Reading and Responding to Literature Period: 1860-1899
If Junior Project book which ___2__ (1-8) Submittal Date __11/30/04____
Bibliographic Entry:
Chopin, Kate. The Awakening and Selected Stories. New York: Penguin Books,
1984.
What is the Subject of the Novel?
This novel is about Edna Pontellier living in New Orleans who struggles to
discover herself in motherhood; she wrestles with the effort of achieving
independence. Throughout the novel, she constantly searches to live life more
fully and to become independent.
Find and state (in the author's words) a "defining" passage,
one which best summarizes
the direction of the novel-its theme.
"She heard him moving about the room; every sound indicating impatience
and irritation. Another time she would have gone in at his request. She would,
through habit, have yielded to his desire; not with any sense of submission
or obedience to his compelling wishes, but unthinkingly, as we walk…"
(P.77).
Paraphrase this passage (in your own words):
She heard him moving in the room; every sound he made showed that he was impatient
and irritated. Usually, she would obey his request. She would usually tend
to accomplish his desire without a sense of agreement to his persuasive longings,
but carelessly, while they walk…
Paraphrase three subsidiary, supporting ideas, images or symbols using
complete
sentences.
1) A major theme in the book is the awakening of Edna from the dull life she
has always been living. She awakens herself into a large world where she becomes
independent.
2) A second theme in the novel is family relationship. Edna does not accept
her role as a mother and she refuses to go to her sister's wedding. She also
disobeys her father.
3) The symbol of a caged bird in the beginning and the symbol of an injured
seabird at the end both symbolize the transformation of Edna. Edna was trapped
in a cage in the beginning, unable to discover her life, and at the end, she
is damaged and flies into the sea.
Make a list of and name the characters you have found in the essay, supply
a
characterizing quotation and tell why you think the author used the character.
Character's Name
Quote the text!
Why used?
1. Edna Pontellier- "Her marriage to Leonce was purely an accident…It
was in the midst of her secret great passion that she met him" (P.62).
Edna is a character that constantly searches for her life. She is the protagonist
of the story. This line shows that Edna has physically awakened and she begins
to seek for true love. The author uses Edna to allow the story to proceed.
When Edna dies, the story also ends.
2. Robert Lebrun- "there is no earthly possibility of Mrs.Pontellier
ever taking me seriously. You should have warned me against taking myself
seriously. Your advice might then have carried some weight and given me subject
for some reflection" (P.65).
Robert is a foolish character that likes to fall in love with married women.
When relationships seem intense he becomes a coward and runs away from his
problems. To purpose of Robert is to allow Edna to "awaken." He
made Edna realize that she is not satisfied with her marriage with Leonce,
but is more satisfied with Robert.
3. Leonce Pontellier- "When Mr.Pontellier learned of his wife's intention
to abandon her home and take up her residence elsewhere, he immediately wrote
her a letter of unqualified disapproval and remonstrance" (P.150)
Leonce is a character that does not understand his wife. He frequently reminds
Edna to take her role as a mother. He is described as the "perfect"
husband there ever was. The author uses Leonce to show her transformation.
As the story proceeds, Leonce slowly disappears from the setting. He is hardly
ever mentioned when Edna becomes more independent.
4. Mademoiselle Reisz- "Yes, your friend Robert. He wrote to me from
the City of Mexico" (P.114).
Mademoiselle Reisz is a musician and she plays the piano. Mademoiselle Reisz
is the one who keeps the relationship between Robert and Edna alive. She receives
letters from Robert and tells Edna what he says.
Summarize the plot, noting the complications, climax or crisis and resolution
of the
piece:
The Awakening is a novel describing the physical and mental change of Edna
Pontellier in New Orleans. On a vacation in Grand Isle, she met a young man
name Robert Lebrun, which likes to court married women. Through spending numerous
times with Robert, Edna gradually changes into an independent woman and a
woman who is aware of her life. She realizes that she has no love for Leonce
and that her true love was Robert. Robert then runs away from Edna. As Edna
is left alone, she becomes more independent than before and she moves into
her new home, a "pigeon house." Soon, Robert returns and they meet
together to confess their love. Edna is then called to help Adele in her labor.
