Women’s Sexuality: Rebellion Against the Patriarchal Phallus. Strong female protagonists, reversed gender roles and rejecting patriarchy in Chopin’s The Awakening, The Storm, and At the ‘Cadian Ball.
“Our demand is not for equality. Who wants to be like men! We are trying as women to define ourselves. We not only reject the definitions that men have given us, but reject becoming like men.” – The NY Radical Women. A feminist association, 1968. Chopin created protagonists that asserted their own identities rather then conforming to the stereotype created for them, or conforming to the male gender; rather, they defined themselves on their own terms, disregarding society. Most associate Kate Chopin with the canon of feminist literature. Chopin dethroned the patriarchal head by creating women that took control of their own lives and presented feminism in a manner in which segments of the population questionably receive it. In 1898, Chopin brought forth the issue of flagrant defiance of the patriarchal system in the Southern United States by dethroning the patriarch. The protagonists openly express their sexuality, an act which currently and formerly fell to criticism. The adulterous nature of the sexuality causes men and women now to denounce the actions of the protagonists. Although not as domineering as traditional patriarch of 1898, the present day patriarch and remnants of traditional patriarchal ideology cause a general, non- feminist audiences hesitantly approach a reading of Chopin’s works due to the conflicting ideals of society and Chopin’s literature. Chopin also supports certain stances which her characters took in her writing that weren’t in accordance with the 19th century man’s expectations of women which addresses first wave feminism (19th century feminism). She addresses feminism through characters that reject and defy the boundaries set by the confining system of traditional patriarchy. She centers her revolutionary thought around the break of the female protagonist from her stereotype as created by society. Evidence that literature and politics interact appears when Chopin’s controversial stories are published and receive a wide array of criticism which displayed that patriarchal subjects were not willing to accept Chopin’s thematic discourses. Although written in 1898, the same year as The Awakening, Chopin did not attempt to have the risqué short story The Storm published in her lifetime because she understood that the conflict between society and literature would be problematic. By observing feminism in Kate Chopin’s writing in a historical context to determine to what extent feminism is present and endorsed; one can achieve better understanding of how feminist issues are addressed, and the issues’ effects and consequences in the patriarchal setting of Chopin’s writing. Society needed to reevaluate the female gender. In spite of Chopin addressing the matter of patriarchy and the problems associated with its dominance, the conflict that existed between society and literature still presents itself. Some patriarchal ideology remains, and causes this conflict to exist in present-day society. This conflict causes many individuals of a general audience not to experience exposure to Chopin’s writing because of the subversive themes. Scholars see Chopin’s works in the literary canon and critically examine them; they believe that this will cause a general audience to recognize them. If we grasp the difference between how scholarly circles versus public circles receive Chopin, then we can understand that general audiences would lack exposure because of remaining patriarchy which is in present day society that limits the ability of the literary canon to address these problems. If we recognize the extent of the presence of the 19th century feminist discourse in Chopin’s writing, then we can understand its attempts to assess and confront the issues of the traditional patriarchal system and the response to it within her works. While not subversive to contemporary feminist scholars, Chopin’s works have yet to be received by a general audience because the themes presented are still subversive because: Chopin emphasizes women’s sexual and cognitive independence from the system of patriarchy as linked factors though her protagonist Edna in that while experiencing a cognitive awakening she simultaneously awakens her sexuality; reception by general audiences is inhibited by the lack of adaptation to the entertainment segment of the cinema; and reverses gender roles as a literary device and political statement that causes patriarchal subjects to question the validity of how they perceive the female sex.
Emphasis of Sexuality and Cognizance in Chopin’s Writing as Contributors to Independence from Patriarchy
According to Thornton, the society in which Edna lived only gave enough freedom to women to tempt them or satisfy them. Society did not meet the needs of Edna, but rather confined them; therefore, Edna Pontellier inwardly contemplated in order to satisfy herself which led her into conflict with French Creole society, and eventually conflict with her contentedness of existence. In general, most women were satisfied or silently discontent. However, Edna was a unique individual of her society and isolated in many ways, socially and ultimately physically. The society being ‘solidly conventional’ reveals the influence of patriarchy in that the society follows traditional gender roles. The deception of Creole Society which seems to accord women with greater latitude than it is willing to grant. That women could smoke cigarettes, listen to men tell risqué stories, and read French novels soon appears as only a veneer covering a solidly conventional society that titillated itself with flourishes of libertinism. (86) Gender Roles present themselves in The Awakening in the form of being the initiation of need to rebel. Edna realized that she was considered ‘personal property’ and rebelled against the society which condoned her oppression. Ironically through Robert, Edna cannot escape traditional gender roles in spite of her attempts. Edna first discovers her need to rebel through her relationship with Robert. Edna determines that only she can liberate herself by. Edna continues to reach for it; however she cannot find what can satisfy her romantic illusion. Edna’s final cognitive insight includes society’s lack of placement for her and swims out into the sea to end her life.(88) Her actions create a reversal of gender role to demonstrate her cognitive independence. Chopin creates a character which provides Edna with support (Mademoiselle Reisz) in order to advocate the discovery of Edna’s free spirit as she outgrows the principles of patriarchy by giving characterized support. Edna finds temporary escape in the music that her confidant plays. In ‘The Awakening,’ the quantity of Edna’s friendships throughout her journey of self discovery reflects the amount of support which Chopin gives her actions. As Edna grows as a character, she has been left with a single friendship and then to herself. The ultimate point to which Edna drives herself, she goes alone, without friendship to support her. Through this, Chopin did not advocate suicide as a method to escape society induced gender oppression. As Edna reaches to develop herself, she becomes increasingly detached from reality. As Edna attempts to get away from the romanticism of her Creole society, she falls into another form created by herself. Through her defiance, Edna recognizes her identity as defined by society; and then defines herself, allowing temporary freedom; but because there is no place for her, her awakening becomes a burdensome fact which makes her miserable to the point of death. Although Calixta’s actions seem to be endorsed because of her boldness, she is criticized by Chopin. Chopin conveys the benefits of liberated women along with the personal cost of liberation that contradicts societal norms. By overly depending on her fantasy and detaching from reality, Edna created something unattainable