William Shakespeare
Swim Towards Your Freedom
In the next chapters of The Awakening we see a huge jump in Edna's journey to her self-identity. We start by seeing how she looses her fear of entering the ocean, which most people thought came from the idea that she couldn't swim. When she enters the water and starts to swim away, she wanted to swim "where no other woman had swum before", and this gives the readers a metaphor Chopin attempts to depict. If we were to say the water symbolized her freedom from the routined society, when she swam out there, she became a different woman. She no longer feared for how she was supposed to be and actually felt like another person; one who could do whatever she wanted to do. We immediately see this change in Edna, as she goes home alone and once her husband calls her to go to bed, she refuses. She notices that all the time she has accepted her husbands "orders" only by habit, and she now can do as she likes. Each time I notice Mrs. Pontellier less wife-like and more like a teen-ager who recently discovered her independence. In fact, once she discovers this urge inside her, she feels unstoppable:
"A feeling of exultation overtook her, as if some power of significant import had been given her to control the working of her body and her soul. She grew daring and reckless, overestimating her strength. She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before" (Chapter X, page 60).
Once she is in the water, just by herself, stroking away into the depths of freedom, we see the transformation we have been waiting to see from her. She discovered a new side to her life, one where she no longer has to cry for no apparent reason. One where she finds sense in her life, not just pleasing her husband and following society. In fact, when she turns back to see how far she has reached, she understands that the only way to get back to shore, is up to her. She realizes the importance of her dependence as a woman. We then understand that she did indeed swim where no other woman has ever swum before, by breaking the system in which she lives in, she is now free. However, we must understand that times back then were different. A woman with this attitude was a woman who didn't belong, who didn't fit, who would step up and take the role a dominant male. I might guess that the author was brought up to some controversy with the readers in the 19th century. Chopin herself, was trying to become free and independent.
As she continues her new life, we start to see in her perhaps a spark of her sexuality slipping out. Her desires for Robert begin to show even more, but yet she only shows them when she is completely alone with him. Of course, Robert understands that although he too craves Edna, their relationship is out of place and that his feelings should not be revealed. We start to see another side to this relationship, one where Mr. Pontellier should actually be jealous about. I mean, I a actually feel sorry for him in the way that he is losing his wife to a "player", if you will, and each time feels more distant from his explosively moody wife. Im not saying that women shouldn't be this way, i just think that Mr. Pontellier is being treated unfairly. Yes, Edna's new side creates a whole revolution in their society and sets down the female counterpart to power, but then again, doesn't this create great controversy?
Indeed, it would, but we must give credit to Edna for finally finding out what she was missing in life. If we were to foreshadow what might happen in the book, it would be fair to say something negative will ensue.
Music In Your Soul
As we continue reading the novella, we start to get to know Edna better. We see her rediscovering herself, almost as if it was a part of her she had forgotten about. I don't only mean the way she revealed deep and overlooked memories to her recently acquainted friend Adele, but also how she finds her sub conscience desires come back as a vivid reality. This happens through the magic of music. I personally enjoy listening to music, of course the genre varies depending on my emotions. It always seems to find a way of reminding me of something or someone and produces new feelings. All the memories and thoughts that pop up on your mind while listening to music are perhaps the desires our mind truly wants, or even maybe just produces a projection of what it wants us to feel. What I mean with all this, is that I can relate to Edna in the sense that music is an influence in the course of our thoughts, directing them the way it grasps our emotions.
It is so, that in the party Edna attended, she found herself almost living her thoughts. Creating a soup of feelings which ultimately make her drop to tears:
"When she heard it there came before her imagination the figure of a man standing beside a desolate rock on the seashore. He was naked. His attitude was one of hopeless resignation as he looked toward a distant bird winging its flight away from him" (Chapter IX, page 55).
In the revelation from Edna's thoughts, we find her realizing and discovering new sides of her, perhaps her lost sexuality or her passions. The effects are so much, that Mrs. Pontellier almost finds herself in another reality, staring into her cravings. Also, we know women couldn't express themselves out loud in these times, and these explosions of past desires were only acceptable in her mind. The fact that music snaps immediately these thoughts into her mind, shows the reader the importance this art has in the novella, symbolically speaking. Although Mrs. Pontellier hasn't really been happy with her life in the book, music starts to show her another way. This could even mean a revelation from her part, where she finds her individuality as a woman and sets her goals straight. Mademoiselle Reisz is actually the one who creates the deep and subtle train of thoughts in Edna's eyes. Reisz then says to Edna that she is "the only one worth playing for". This could mean that Mademoiselle Reisz possibly suffers in the same way Mrs. Pontellier does, and fights too for her individuality.