When she returns home, Robert has left permanently, leaving a note. This is
the point where Edna is fully awakened and she goes to Grand Isle. She swims
and never returns to the shore.
Explain your view on the issues raised in the book. Do you agree, disagree
or partially
agree with the author? Give at lease three reasons you believe as you do.
The issue of awakening from the sleep of womanhood is raised in this story
in the way that it is the problem Edna is struggling to solve. In other words,
Edna is awakened to the idea of being an independent woman. Chopin conveys
the idea of independent as something to be very difficult and confusing to
achieve. Chopin also suggests the importance of being independent.
In this story, the dissatisfaction of a marriage is a start for the "awakening."
When Leonce was married to Edna, Edna had no feelings for Leonce. She married
Leonce because Leonce liked her; she never really liked Leonce. She had no
choice but to marry him. This shows that women do not have a role in society
except being a mother. I agree that it is quite difficult to achieve independence
because men are used to being the dominant one. They expect that every woman
must depend on them for their living. They also expect that women are to be
housewives.
I also agree that it is very confusing to discover independence. It took time
for Edna Pontellier to realize that she did not have independence. She was
the caged bird who was blinded for years until she finally "awaken."
Sometimes from being too dependent all the time, a woman may become confuse
whether or not there is such thing as independence. If they live in dependence
for such a long time period, it seems like a habit for them to depend on their
husbands. So I agree that there might be a sense of confusion.
The novel also mentioned an important issue that independence is significant.
I also agree with this because independence between both genders is always
important. Being dependent is not a good sign because what if the person one
is depending died? Then would it be the end of the world? If one were independent,
then at times like this one would not be afraid or concerned at all. In the
story, Edna begins to move away from her husband and buys her own "pigeon
house." This is a sign that portrays her independence.
Name your Junior Project theme: Women in Literature.
How does this book express your Junior Project theme?
This book expresses my Junior Project Theme because it portrays the role of
women in the 1800's. During this time, women were expected to obey their husband,
in other words, be dependent, and they had to take on their role as a mother.
In the novel, Edna was constantly reminded by Leonce to do her role as a mother,
but she fails to do them. He claims that his role is to raise the family and
that her role is to take care of the children and clean the house. Every man
in this era expected their wives to do such things. However, Edna did not
do these things at all. She dreams about love with Robert and she is starting
to notice independence. She begins to make her own choices. For example, instead
of having guests every Tuesdays, she told them to not come at all. She chooses
not to socialize with them and uses her time on her artistic artwork.
List the other Junior Project books and authors you have read on this theme:
1. ___The Scarlet Letter __________, ___Nathaniel Hawthorne___.
2. ___The Awakening ____________, ___Kate Chopin___________.
3. ____________________________, _______________________.
4. ____________________________, _______________________.
5. ____________________________, _______________________.
6. ____________________________, _______________________.
7. ____________________________, _______________________.
In a discussion of at least 300 words - one page typewritten - explain
how the theme you have selected appears in the book you have read tracing
at least three threads of characterization, setting, plot devices, diction,
style, symbols, or doctrine and philosophy.
As you read addition books, add to this discussion which, in consequence,
will grow each time you report. Write fully developed paragraphs and you should
write more, as much as possible. Feel free to amend and edit previous writing
as you go along.
What should you discuss? Discuss the threads you choose each time, for instance
the female characters, how they view themselves, how they view their loves,
how they are treated and seen by others. What is the societal view of outsiders,
another example, how do they tend to act when alone, what is their self-image?
You should also consider adding historical detail to illustrate WHY characters
act as they do during the time period in which the book is written, and to
explain why what happens does, indeed, happen.