and therefore unbearable. Chopin naturalizes sex when she uses nature as a symbol and as an object of interaction with the protagonists’ development of their sexuality. Sex yoked with nature has made it become transcendent with nature, and the sexuality of women also transcends time as a constant. Ecofeminism embraces this transcendence of naturalized sexuality in that it recognizes women’s relationship with nature. Ecofeminism incorporates women’s close tie to nature and nature’s ability to spiritually empower women. Nature appears in The Awakening and connects Edna to the sea. Edna’s discourse with the sea empowers her to begin self discovery. Edna relates to nature through the sea. Women’s ability to relate to nature according to ecofeminism is that both women 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) Society equally disregards both Edna and the sea; therefore it is sensible that the sea leads her as a peer into her awakening. Ecofeminism adds significance to the use of 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’s discourse with the sea initiates her awakening which also ends in the sea. The sea excites Edna and being similarly objectified, the sea is seemingly living and it whispers to her, and tempts her into finding the freedom that she desires. Calixta displays the ecofeminist 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 displays a relationship between women and nature. Ecofeminism asserts that women’s strength is in nature, and to establish her own inner strength, women 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 subjects to the system in which they live disregard and discount 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 women must “destroy in order to create.” (82) In order to “create” herself, both Edna and Calixta must deconstruct the patriarchal values that surround them 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, one that works exclusively for them, patriarchal subjects are still unwilling to accept this reality. Calixta’s new reality, one that completely disregards the values of the patriarchal system, is that of a married woman carrying out passionate sexual relations with another man 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 in her own life 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 strengthened side of women that men did not want to acknowledge, much less accept. Man’s refutation and rejection therefore reinforce Chopin’s ideology that women, especially those who are unique, are oppressed by the society in which they live. Marriage was the main patriarchal institution which Chopin wrote her characters to be confined by and to defy. Edna is highly impulsive and wants no way other than her own; her way is such that she refuses to accept the social norms. 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. 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 but displays her “wanton self-destructiveness.” (148) A level of disappointment is experienced when it is understood that Edna’s actions are more impulsive than methodical, however seriousness and depth of Edna’s thoughts of awakening and her emotions tied to it are an aspect of her that is distinguishing and admirable. In spite of the heroine aspect of Edna’s character, she ultimately fails to overcome patriarchy as a lack of methodical thinking being applied to her awakening. Although the tendencies of patriarchy are likely to blame for Edna’s downfall, her lack of organized thought was also a contributor. Chopin presents an indefensible moral position that she portrays in her prose, seemingly a proponent of the act, but with in depth reading, the action is criticized and weakened. Berkove believes that Chopin’s extraordinary skill is her ability to subtly undercut bold but morally untenable positions that she has sympathetically represented. (188) The stories of ‘The Storm’ and ‘At the ‘Cadian Ball’ involve dynamic characters which Chopin uses in order to embrace and contrastingly criticize the actions of impulsive sexuality; whereas other stories, such as ‘The Awakening’ embrace the exploration of a Edna’s sexuality. “Her firm, elastic flesh that was knowing for the first time its birthright….the generous abundance of her passion without guile or trickery was like a white flame.” (Chopin, Page 284) Chopin is saying that a pure passion is like a ‘white flame’; and women’s sexuality is referred to as her birthright. Chopin uses the subtleties to imply her criticism or support of the protagonist’s sexuality as presented in the text. In ‘The Storm,’ Chopin mainly criticizes the actions and results which originate from impulsive thinking. She is criticizing the overly liberal ideal that encourages extramarital affairs; however, during the scene in which Alcee and Calixta are committing adultery, Chopin calls the experiencing of passionate sexual affairs the ‘birthright’ of Calixta’s flesh. It may seem that Chopin is contradicting herself; however, this is the “sympathetic representation” to which Berkove refers. The main concept of the passage is her disapproval of the affair-then the subtle placement of women’s right to enjoy sexuality. Chopin is conveying the support of sexually liberated women, but within a certain means. Chopin’s diction to describe how Calixta desired Alcee is also important. White flames are those of the hottest fire, which also consume and destroy everything around it. Calling Calixta’s passion a ‘white flame’ is denoting how deeply and with how much impact a desire can burn. By using this image, Chopin is showing the duality of the situation in which Calixta and Alcee spontaneously placed themselves. This duality shows the support of liberated women, and the criticism of adulterous women. Although Chopin believed in the mentally liberated woman, she did agree with some societal boundaries that were placed concerning sexuality, such as the sanctity of marriage. In ‘The Storm’ Calixta and Alcee violate this sacred relationship, and Chopin uses their adultery to convey the limits of liberated women. Two main images can be referenced for this criticism. The first is taking place when the storm is about to hit and Calixta realizes she needs to take in the clothing. “She had hung Bobinot’s Sunday clothes to air and she hastened out to gather them before the rain fell.” The second is Bobinot admonishing Bibi, his son, for getting dirty during the storm. “’You ought to be ashame’. An’ that mud on yo’ collar! How you got that mud on yo’ collar Bibi?’ ...Bibi was the picture of pathetic resignation.” (Chopin, Page 282, 285) The true criticism of the extramarital affair comes in through the dialogue and actions of the characters in ‘The Storm.’ Using implications from both selections, Chopin advocates the sanctity of marriage. Primarily, the storm that is taking place in The Storm must be recognized as a symbol of the sexual infidelity. It, through various means, violates every aspect of Bobinot and Calixta’s home physically as would the knowledge of an affair would violate emotionally; and reaches its most violent stages at the peak of the sexual act itself. The affair and the storm are inextricably intertwined. The first quote, by specifically indicating that the clothes were those worn on a Sunday denotes to them a level of sacredness associated with the day of worship, which is about to be ruined by the approaching storm. Following the adulterous act, the son of Calixta and Bobinot, Bibi is dirty. In this case, Chopin is using Bibi himself as a symbol of the marriage, where two symbolically become one, and Bibi being the literal biological semblance of two becoming one flesh. The purity of Bobinot and Calixta’s marriage has been dirtied, and to demonstrate the relevance of this fact, Chopin enforces it by using a symbol to convey it. Chopin thus summarizes the marriage as ‘reduced to pathetic resignation.’ The importance that is placed on showing the damage and impurity following the extramarital sex is purporting Chopin’s personal views of the limits of women’s liberation.
