The Awakening by Kate Chopin

The main reason why I did not find this book to be as outrageous and shocking as its first readers (circa 1899) had seen it was perhaps because of the language. Chopin uses phrases that very subtly introduce her characters’ motivations, actions, and opinions. Belatedly I realized that an annotated edition would have been better, as there were a number of cultural references and French phrases, and I didn’t know whether or not they were important to the plot, or were perhaps simply there to make the setting more colourful. This novella centers on Edna Pontellier and her life after she meets Robert Lebrun at the island resort she and her family were attending one summer. She and Robert at first have a simple flirtation, but Edna’s feelings for him do not diminish as the summer ends. She suspects that he reciprocates her growing love, but before they have a chance to discuss the matter, he moves to Mexico City and she is brought back to New Orleans by her husband, Léonce. While in New Orleans, she pines for Robert’s company, though at the same time pushing forward with a new-found desire to paint. Her artistic endeavors, as well as her new opinions regarding her duties as mistress of an upper-middle-class household greatly distress Léonce, but his friend Dr. Mandelet convinces him to leave Edna alone, and everything will return to ‘normal’ eventually. Léonce heeds this advice, and leaves for an extended business trip to New York City. During his absence, Edna ships her two small children off to her mother-in-law’s, continues with her painting, and starts to move in new social circles. Still pining for the relationship and connection she had with Robert during the summer, she begins a sexual affair with another young man, Alcée Arobin. Alcée has no depth to his personality, and because of that, Edna obtains no satisfaction from her relationship with him. Robert’s sudden reappearance in Edna’s life begins yet another chain of events that culminates in Edna deserting her family – but not for the reason you might think. This book is a true study of the many different types of ‘awakenings’ a middle-aged (or younger) woman might go through, at any time in history. There are times in the book when I thought that Chopin is trying to make a statement, but is hindered by the plot. Therefore, it might be better to read this novella not as a linear story, but as a study, or perhaps an exercise; that’s probably the best way to explain the distance I felt with the characters.

If you enjoyed this book, please consider one of the following :
Fiction Recommendation : Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D.H. Lawrence. Even more shocking; almost as old.

Fiction Recommendation : Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. Very similar setting and characters, but Chopin and Rhys differ in the way they handle forbidden love. If you’ve never been told the connection Wide Sargasso Sea has with another literary classic, then don’t ask; you’ll enjoy the book even more when the realization comes.

Nonfiction Recommendation : A Doll’s House by Ibsen. This play deals with the struggle and eventual awakening of a wife and mother. While it does not have the sexual theme that Chopin discusses, it still leaves the reader with plenty to consider and debate.