JP 1- Scarlet Letter By Nathaniel Hawthorne
A major symbol through the novel is the letter "A" placed on Hester's
chest. The "A" represents her inner torture, outer torture, and
adultery. It is an inner torture because inside of her, she suffers when she
sees Pearl because Pearl reminds her of her sin that she committed. It is
also an external torture because whenever people see it, they often criticize
her making her melancholy. The "A" represented her shame and guilt
for having a child with a man before marriage. Every time when she sees the
"A" it reminds her of the horrible crime she committed. However,
the "A" to Pearl is the originality of the mother. Ever since Pearl
was born, all she saw was the "A" on Hester's chest. When Hester
takes off her "A," Pearl reacts with abrupt emotions. She was sad
when the "A" was gone because that was the only thing she saw in
her mother.
Another symbol in The Scarlet Letter was Pearl. Pearl was the main reason
why Hester remains living in life. Without Pearl, Hester would most likely
commit suicide early in life. Pearl represents happiness to Hester, but she
represents evil to Dimmesdale. Pearl haunts Dimmesdale because she constantly
reminds him of his sin he had committed. What makes it even worse is that
Dimmesdale refuse to confess his wrongdoing; he retains it deep within his
heart, which soon creates an invisible scar.
The novel also plays a role in the theme in that it explains how it was a
tough time for women to speak. When people saw her, they thought she was evil
and did not want to look at her. They turned their backs on her, showing no
respect. Throughout the whole novel, Hester lives in an isolated cottage in
the deep dark, dreadful forest. This cottage she lives in symbolizes much
of her and the place the cottage is in. The cottage is isolated and Hester
is also isolated. Her heart and soul is isolated; people despise her, and
no one wants to play with her. The main thing she does at home is sewing so
that she earns enough money to keep Pearl alive. Another image that symbolizes
Hester's isolation is the prison she was held in the beginning of the story.
Her soul is captured in a tiny cell; she could not be free, and felt that
she was treated unequally.
The Scarlet Letter is related to my theme, Women in Literature, because the
novel describes the life of a youthful woman. It goes in depth on how woman's
lives were not as simple as thought to be. Women were not allowed to have
an affair during that time period when they were not married to that person.
Hester was pregnant and forced to wear the letter "A" on her chest.
People in town humiliated her and complained how a light punishment was set
on her instead of a drastic one. If she were a male, punishments would have
been much easier and lighter.
This novel is a romantic novel because it consists of feelings and events
that are quite emotional and fervent. A romantic novel is defined as a novel
that has intensity and emotional feelings in them, and The Scarlet Letter
contains these elements. There were many times in the novel where a situation
was very deep such as the confession of Dimmesdale. Dimmesdale confession
was truly deep because it shows his victory over an arduous situation. It
had numerous emotions in it because Hester and Pearl were there to support
him. They went through the problem together; they fought tough conflict together
as one. Also a time when deep feelings appeared was when Hester was brought
out to the town so that people were able to humiliate her. It must have been
very hard for her because losing a reputation is really a major issue.
JP 2- The Awakening By Kate Chopin
Chopin uses symbols to show independence. In the beginning, the caged bird
represents Edna, who is trapped within a cage. She lacked freedom and is unable
to escape. Throughout the novel, words were used that represented birds. For
example, the word "wing" was often times used to portray strength.
Mademoiselle Reisz has also used the word "wing" to Edna. She mentioned
that strong wings were necessary for Edna in order to express her love to
Robert. The injured bird at the end of the story also symbolizes Edna. This
time, it symbolizes Edna's escape to freedom; however, she is damaged as she
flies to the open sea. She ends of falling into the water, which in a way
illustrates a sign of defeat.
Another symbol Chopin uses to symbolize independence is the sea. The sea is
a place that symbolizes both freedom and escape. The sea allows Edna to swim
anywhere she wants and it does not limit her. She can swim a great distance
and there will be no one there to stop her. The only person that can ever
stop her is herself, which in the beginning she does. According to Edna, she
swam a great distance and feared of the huge sea and swam back to shore. However,
at the end, Edna is making an escape in which she swims all the way and never
wishes to turn back. Her ability to swim also marks a symbol of independence.