Inhibition of Reception in Traditional Patriarchy and Modern Patriarchy; Specifically, Through Lack of Adaptation
As a result of Chopin’s portrayal of women, this began to cast the sex in a different light than patriarchal subjects had wanted to perceive them and blurred the lines of the female gender that had been established. Chopin mixes support with criticisms for her character’s actions; however, the nature of the actions causes her writing to encounter difficulty in its reception by the traditional and modern patriarchal system. If it is understood what is occurring in Chopin’s writing, specifically The Awakening, The Storm and At The ‘Cadian Ball, then new significance in how Chopin herself had affected feminism by addressing issues that the patriarch refused to acknowledge existed. A patriarchal base is laid in ‘The Awakening’ in the 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 patriarchal system that is in her 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 they are cold, passionless creatures, that are incapable of many emotions and thoughts that men may have. Edna Pontellier, is Chopin’s response to this ideology, showing that women 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 the patriarchal system 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 ultimately defies the patriarch yet it has also defeated her. 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 versus 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 yet are still relatively unexposed to a general, non-scholarly audience. Edna however, mirrors the outcome of many women who attempted to surmount patriarchy, ending in failure to overcome society. The Awakening is considered as feminist theory because Edna’s journey is contingent solely upon her sex, the events occurring as they did only as a result of Edna’s being female. It was not only through her subject matter that Kate Chopin differed from her peers and predecessors: she wrote in a stylistic language which was distinctly women centric, 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 difficult to acknowledge, or even be respected. To believe that a female was in the same sexual standing as men was incomprehensible, thus hindering her career. Being a woman and writing about 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’s works were isolated because their author was a woman. Fortunately, she did not need the money, for her and her husband (deceased when she began writing) had amassed 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. 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. In modern patriarchy, this presents a conflict of ideology in that the modern household still clings to the traditional standards of women as subordinate caretakers and the male as the head (not domineering) of the household. Men are still pictured mainly through mainstream entertainment as the center of household affairs. Although divorce is more common in present day compared to Chopin’s era, Edna by rejecting marriage is still in a critical position of defying the head and abandoning her children, an action which is considered irresponsible and criticized. 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. 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. In addition to her rejection of marriage, 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. Although she had already consciously determined to reject society, Edna’s acts were so emboldened that a level of spontaneity and lack of consideration were necessary for her to perform them. Contrastingly, Calixta, in the end of ‘The Storm’ reverts to the acceptance of marriage and allows patriarchy to dominate 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 Bobinot 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 Calixta houses ideals which conflict with society’s image of her definition. This internalized rebellion has caused Calixta to create for herself a new dimension of her life inside her own mind that is real; however, because it conflicts with the external reality of how patriarchal subjects and her husband perceive her, she must keep her new reality privatized to herself and her lover. Chopin’s works have not been adapted to the entertainment cinema, rather any film adaptations are the results of efforts for education or study. Marilyn Hoder-Salmon produced a cinematic adaptation of The Awakening entitled “Edna”; however the adaptation is mainly an interpretation of the novel itself and Thomas claims it “would be impossible to follow the screenplay without knowing the novel.” (Paragraph 4.) The screenplay directed by Hoder-Salmon is not an attempt to expose the ideas contained within Chopin’s literature, but a medium for her interpretation of the novel made for audiences who have already read The Awakening. To be considered as an adaptation to the entertainment cinema, the screenplay must be explanatory of the story line in addition to interpretive. The themes in The Awakening are not popular ideals, and therefore the works which contain them are not adapted to cinema for a wide general audience. By not being made available through entertainment cinema, the subversive nature of Chopin’s themes is being exacerbated, and the emergence of these themes into mainstream entertainment more unlikely. The ideas the Chopin presents will continually conflict with society until members accept them, and without exposure such as entertainment the will remain ignored. If Chopin’s themes are sublimated then the significance of her ideas and their contribution to the feminist literary canon will be recognized and begin to gain exposure. Until the subversive themes are exposed and no longer the subject of criticism, patriarchal ideals will still be an issue existent in today’s society, and the traditional hierarchy being continually upheld. The Usage of Reversed Gender Role by Chopin as a Literary Device and Political Statement
The strong female protagonist can be viewed as either as a revolutionary heroine, or as foolish and immoral. The Awakening is unique and feminist 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. Both Calixta and Edna reject the gender 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 womanhood as defined for her by society. 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.” Calixta and Edna both defy the conception of women 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. Felman states that the women have been reduced by man to the status of a “silent and subordinate object.” (7) Generally characterized as outcast type characters in literature and society, ‘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. Madame 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 patriarchal values with the characters that are perceived by its subjects 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 and offered. Chopin varies from the principles of patriarchy in that men are not the possessors. Men do not direct the destinies of neither Edna nor Calixta. Edna and Calixta both have a man who holds influence, and although this can be perceived as the allowance of patriarchal domination, it is by their own willingness to allow that element of control therefore once again defying patriarchy by making their own decisions. 