Early 20th Century feminism has an Awakening in Chopin’s classic

The Awakening is a very short novel by Kate Chopin. Censored when it was published in 1899 for its feminism approach, it is now widely regarded as a very important work. It isn’t risque by today’s standards, but it does depict a woman who desires more than just staying home and pleasing her husband.

At the beginning of the book, Edna Pontellier looks like the typical housewife. She is raising 2 kids at home while her husband goes away to work regularly. We soon see though that she is not content with her life, despite social norms telling her this is the way it should be. Younger than her husband Leonce, she is attracted to a much younger man, Robert Lebrun, while on vacation. She seeks him out to spend time together, though makes no brazen advances. She finally has a glimpse at what a powerful, strong-willed woman can be when she meets Mademoiselle Reisz, a pianist, towards the end of the summer vacation.

Upon returning home, Edna sets out to make her life what she wants. Quietly and slowly at first, she starts taking walks by herself around town, not returning house calls by other women of society, and meeting with people she perhaps should not be seen with in public, including the dashing Alcee Arobin who has a poor reputation for sleeping with married women. When Leonce goes out of town for work, Edna drops the kids off with the grandparents for an extended visit, moves out of her family house, and begins a true affair with Alcee, though secretly, she still longs for Robert. Robert had gone away to try to suppress his own desires for Edna, but he does eventually return. Now that Edna has found her voice, she openly solicits Robert, but he confesses that he loves her too much to shame her by sleeping with her as a married woman. Edna cannot live with the rebuff, returning to the vacation isle where it all started, and drowns herself.

Written at a time when women in the USA were having their own “awakening,” this book faced a lot of opposition for showing that women can have sexual desires of their own, as well as for fighting the social norms of the day. Edna’s friends are each very symbolic of different aspects of her life and society in general. Though a short read, it is beautifully written with plenty of deeper meaning to ponder. A very nice little novel.