By swimming, she is capable of going anywhere she wants.
The fact that Edna is unable to paint successfully symbolizes that she cannot
create herself. It means that Edna is incapable of understanding herself and
she does not know her true self. Also through Edna's awakening after seeing
Adele Ratignolle give birth, Edna has fully transformed. She has been reborn
and starting anew life with a fresh perspective. Through an arduous journey
in finding independence, she finally discovered it and changed into a whole
new person with an entirely different insight.
This is a naturalist novel because it depicts the realism in art and literature
during that time period. According to the dictionary, the definition of naturalism
is "the practice of describing precisely the actual circumstances of
human life in literature." This is exactly what is happening in this
novel. It is describing the independence of women in human life. In this time,
women were blinded from independence by being dependent upon others. They
were very akin to Edna who was also dependent upon her husband, Leonce. Independence
never struck Edna before until she was finally awakened through the experience
that motherhood was a difficult task to accomplish. Love and passion also
stimulated her independence. Her true love with Robert reminded her that there
was no love between her and Leonce and this was when Edna started to think
about independence.
Comparison between JP 1 and JP 2
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and The Awakening by Kate Chopin are very similar in that the main conflict involves women. In The Scarlet Letter, the main conflict involves a woman who had committed adultery. She was being punished because she had a baby with a man before she was married. The people in this time period consider this to be a major sin. They locked her up and forced her to wear an outfit that has a letter "A" inscribed on the chest. In The Awakening, the main character, Edna, who is a woman, is struggling with life. Her husband, who always expects that Edna must be obedient to him, gave her no independence.
Another similarity between the two novels is the expectations the male set forth for the females. Males in the 1800's and some in the twenty-first century even, expect that women are their maids. They believe that women are made to serve them and that the males are more superior to them. In The Scarlet Letter males had great expectations for women. They expected that women must be pure, obedient, and decent. In The Awakening, women were expected to be dependent upon their husband at all times, and that they should always listen to their husbands because they are their "masters." Both novels had expectations of women that portrayed their lack of freedom.
Both novels create a vivid use of symbols to depict the adversity the two
women, Hester and Edna, journeyed through. A major symbol in The Scarlet Letter
was the "A" on Hester's chest. The "A" represents all
the things she had gone through, mainly torture and humiliation. Everywhere
she went, people and children who saw the sign knew precisely what it meant.
However, this shame did not damaged Hester as much as it scared Dimmesdale
heart. Dimmesdale was the father of Pearl whom Hester committed the adultery
with. No one knows exactly who the husband is because Hester refuses to reveal
the truth and Dimmesdale is afraid to allow the public to endure the truth.
This is the reason why Dimmesdale is in much more pain than Hester. He holds
all his thoughts within him, which causes his heart to ache. At the end when
he confesses his sin, it is when he is the true hero. He had won a victory
and died victoriously. Through helping the community and knitting clothes
for the poor, Hester's "A" on her chest changed into a positive
definition. Instead of seeing it as adultery, individuals see it as able.
Symbols used in The Awakening mainly represent Edna or Edna's freedom and
her longing for independence. Early in the story, there was an image of a
caged bird, which symbolizes Edna's desire for independence. The bird is caged
within a barrier and is forced to stay inside. There is no possibility that
it can ever escaped because it is locked in bars. Edna is locked in bars mentally.
There is no escape for her for independence. Near the middle of the story,
Edna makes her first move for independence, which is moving out. The reader
may think that Edna has finally fulfilled her dreams to become independent,
but they are misled. Chopin notes that the house Edna moved into is called
a "Pigeon House." Again! Edna has fell into a cage. This time the
cage is imaginary, but the name is Pigeon House. Pigeon House is a house where
pigeons are stored and they cannot leave. And Edna had just entered one; once
again, Edna is unable to reach independence.
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