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 patriarchal beliefs, 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 woman succumbs to patriarchy in their acts of rebellion; however both realize that they cannot escape it. ‘The Awakening’ was written in the same year as ‘The Storm,’ and displays some similarly sensual content such as Edna’s relations with Alcee Arobin and her longing for Robert LeBrun. The main difference in character is that Calixta’s adultery is not premeditated; and Edna, although spontaneous in her own right, clearly intended for something to take place during her encounters; Edna therefore, possesses more control and strength in her rebellion against patriarchy. In the primary incident in which Calixta is shown to be lacking in strength, Clarisse seizes control from Calixta in ‘At the ‘Cadian Ball’ by bidding Alcee Laballiere come with her. In ‘The Storm,’ Calixta’s strength as a character is actually undermined when she defies the confines of her marriage through sexual infidelity in that she gave herself up in a moment of passion without premeditation. Calixta merely has enough power to commit the affair, but is not strong enough to reject systematic patriarchal practice by deserting her family. Calixta chooses to deceive her family into believing that normalcy continues. The act was not the result of love originating between Calixta and Alcee, but of intense lust; therefore they are able to continue unchanged as a result of the lack of emotion involved. Calixta, although seemingly in control and strong is fundamentally lacking in strength because of the absence of intent. Contrastingly, Edna is a character that intentionally ventures out on her own to find what she wants rather than stumbling upon it. Both women defy their husbands. Ironically, Edna’s journey seems to be supported by the narrative idealistically more so than Calixta’s. This may be the result of the multifaceted nature of Edna’s development and the contrast of the single nature of Calixta’s affair. Both women experience subtle criticism from the author for the amoral action. Edna is a strong character, stronger than Calixta in that she controls her own journey on several levels of consciousness. The ideals of feminism are not undermined by a strong female character because the bold actions of Calixta do not originate in strength, and those actions of the strong Edna are for the majority supported and reasonable.
Still subversive to a general audience, Chopin’s works present many problematic themes, especially those regarding women’s sexuality and those which conflict with the ideals of a patriarchal society. Because the subversive themes, Chopin’s literature has not been adapted to the entertainment cinema, nor have the ideas presented in Chopin’s short stories and novels been recognized as significant. Considered inappropriate to many factions of modern society as a result of the subversive themes, Chopin’s writing reveals a problematic remnant of traditional patriarchal ideals in present day society which cause Chopin’s works to be overlooked or ignored, and the significance of the revolutionary thought and expression by Chopin not realized. In spite of the passing of a century, not much concerning society’s subjectivity to patriarchy has changed. Uncertainty surrounds the immediate effectiveness of Chopin’s political reversal of gender role, for women’s equality movements did not begin to succeed or gain highly recognition until the 20th century. Further investigation into the feminist movement that existed in Chopin’s time could display a relationship between the attempts in social progress and the stances in Chopin’s writing. Chopin’s emphasis on the sexual and cognitive independence of her protagonists may be the result of the efforts of the first wave feminist movement. Also looking at the movement as it developed after Chopin’s writings were widely published and brought into critical observation would show the immediate effects and consequences of Chopin’s works on the society whose mindset she disrupted. A method to measure the remaining influence of patriarchal thought could be determined by whether attempts have been made to adapt Chopin to the entertainment cinema, and why those attempts failed. Cinematic adaptation will associate the female sex with a gender role that patriarchal ideology did not set forth, and can bring a new concept of women into society on a level that reaches many, farther than the literary canon which cannot communicate to all members of a society. Until her themes are recognized, patriarchy will remain in society, and women will still be judged based on how society wishes to define them, rather than how they wish to define themselves.
“Our identities can no more be kept separate from how our bodies look than they can be kept separate from the shadow selves of the female stereotype.” - Sandra Bartky
1. Chopin, Kate. The Awakening New York: Penguin Books, 2003
2. Thornton, Lawrence: “The Awakening”: A Political Romance Editor: Petry, Alice H. Critical Essays on Kate Chopin. New York: Hall, 1996.
3. Berkove, Lawrence I. Acting Like Fools: The Ill-fated Romances of “At the ‘Cadian Ball” and “The Storm” Editor: Petry, Alice H. Critical Essays on Kate Chopin. New York: Hall, 1996.
4. Sullivan, Ruth and Smith, Stewart. Narrative stance in Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening” Editor: Petry, Alice H. Critical Essays on Kate Chopin. New York: Hall, 1996.
5. LeMarquand, Jane. Kate Chopin as Feminist: Subverting the French Androcentric Influence Palmerston North, New Zealand: Massey University Deep South v.2. n.3. (Spring 1996) http://www.otago.ac.nz/DeepSouth/vol2no3/chopin.html
6. Gilbert, Sandra M. and Gubar, Susan. The Madwoman In the Attic New Haven, CT.: Yale University Press, 1980
7. Gardiner, Judith Kegan On Female Identity Editor: Abel, Elizabeth. Writing and Sexual Difference Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1982
8. Felman, Shoshana. Women and Madness: the Critical phallacy. Editor: Abel, Elizabeth. Writing and Sexual Difference Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1982
9. Jehlen, Myra Archimedes and the Paradox of Feminist Criticism Editors: Warhol, Robyn and Herndl, Diane Price. Feminisms: An Anthology of \ Literary Theory and Criticism New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 1991
10. Howard, Ann Bail A Woman Far Ahead of Her Time Great Plains Chatauqua Society, July 1997 http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/eng384/chopinhoward.htm
11. Klein, Sarah. Kate Chopin’s Ecofeminism: A Dialogue Between “The Awakening” and Contemporary Women. South Central Women's Studies Assoc. Conference, Tulane University, 1999 http://www.womenwriters.net/domesticgoddess/ecofeminism.html
12. Thomas, Heather Kirk. Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening”: Screenplay as Interpretation. Studies in Short Fiction. Gale Group, 1994
13. Chopin, Kate. The Storm Shreveport, LA. :Louisiana State University Press, 1969.
14. Chopin, Kate. At the ‘Cadian Ball New York: Penguin Books, 2003
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Women’s Sexuality: Rebellion Against the Patriarchal Phallus.
