Essay on The Awakening - 751 Words

The Awakening Analytical Essay THE AWAKENING Throughout Kate Chopin’s, The Awakening, numerous scenes of birth and renewal are depicted. Various symbols placed throughout the book show Edna Pontellier’s awakenings. For instance, many references are made to oceans and water. It is in the water that Edna has her first rebirth, but it is also the place where she chooses to die. Water symbolizes life, which is the reason that Edna’s renewal takes place there, but it also symbolizes darkness and death. Birds, which are featured frequently in the story, symbolize Edna, and in many cases they foreshadow what’s to become of her, or they show her renewal of life. The imagery of birds throughout the book is used to symbolize freedom, which is†¦show more content†¦Birds are also major symbolic images in the story. Flight, which is associated with birds, acts as a stand-in for awakening. The ability to spread your wings and fly is a symbolic theme that occurs often in the novel. Mademoiselle Reisz tells Edna quot;the bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings† (138). She uses birds to forecast Ednas future and evaluate Ednas strength. In order to soar like a bird, Edna must be strong, but Mademoiselle Reisz realizes that Edna is weak. Reisz says, quot;it is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earthquot; (138). Mademoiselle Reisz understands that Edna is not like herself and cannot fight society. Later, when Edna realizes the hopelessness of her situation, birds, once again, symbolically foreshadow her fate. Upon reaching the beach on her final walk, Edna looks around and sees: quot;A bird with a broken wing was beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the waterquot; (189). This bird is the final omen that reflects Mademoiselle Reiszs words: quot;it is sad to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earthqu ot; (138). The bird, disabled and weakened because of its broken wing, falls back to earth and suffers defeat. Edna soon does the same when she kills herself because she does not have quot;theShow MoreRelatedThe Awakening on Kate Chopins The Awakening1745 Words   |  7 Pages The time period of the 1880s that Kate Chopin lived in influenced her to write The Awakening, a very controversial book because of many new depictions of women introduced in the book. The Awakening is a book about a woman, Edna Pontellier. In the beginning, she is a happy woman with her husband and 2 kids vacationing at Grand Isle. While there, Edna realizes she is in love with Robert Lebrun and that she was just forced into an unloving/dissatisfying marriage with Mr. Pontellier. Robert howeverRead MoreDemoralization In The Awakening1584 Words   |  7 Pagesthem and cause them to lose hope. 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