The author might be trying to portray a message to the readers here: Perhaps women in these times only found happiness in their own mind. This would be due to the fact that Edna almost escapes her reality by the alluring sound of music, and actually "the very passions themselves were aroused within her soul, swaying it, lashing it, as the waves daily beat upon her splendid body", giving her an artificial happiness. In fact, music does not only influence Mrs. Pontellier and Mademoiselle Reisz. We learn here that her friend Adele and the twins also find relief in playing music, sadly not in the same way Edna and Reisz do. Playing the piano only compliments the ideal woman Adele should be, not playing for her own satisfaction but instead playing for the social entertainment it creates. The twins are then too, trained to grow up to the expectations of the ideal 19th century woman.
In this part of the book I feel that Edna finds a breakthrough from her troubles, and is left with a little seed of independence Mademoiselle Reisz leaves on her mind. The outburst women will have in this book, feels closer and closer each time.
Were Past Centuries so Different?
In the novel The Awakening by Kate Chopin, the readers are introduced to a 19th century setting. The story takes place on an island near New Orleans, where only high-class creole's resided. These people were mostly from French and Spanish decent, that had throughout the years adapted themselves as an elite and powerful society. Of course, such a classy label created a sort of cocky personality to these elite residents, mostly to men. We are after all speaking about the 19th century, times when women were practically powerless over men and had only "motherly" chores. Personally, I do not find women inferior to men, but the fact the novel was written by a woman, precisely in these times, creates an interesting point of view of how women were treated more like "property" than equal beings. Although we are only at the beginning of this sort of sexist, it's quite difficult not to predict how the characters will struggle for independence.
However, not all men shared the creole traditional perspective towards women. Robert Lebrun, who personally makes me uncomfortable, shares a different view towards women. Since his younger days, Robert has set his summer plans into "attending" the wives and mothers on the island. Wait, what? First of all, this man contradicts with the whole 19th century men stereotype by actually letting women be the priority instead of himself. And secondly, how would this act of "kindness" have not provoked one or two husbands into questioning their wives sworn and devoted love? Would it only be the fact that the creole men should not feel jealousy? Or maybe they are so worked up in their business and personal attention that they simply do not mind? So then yes, the answer to my questioning title is found. Times have changed and they are different. In Roberts defense, his actions aren't really clear and he only devotes his time to converse with these women and give them a hand. But we all know that his special attention to Mrs. Pontellier gives us a heads up to whats coming, don't we? Then all we can do for now is wait, and see what innocent little Robert will do next.
Although we see the attitude from the husbands to their wives mostly different then in modern times, the readers also find that the marriage in general different. By different I mean of course the relationship between Edna and Mr. Pontellier, noting the gloomy manner the wife acts. In fact, we see how sometimes it is quite struggling for Mr. Pontellier to understand Edna, and to comfort her. As a result of Mrs. Pontellier exits the bedroom and falls down into tears, not exactly knowing why though. "She could not have told why she was crying" (Chapter III, page 22) the only explanation to this behavior, is that Edna is not content with her marriage. In fact, the only moments when we actually see her happy is when she is with Robert. Perhaps because he listens to her unlike her husband, she finds it more pleasing to hang around with the "attendant". It should be sad for a woman in that century to suffer her marriage, knowing they have almost no voice and no opinion.
The author does anyhow create a contrasting character to Mrs. Pontellier, this is Adele. In modern days she would be called "whipped", but for the 19th century expectations of a woman, she fits perfectly. She isn't the complete opposite from Edna, but in the sense of how much she cares for her children , how much she is pleased with her life, or even how much she accepts that she is and will only be a house wife creates the complete parallel to Edna. I mean, what duties did women have in those days? Perhaps caring for the children and the house and simply accept things the way men wanted them to be like. In return they received a family, a stable marriage, and and a wealthy life. Certainly, Edna finds this style of life exhausting and pointless and replaces her sorrow with spent time with Robert.
All these characters seem different, in the sense they all want something different. Adele accepts her life in is happy, but in the other hand Edna feels that something is missing and defy's her role in the household. Robert doesn't seem to be like other men, and curiously chases married women. This of course will untie some trouble in the next chapters of the book.
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