Strong female protagonists, reversed gender roles and rejecting patriarchy in Chopin’s The Awakening, The Storm, and At the ‘Cadian Ball.
“Our demand is not for equality. Who wants to be like men! We are trying as women to define ourselves. We not only reject the definitions that men have given us, but reject becoming like men.” – The NY Radical Women. A feminist association, 1968.
Chopin created protagonists that asserted their own identities rather then conforming to the stereotype created for them, or conforming to the male gender; rather, they defined themselves on their own terms, disregarding society. Most associate Kate Chopin with the canon of feminist literature. Chopin dethroned the patriarchal head by creating women that took control of their own lives and presented feminism in a manner in which segments of the population questionably receive it. In 1898, Chopin brought forth the issue of flagrant defiance of the patriarchal system in the Southern United States by dethroning the patriarch. The protagonists openly express their sexuality, an act which currently and formerly fell to criticism. The adulterous nature of the sexuality causes men and women now to denounce the actions of the protagonists. Although not as domineering as traditional patriarch of 1898, the present day patriarch and remnants of traditional patriarchal ideology cause a general, non- feminist audiences hesitantly approach a reading of Chopin’s works due to the conflicting ideals of society and Chopin’s literature.
Chopin also supports certain stances which her characters took in her writing that weren’t in accordance with the 19th century man’s expectations of women which addresses first wave feminism (19th century feminism). She addresses feminism through characters that reject and defy the boundaries set by the confining system of traditional patriarchy. She centers her revolutionary thought around the break of the female protagonist from her stereotype as created by society. Evidence that literature and politics interact appears when Chopin’s controversial stories are published and receive a wide array of criticism which displayed that patriarchal subjects were not willing to accept Chopin’s thematic discourses. Although written in 1898, the same year as The Awakening, Chopin did not attempt to have the risqué short story The Storm published in her lifetime because she understood that the conflict between society and literature would be problematic.
By observing feminism in Kate Chopin’s writing in a historical context to determine to what extent feminism is present and endorsed; one can achieve better understanding of how feminist issues are addressed, and the issues’ effects and consequences in the patriarchal setting of Chopin’s writing. Society needed to reevaluate the female gender. In spite of Chopin addressing the matter of patriarchy and the problems associated with its dominance, the conflict that existed between society and literature still presents itself. Some patriarchal ideology remains, and causes this conflict to exist in present-day society. This conflict causes many individuals of a general audience not to experience exposure to Chopin’s writing because of the subversive themes. Scholars see Chopin’s works in the literary canon and critically examine them; they believe that this will cause a general audience to recognize them.
If we grasp the difference between how scholarly circles versus public circles receive Chopin, then we can understand that general audiences would lack exposure because of remaining patriarchy which is in present day society that limits the ability of the literary canon to address these problems. If we recognize the extent of the presence of the 19th century feminist discourse in Chopin’s writing, then we can understand its attempts to assess and confront the issues of the traditional patriarchal system and the response to it within her works.
While not subversive to contemporary feminist scholars, Chopin’s works have yet to be received by a general audience because the themes presented are still subversive because: Chopin emphasizes women’s sexual and cognitive independence from the system of patriarchy as linked factors though her protagonist Edna in that while experiencing a cognitive awakening she simultaneously awakens her sexuality; reception by general audiences is inhibited by the lack of adaptation to the entertainment segment of the cinema; and reverses gender roles as a literary device and political statement that causes patriarchal subjects to question the validity of how they perceive the female sex.
Emphasis of Sexuality and Cognizance in Chopin’s Writing as Contributors to Independence from Patriarchy
According to Thornton, the society in which Edna lived only gave enough freedom to women to tempt them or satisfy them. Society did not meet the needs of Edna, but rather confined them; therefore, Edna Pontellier inwardly contemplated in order to satisfy herself which led her into conflict with French Creole society, and eventually conflict with her contentedness of existence. In general, most women were satisfied or silently discontent. However, Edna was a unique individual of her society and isolated in many ways, socially and ultimately physically. The society being ‘solidly conventional’ reveals the influence of patriarchy in that the society follows traditional gender roles.
The deception of Creole Society which seems to accord women with greater latitude than it is willing to grant. That women could smoke cigarettes, listen to men tell risqué stories, and read French novels soon appears as only a veneer covering a solidly conventional society that titillated itself with flourishes of libertinism. (86)
Gender Roles present themselves in The Awakening in the form of being the initiation of need to rebel. Edna realized that she was considered ‘personal property’ and rebelled against the society which condoned her oppression. Ironically through Robert, Edna cannot escape traditional gender roles in spite of her attempts. Edna first discovers her need to rebel through her relationship with Robert. Edna determines that only she can liberate herself by. Edna continues to reach for it; however she cannot find what can satisfy her romantic illusion. Edna’s final cognitive insight includes society’s lack of placement for her and swims out into the sea to end her life.(88) Her actions create a reversal of gender role to demonstrate her cognitive independence.
