defeated her.
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Relationship of Patriarchy and Feminism Within and Without Chopin
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. Chopin could easily write about her character’s struggles against patriarchy, for she battled it herself throughout her career as an author. 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. According to Gubar and Gilbert, the female author’s conflict with patriarchy was “seemingly futile” and viewed being female as a “painful obstacle.” (49-50) 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, but only after her death; her works now 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. The Awakening is considered as feminist theory because Edna’s journey is contingent solely upon her gender, the events occurring as they did only as a result of Edna’s being female. Edna experiences isolation from society, however finds solace in nature.
Ecofeminism incorporates a woman’s close tie to nature and its ability to provide spiritual empowerment to women. Nature’s appearance in The Awakening is in Edna’s connection to the sea which provides here empowerment to begin her self discovery. Edna’s tie to nature through the sea can be explained by ecofeminist beliefs that both woman and nature are reduced to object status under a patriarchal system. Klein supports her ecofeminist argument by claiming that a “parallel between the condition of women and nature under patriarchy” exists. (Paragraph: 7) Edna and the sea are both equally disregarded in her society; therefore it is sensible that the sea would lead her into her awakening. Ecofeminism can also explain the choice to use a storm as a symbol of Calixta’s adultery. A parallel between the actions of Calixta and height of her passion are conveyed by the violence and changing nature of the storm. The sea is speaking to Edna, and its voice that seemingly only Edna hears has a sensual quality. The sensuality can be explained as the allure of emancipation from patriarchal confinement. Edna has a relationship with the sea in that their discourse initiates her awakening, and her awakening ends in the sea. It is what excites Edna, a similar objectified item that is seemingly living and whispers to her, and tempts her into finding the freedom that the objectified woman desires.
Calixta has a relationship with nature, however not as correspondent as that of Edna with the sea. Calixta does not interact with the storm; rather her actions imitate the storm. As the storm intensifies Calixta’s desire for Alcee re-emerges and becomes uncontainable. The level of passion between the adulterers increases as does the violence of the storm, shown best when a lightning bolt pushes them together and the longing is consummated in action. At the peak of the sexual act the storm similarly peaks. Although it is not the primary focus of the short story, Chopin is displaying a relationship between woman and nature. Ecofeminism asserts that a woman’s strength is in nature, and to establish her own inner strength, a woman must shed the confines of patriarchy.
In order to discover herself, each protagonist must realize that she is surrounded by something that will not allow her growth; and that that thing which inhibits her must also be eliminated, or destroyed. Calixta and Edna are both confined women in the sense that the patriarchal system in which they live short changes and discounts their humanity as a result of their genetic sex, and the gender role which they chose to fit. In Chopin’s writings, each woman must deconstruct what she knows to find a different part of herself. That deconstruction is either methodical like Edna’s, or spontaneous like Calixta’s. Jehlen states that a woman must “destroy in order to create.” (82) In order to “create” herself, both Edna and Calixta must deconstruct the values that surround the patriarchal system in order to experience awakening or a different reality. Although the reality into which both women emerge is one that they have created for themselves, and one that only works exclusively for them.
Calixta’s new reality which is that of a married woman carrying out passionate sexual relations with another man disregards the values of patriarchal and brings Calixta into a new era of being. This is considered a reality in that it is in fact real, and happening to the character. Edna similarly creates the death of patriarchy by disregarding and disengaging from that society and its beliefs and exchanging them for her own. By having women creating for themselves their own realities, it portrays a side of woman that men did not want to acknowledge, much less accept. Man’s refute and rejection therefore reinforce Chopin’s ideology that women, especially those who are unique, are oppressed by the society in which they live.
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. A main concept of ‘The Awakening’ is the confinement that Edna experiences through her marriage. 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. (paragraph: 27) 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 woman is 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, and yet it has defeated her.
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