Reviews - Been There, Read That!

The Awakening

The Awakening

By: Kate Chopin

3.5 Hearts out of 5

Summary from GoodReads:

When first published in 1899, The Awakening shocked readers with its honest treatment of female marital infidelity. Audiences accustomed to the pieties of late Victorian romantic fiction were taken aback by Chopin's daring portrayal of a woman trapped in a stifling marriage, who seeks and finds passionate physical love outside the confines of her domestic situation.

Aside from its unusually frank treatment of a then-controversial subject, the novel is widely admired today for its literary qualities. Edmund Wilson characterized it as a work "quite uninhibited and beautifully written, which anticipates D. H. Lawrence in its treatment of infidelity." Although the theme of marital infidelity no longer shocks, few novels have plumbed the psychology of a woman involved in an illicit relationship with the perception, artistry, and honesty that Kate Chopin brought to The Awakening. (GoodReads)

Find out why I was skeptical about this book and then why it became one of my favourites:

A book filled with sexism, feminism, and the overall truth within one woman's heart, Edna. This novel is a quick read, and was actually one I wound up doing for a school project. It can easily be said that it's just a woman and her thoughts on feminism, and while that may be true, it is all filled with a balance monotony of it all.

In essence this entire piece of work is about how Edna found her awakening within life, sexual-affairs, and her own self-identity. With the setting being in the 1890's in New Orleans you have to take into consideration on how taboo her thoughts were, and her actions were seemingly unholy at the time. In this time it would seem as a woman were to only tend to the needs of husband and children, but Edna thinks she should be more free, and that she would have a say in what happens and what she does.

Edna delves into her own inner thoughts as well as her friends' and compares and contrasts what did happen and what could have happened if she made her decisions differently. In living in an upper-middle class area as a Créole woman, she was seen as just here to marry a wealthy man of her social being, and then to bear his children and take care of them, but Edna didn't see it that way, and did everything within her to prove her ways better. She essentially began to see how her personal desires did not meet up with society's expectations and she found herself becoming more and more depressed, and losing hope.

The book has such beautiful elegant language which has the ability to bring you into that time period, and really get absorbed with what you are reading. Our main character, Edna tests the waters of individuality and feminism which makes this a great read for many. Also the time setting is a great set up because it brings in many societal problems than just personal problems between husband, wife, and children.

Things to be wary of before reading (slight spoilers!) Edna doesn't take joy in her children, and frequently rejects them, so if this is not an okay subject for you, you may stray away from the context of the story. Another point being Edna's affair while her husband is away. Your view may be different on this part, but I find that character portrayal in this rings very true.

The ending of this book is truly a shocker, and I recommend this to anyone who wants a quick classical read that tests the conformities of societal feminine rankings. Or if you just want to read and decide upon Edna's true awakening for yourself!

I hope all of you read, The Awakening!

~BetwixtDecisions