Chopin creates a character which provides Edna with support (Mademoiselle Reisz) in order to advocate the discovery of Edna’s free spirit as she outgrows the principles of patriarchy by giving characterized support. Edna finds temporary escape in the music that her confidant plays. In ‘The Awakening,’ the quantity of Edna’s friendships throughout her journey of self discovery reflects the amount of support which Chopin gives her actions. As Edna grows as a character, she has been left with a single friendship and then to herself. The ultimate point to which Edna drives herself, she goes alone, without friendship to support her. Through this, Chopin did not advocate suicide as a method to escape society induced gender oppression. As Edna reaches to develop herself, she becomes increasingly detached from reality. As Edna attempts to get away from the romanticism of her Creole society, she falls into another form created by herself. Through her defiance, Edna recognizes her identity as defined by society; and then defines herself, allowing temporary freedom; but because there is no place for her, her awakening becomes a burdensome fact which makes her miserable to the point of death. Although Calixta’s actions seem to be endorsed because of her boldness, she is criticized by Chopin. Chopin conveys the benefits of liberated women along with the personal cost of liberation that contradicts societal norms. By overly depending on her fantasy and detaching from reality, Edna created something unattainable and therefore unbearable.
Chopin naturalizes sex when she uses nature as a symbol and as an object of interaction with the protagonists’ development of their sexuality. Sex yoked with nature has made it become transcendent with nature, and the sexuality of women also transcends time as a constant. Ecofeminism embraces this transcendence of naturalized sexuality in that it recognizes women’s relationship with nature.
Ecofeminism incorporates women’s close tie to nature and nature’s ability to spiritually empower women. Nature appears in The Awakening and connects Edna to the sea. Edna’s discourse with the sea empowers her to begin self discovery. Edna relates to nature through the sea. Women’s ability to relate to nature according to ecofeminism is that both women 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) Society equally disregards both Edna and the sea; therefore it is sensible that the sea leads her as a peer into her awakening. Ecofeminism adds significance to the use of 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’s discourse with the sea initiates her awakening which also ends in the sea. The sea excites Edna and being similarly objectified, the sea is seemingly living and it whispers to her, and tempts her into finding the freedom that she desires.
Calixta displays the ecofeminist 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 displays a relationship between women and nature. Ecofeminism asserts that women’s strength is in nature, and to establish her own inner strength, women 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 subjects to the system in which they live disregard and discount 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 women must “destroy in order to create.” (82) In order to “create” herself, both Edna and Calixta must deconstruct the patriarchal values that surround them 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, one that works exclusively for them, patriarchal subjects are still unwilling to accept this reality.
Calixta’s new reality, one that completely disregards the values of the patriarchal system, is that of a married woman carrying out passionate sexual relations with another man 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 in her own life 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 strengthened side of women that men did not want to acknowledge, much less accept. Man’s refutation and rejection therefore reinforce Chopin’s ideology that women, especially those who are unique, are oppressed by the society in which they live. Marriage was the main patriarchal institution which Chopin wrote her characters to be confined by and to defy.
Edna is highly impulsive and wants no way other than her own; her way is such that she refuses to accept the social norms. 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. 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 but displays her “wanton self-destructiveness.” (148) A level of disappointment is experienced when it is understood that Edna’s actions are more impulsive than methodical, however seriousness and depth of Edna’s thoughts of awakening and her emotions tied to it are an aspect of her that is distinguishing and admirable. In spite of the heroine aspect of Edna’s character, she ultimately fails to overcome patriarchy as a lack of methodical thinking being applied to her awakening. Although the tendencies of patriarchy are likely to blame for Edna’s downfall, her lack of organized thought was also a contributor.
Chopin presents an indefensible moral position that she portrays in her prose, seemingly a proponent of the act, but with in depth reading, the action is criticized and weakened. Berkove believes that Chopin’s extraordinary skill is her ability to subtly undercut bold but morally untenable positions that she has sympathetically represented. (188) The stories of ‘The Storm’ and ‘At the ‘Cadian Ball’ involve dynamic characters which Chopin uses in order to embrace and contrastingly criticize the actions of impulsive sexuality; whereas other stories, such as ‘The Awakening’ embrace the exploration of a Edna’s sexuality. “Her firm, elastic flesh that was knowing for the first time its birthright….the generous abundance of her passion without guile or trickery was like a white flame.” (Chopin, Page 284) Chopin is saying that a pure passion is like a ‘white flame’; and women’s sexuality is referred to as her birthright.
Chopin uses the subtleties to imply her criticism or support of the protagonist’s sexuality as presented in the text. In ‘The Storm,’ Chopin mainly criticizes the actions and results which originate from impulsive thinking. She is criticizing the overly liberal ideal that encourages extramarital affairs; however, during the scene in which Alcee and Calixta are committing adultery, Chopin calls the experiencing of passionate sexual affairs the ‘birthright’ of Calixta’s flesh. It may seem that Chopin is contradicting herself; however, this is the “sympathetic representation” to which Berkove refers. The main concept of the passage is her disapproval of the affair-then the subtle placement of women’s right to enjoy sexuality. Chopin is conveying the support of sexually liberated women, but within a certain means. Chopin’s diction to describe how Calixta desired Alcee is also important. White flames are those of the hottest fire, which also consume and destroy everything around it. Calling Calixta’s passion a ‘white flame’ is denoting how deeply and with how much impact a desire can burn. By using this image, Chopin is showing the duality of the situation in which Calixta and Alcee spontaneously placed themselves. This duality shows the support of liberated women, and the criticism of adulterous women.
Although Chopin believed in the mentally liberated woman, she did agree with
some societal boundaries that were placed concerning sexuality, such as the sanctity of marriage. In ‘The Storm’ Calixta and Alcee violate this sacred relationship, and Chopin uses their adultery to convey the limits of liberated women. Two main images can be referenced for this criticism. The first is taking place when the storm is about to hit and Calixta realizes she needs to take in the clothing. “She had hung Bobinot’s Sunday clothes to air and she hastened out to gather them before the rain fell.” The second is Bobinot admonishing Bibi, his son, for getting dirty during the storm. “’You ought to be ashame’. An’ that mud on yo’ collar! How you got that mud on yo’ collar Bibi?’ ...Bibi was the picture of pathetic resignation.” (Chopin, Page 282, 285) The true criticism of the extramarital affair comes in through the dialogue and actions of the characters in ‘The Storm.’ Using implications from both selections, Chopin advocates the sanctity of marriage.
