Symbolism In The Awakening - 1420 Words

Analyzing Chopin’s use of symbolism in â€Å"The Awakening† What would one expect to be the personality of a woman, who was raised in a family of no man dominance in the year of 1800? Kate Chopin was born in Missouri, in 1850 and was one of the five children. At very young age, Kate lost her both sisters and her brother. At age of five, Kate was sent to a Catholic school. Not long after leaving her home, Chopin loses her father. Kate is being sent home from school to live with her mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. Couple years later she is going back to The Sacred Heart Academy and excels in French and English. Chopin grew up surrounded by intelligent and independent women. Unlike the society at that time, Kate Chopin was lack†¦show more content†¦Edna is isolated and trapped like those birds in the cage, by her husband, and she does not have any freedom to leave as she pleases. â€Å"You are burnt beyond recognition,† he added, looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage† (Chopin p.24). Edna could not escape from her husband anywhere, even when they were at the ocean; â€Å" I thought I should have perished out there alone†Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ â€Å" You were not so very far, my dear; I was watching you,† he told her (50). Birds are the major symbol in this novel; they are mentioned through out the novel. In the beginning of the novel birds were saying;†Allez vous-en! Allez vous-en! Sapristi! Thant’s all right!† (Chopin p.22); this means go away, go away, for God’s sake, in Spanish. It is clearly seen that the birds represent Edna’s unspoken words and feelings toward her husband. The author mentions a bird at the end of the novel as well; â€Å"A bird with a broken wing was beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water† (Chopin p. 138). This bird was free from the c age but had broken wing. This bird represents that no matter how Edna tried to fulfill her desires; she did accomplish them; however, Edna did not have strong wings to fly high enough in her life to maintain her freedom, her desires, and her independence in the society she lived. Another example of symbolism, is the sea. The sea in the novel represents theShow MoreRelatedThe Awakening Symbolism Essay1756 Words   |  8 PagesKate Chopin uses powerful and significant symbolism in The Awakening to depict the feminist ideas involving women s longing for sexual and personal emancipation through the development of the main character, Edna Pontellier, as she recognizes the extent of her passion and ultimately the disappointment after the realization of her inevitable limitations in life. Symbolism is used to tell the story of Edna s journey toward self-discovery and the pursuit of her desires and freedom while defying VictorianRead MoreSymbolism in the Awakening by Kate Chopin1367 W ords   |  6 PagesSymbolism in The Awakening by Kate Chopin The Awakening by Kate Chopin is a novel full of symbolism which reveals much of the deeper meaning in the story. 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In contrast to customary women such as Adele Ratignolle, the model character in the story who displays very high standards of being a wife and a motherRead MoreKate Chopins The Awakening is full of symbolism such as birds, clothes, houses and other narrative1200 Words   |  5 PagesKate Chopins The Awakening is full of symbolism such as birds, clothes, houses and other narrative elements are symbols with an extremely significant meaning. The birds are the major symbolic images from the very beginning of the novel: A green and yellow parrot, which hung in a cage outside the door, kept repeating over and over: `Allez vous-en! Allez vous-en! Sapristi! Thats all right! (Chopin pp3) In The Awakening, caged birds represent Ednas entrapment. She is caged as a wife and mother;