Primarily, the storm that is taking place in The Storm must be recognized as a symbol of the sexual infidelity. It, through various means, violates every aspect of Bobinot and Calixta’s home physically as would the knowledge of an affair would violate emotionally; and reaches its most violent stages at the peak of the sexual act itself. The affair and the storm are inextricably intertwined. The first quote, by specifically indicating that the clothes were those worn on a Sunday denotes to them a level of sacredness associated with the day of worship, which is about to be ruined by the approaching storm. Following the adulterous act, the son of Calixta and Bobinot, Bibi is dirty. In this case, Chopin is using Bibi himself as a symbol of the marriage, where two symbolically become one, and Bibi being the literal biological semblance of two becoming one flesh. The purity of Bobinot and Calixta’s marriage has been dirtied, and to demonstrate the relevance of this fact, Chopin enforces it by using a symbol to convey it. Chopin thus summarizes the marriage as ‘reduced to pathetic resignation.’ The importance that is placed on showing the damage and impurity following the extramarital sex is purporting Chopin’s personal views of the limits of women’s liberation.
Inhibition of Reception in Traditional Patriarchy and Modern Patriarchy; Specifically, Through Lack of Adaptation
As a result of Chopin’s portrayal of women, this began to cast the sex in a different light than patriarchal subjects had wanted to perceive them and blurred the lines of the female gender that had been established. Chopin mixes support with criticisms for her character’s actions; however, the nature of the actions causes her writing to encounter difficulty in its reception by the traditional and modern patriarchal system. If it is understood what is occurring in Chopin’s writing, specifically The Awakening, The Storm and At The ‘Cadian Ball, then new significance in how Chopin herself had affected feminism by addressing issues that the patriarch refused to acknowledge existed.
A patriarchal base is laid in ‘The Awakening’ in the 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 patriarchal system that is in her 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 they are cold, passionless creatures, that are incapable of many emotions and thoughts that men may have. Edna Pontellier, is Chopin’s response to this ideology, showing that women 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 the patriarchal system 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 ultimately defies the patriarch yet it has also defeated her.
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 versus 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 yet are still relatively unexposed to a general, non-scholarly audience. Edna however, mirrors the outcome of many women who attempted to surmount patriarchy, ending in failure to overcome society. The Awakening is considered as feminist theory because Edna’s journey is contingent solely upon her sex, the events occurring as they did only as a result of Edna’s being female.
It was not only through her subject matter that Kate Chopin differed from her peers and predecessors: she wrote in a stylistic language which was distinctly women centric, 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 difficult to acknowledge, or even be respected. To believe that a female was in the same sexual standing as men was incomprehensible, thus hindering her career. Being a woman and writing about 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’s works were isolated because their author was a woman. Fortunately, she did not need the money, for her and her husband (deceased when she began writing) had amassed 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.
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. In modern patriarchy, this presents a conflict of ideology in that the modern household still clings to the traditional standards of women as subordinate caretakers and the male as the head (not domineering) of the household. Men are still pictured mainly through mainstream entertainment as the center of household affairs. Although divorce is more common in present day compared to Chopin’s era, Edna by rejecting marriage is still in a critical position of defying the head and abandoning her children, an action which is considered irresponsible and criticized. 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. 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.
In addition to her rejection of marriage, 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. Although she had already consciously determined to reject society, Edna’s acts were so emboldened that a level of spontaneity and lack of consideration were necessary for her to perform them.
Contrastingly, Calixta, in the end of ‘The Storm’ reverts to the acceptance of marriage and allows patriarchy to dominate 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 Bobinot 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 Calixta houses ideals which conflict with society’s image of her definition. This internalized rebellion has caused Calixta to create for herself a new dimension of her life inside her own mind that is real; however, because it conflicts with the external reality of how patriarchal subjects and her husband perceive her, she must keep her new reality privatized to herself and her lover.
Chopin’s works have not been adapted to the entertainment cinema, rather any film adaptations are the results of efforts for education or study. Marilyn Hoder-Salmon produced a cinematic adaptation of The Awakening entitled “Edna”; however the adaptation is mainly an interpretation of the novel itself and Thomas claims it “would be impossible to follow the screenplay without knowing the novel.” (Paragraph 4.) The screenplay directed by Hoder-Salmon is not an attempt to expose the ideas contained within Chopin’s literature, but a medium for her interpretation of the novel made for audiences who have already read The Awakening. To be considered as an adaptation to the entertainment cinema, the screenplay must be explanatory of the story line in addition to interpretive. The themes in The Awakening are not popular ideals, and therefore the works which contain them are not adapted to cinema for a wide general audience.
By not being made available through entertainment cinema, the subversive nature of Chopin’s themes is being exacerbated, and the emergence of these themes into mainstream entertainment more unlikely. The ideas the Chopin presents will continually conflict with society until members accept them, and without exposure such as entertainment the will remain ignored. If Chopin’s themes are sublimated then the significance of her ideas and their contribution to the feminist literary canon will be recognized and begin to gain exposure. Until the subversive themes are exposed and no longer the subject of criticism, patriarchal ideals will still be an issue existent in today’s society, and the traditional hierarchy being continually upheld.
The Usage of Reversed Gender Role by Chopin as a Literary Device and Political Statement
The strong female protagonist can be viewed as either as a revolutionary heroine,
or as foolish and immoral. The Awakening is unique and feminist 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.
Both Calixta and Edna reject the gender 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 womanhood as defined for her by society. 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.” Calixta and Edna both defy the conception of women 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. Felman states that the women have been reduced by man to the status of a “silent and subordinate object.” (7) Generally characterized as outcast type characters in literature and society, ‘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. Madame 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 patriarchal values with the characters that are perceived by its subjects 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 and offered. Chopin varies from the principles of patriarchy in that men are not the possessors. Men do not direct the destinies of neither Edna nor Calixta.
Edna and Calixta both have a man who holds influence, and although this can be perceived as the allowance of patriarchal domination, it is by their own willingness to allow that element of control therefore once again defying patriarchy by making their own decisions. 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 patriarchal beliefs, 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 woman succumbs to patriarchy in their acts of rebellion; however both realize that they cannot escape it.
‘The Awakening’ was written in the same year as ‘The Storm,’ and displays some similarly sensual content such as Edna’s relations with Alcee Arobin and her longing for Robert LeBrun. The main difference in character is that Calixta’s adultery is not premeditated; and Edna, although spontaneous in her own right, clearly intended for something to take place during her encounters; Edna therefore, possesses more control and strength in her rebellion against patriarchy. In the primary incident in which Calixta is shown to be lacking in strength, Clarisse seizes control from Calixta in ‘At the ‘Cadian Ball’ by bidding Alcee Laballiere come with her. In ‘The Storm,’ Calixta’s strength as a character is actually undermined when she defies the confines of her marriage through sexual infidelity in that she gave herself up in a moment of passion without premeditation. Calixta merely has enough power to commit the affair, but is not strong enough to reject systematic patriarchal practice by deserting her family. Calixta chooses to deceive her family into believing that normalcy continues. The act was not the result of love originating between Calixta and Alcee, but of intense lust; therefore they are able to continue unchanged as a result of the lack of emotion involved.
Calixta, although seemingly in control and strong is fundamentally lacking in strength because of the absence of intent. Contrastingly, Edna is a character that intentionally ventures out on her own to find what she wants rather than stumbling upon it. Both women defy their husbands. Ironically, Edna’s journey seems to be supported by the narrative idealistically more so than Calixta’s. This may be the result of the multifaceted nature of Edna’s development and the contrast of the single nature of Calixta’s affair. Both women experience subtle criticism from the author for the amoral action. Edna is a strong character, stronger than Calixta in that she controls her own journey on several levels of consciousness. The ideals of feminism are not undermined by a strong female character because the bold actions of Calixta do not originate in strength, and those actions of the strong Edna are for the majority supported and reasonable.
Still subversive to a general audience, Chopin’s works present many problematic themes, especially those regarding women’s sexuality and those which conflict with the ideals of a patriarchal society. Because the subversive themes, Chopin’s literature has not been adapted to the entertainment cinema, nor have the ideas presented in Chopin’s short stories and novels been recognized as significant. Considered inappropriate to many factions of modern society as a result of the subversive themes, Chopin’s writing reveals a problematic remnant of traditional patriarchal ideals in present day society which cause Chopin’s works to be overlooked or ignored, and the significance of the revolutionary thought and expression by Chopin not realized. In spite of the passing of a century, not much concerning society’s subjectivity to patriarchy has changed. Uncertainty surrounds the immediate effectiveness of Chopin’s political reversal of gender role, for women’s equality movements did not begin to succeed or gain highly recognition until the 20th century.
Further investigation into the feminist movement that existed in Chopin’s time could display a relationship between the attempts in social progress and the stances in Chopin’s writing. Chopin’s emphasis on the sexual and cognitive independence of her protagonists may be the result of the efforts of the first wave feminist movement. Also looking at the movement as it developed after Chopin’s writings were widely published and brought into critical observation would show the immediate effects and consequences of Chopin’s works on the society whose mindset she disrupted. A method to measure the remaining influence of patriarchal thought could be determined by whether attempts have been made to adapt Chopin to the entertainment cinema, and why those attempts failed. Cinematic adaptation will associate the female sex with a gender role that patriarchal ideology did not set forth, and can bring a new concept of women into society on a level that reaches many, farther than the literary canon which cannot communicate to all members of a society. Until her themes are recognized, patriarchy will remain in society, and women will still be judged based on how society wishes to define them, rather than how they wish to define themselves.
“Our identities can no more be kept separate from how our bodies look than they can be kept separate from the shadow selves of the female stereotype.” - Sandra Bartky
1. Chopin, Kate.
The Awakening
New York: Penguin Books, 2003
2. Thornton, Lawrence:
“The Awakening”: A Political Romance
Editor: Petry, Alice H. Critical Essays on Kate Chopin.
New York: Hall, 1996.
3. Berkove, Lawrence I.
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Kate Chopin as Feminist: Subverting the French Androcentric Influence
Palmerston North, New Zealand: Massey University
Deep South v.2. n.3. (Spring 1996)
http://www.otago.ac.nz/DeepSouth/vol2no3/chopin.html
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The Madwoman In the Attic
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On Female Identity
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8. Felman, Shoshana.
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Editor: Abel, Elizabeth. Writing and Sexual Difference
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9. Jehlen, Myra
Archimedes and the Paradox of Feminist Criticism
Editors: Warhol, Robyn and Herndl, Diane Price. Feminisms: An Anthology of \
Literary Theory and Criticism
New Brunswick: Rutgers UP, 1991
10. Howard, Ann Bail
A Woman Far Ahead of Her Time
Great Plains Chatauqua Society, July 1997
http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/eng384/chopinhoward.htm
11. Klein, Sarah.
Kate Chopin’s Ecofeminism: A Dialogue Between “The Awakening” and
Contemporary Women.
South Central Women's Studies Assoc. Conference, Tulane University, 1999
http://www.womenwriters.net/domesticgoddess/ecofeminism.html
12. Thomas, Heather Kirk.
Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening”: Screenplay as Interpretation.
Studies in Short Fiction. Gale Group, 1994
13. Chopin, Kate.
The Storm
Shreveport, LA. :Louisiana State University Press, 1969.
14. Chopin, Kate.
At the ‘Cadian Ball
New York: Penguin Books, 2003
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