Colloquial Diction In The Awakening

The author’s tone can be found through the main protagonist’s diction and language. Edna speaks in a disapproving and saddened tone throughout the book when describing women’s roles in society. When Edna is asked by her husband to join him in celebrating her sister’s marriage she uses gloomy and a disapproving tone: “She won’t go to the marriage. She says a wedding is one of the most lamentable spectacles on earth.” This quote adds to the disapproving tone of the novel as Edna addresses her feelings about marriage to her own husband. The author also has her way of displaying her tone. The narrator discusses Edna’s feelings to the readers in the same saddened tone: "She could not have told why she was crying. Such experiences as the foregoing were not uncommon in her married life. They seemed never before to have weighed much against the abundance of her husband's kindness and a uniform devotion which had become tacit and self-understood." The narrator expresses Edna’s feelings by saying it in a sort of understanding and favorable way and not in a complaining way. This is an example of Chopin’s tone because Edna’s feelings about her husband is disapproving and she is starting to find her independence as a woman.

Not only does Chopin use Edna and Adele’s views to contrast them, but also physically describes them as opposites. Edna is described as a sticking woman that is captivating “Mrs. Pontellier’s eyes were quick and bright; they were a yellowish brown, about the color of

It seems that a “radiant peace settled upon her” only “ [as] she at last [finds] herself alone…[as] the children were gone” (Chopin 80). Only when she isn’t expected to behave the way a mother-woman should, does Edna feel peace and the visual imagery associated with the word radiant characterizes her as much happier without her societal role. It is only after Edna understands the potential fulfilment that she can gain by disregarding the social expectations in place for women that she attempts to find it. No longer does she long for the “little glimpses of domestic harmony” instead feeling pity for Adele Ratignolle’s “colourless existence” (Chopin, 183). Here the word “colourless” contrasts with “radiant” as something “radiant” cannot be without colour. Colour and radiance become symbolic of a life fully lived, one including personal happiness and identity. By awakening, Edna seems not only more aware but also more conscious of the rigidity and “colourlessness” that she has borne for so long. She is no longer confined by the expectation that women should sacrifice their own personal happiness and identity to fulfil those of their

Chopin especially reveals the growth of Edna’s inner identity through her increasingly conflicting interactions with her husband

In his essay, “The Gospel of Wealth,” Andrew Carnegie argues that the imbalance of economic wealth is essential to the advancement of society. In days past, there was little difference between the quality of life between a ruler and his subject. Alluding to a time when Carnegie visited the chief of an indigenous American tribe, he observed that the Chief of the Indians ', who lived in a state of antiquity, tent was no different from even the poorest among the tribe. Returning back to this stage of civilization would be detrimental to both the ruler and subject. Is it better for all of us to live in poverty than for a few of us to have riches? Shouldn 't those who prove themselves masters in art and literature and those of higher intelligence have more than those with no talent? This is the way society is progressing. Whether or not one actually believes that doesn 't matter, as changing the destiny of civilization is beyond one 's power. (Carnegie, 28-29)

Edna states, “The voice of the sea is seductive, never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander in abysses of solitude...to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation”(Chopin 17). Chopin utilizes practical uses of water to show Edna’s nonconformity and foreshadows the end of the novel. Kathryn Seidel states, “Edna begins her journey by discovering the limitations of domesticity as exemplified by the confining roles of wife and “mother-woman”; Chopin approached her novel from a background of local color and domestic fiction but with a sense of its limitations”(236). By incorporating swimming and sunbathing, Chopin reveals her underlying theme. Beginning in chapter one with the way Mr.Pontellier looks at his wife as a damaged possession after stating, “You are burnt beyond recognition”(Chopin 5). This shows how women were treated in this time period; therefore, Edna felt the power to break the social norm of objectivity of women. Towards the middle of the book, Edna experiences her first swim. The narrator states, “She turned her face seaward to gather in an impression of space and solitude which the vast expanse of water...as she swam she seemed to be reaching out for the unlimited in which to lose herself”(Chopin 32). Edna’s first swim symbolizes her awakening moment. As she swims, she feels like she is “reaching out for the unlimited”

Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening depicts sexual affairs, inner struggles, and the conquest of motherhood that most women face today. The conquest of motherhood involves the battle between being a supportive wife and selfless mother. The story revolves around the characters’ dialogue and appearances described beautifully throughout the novel by Kate Chopin. The story is a familiar one that, sadly, most women can relate to: A woman is married without knowing what true love is. Her husband treats her kindly and respectfully; however, views her as a possession more-so than a human being. The husband, caring more about his duties, job, and money, leaves his wife struggling with her domestic responsibilities such as raising a family, being a good mother and wife. Characterization contributes to Edna’s struggles because each character described by Chopin affects the way Edna lives her life. Robert has a passionate effect on her and gives her that temporary confidence and “fire” that she needed in her life. Her husband’s description by Chopin reflects just how neglected and lonely Edna felt. The other Creole women that are explained by Chopin also shows the readers what the “perfect mother or wife” should be. Chopin’s mechanism of using characterization throughout the novel does not reflect the character’s personalities and motifs. However, Kate Chopin uses direct and indirect characterization as the anchor of the novel that supplies the reader with the benefit

In the story about Edna Pontellier a major theme is her omitted self discovery. In the story we can see how Chopin uses style, tone and content to make the reader understand how it was for a person challenging many of the beliefs of the society at the beginning of the twentieth century.

            This setting was Chopin's way of blending in the perfect amount of Realism. Realism is also a literary and artistic movement. Unlike Romanticism, Realism shows real detail of actual life. It came about in the nineteenth century as a response to Romanticism. All bleak social realities and psychological states of mind are displayed in this type of writing. In her writing, Kate Chopin's portrayal of "bleak social realities" comes in her setting, which is a reproduction of her day and time. It was thought of then that women were basically to be seen and not heard. The setting that Edna endures imitates this in so many ways. For example, Leonce does not respect Edna as a human being. He does not understand when she decides not to listen and does what she pleases. He saw her only as another treasure of his; she was something he likes to flaunt as part of his valuables. When she suggests the idea of

Though Yaeger unveils the “social acquiescence” underlying the romance plot as distorting what most scholars identify as Edna’s social defiance, she unearths emancipatory strategies within Chopin’s text that prove far more

I am terrified of clowns, I always have been. But my fear of clowns really started when I was in 6th grade. I went through a haunted maze and a man in a clown mask popped out at me. I screamed and I broke down crying. The man took off his mask and told me he was sorry and I walked out of the maze and I have hated clowns ever since. When I saw the clown, my vision went from color to black and white. That is why my day went from amazing to terrifying. Transformation obviously creates fear. This can be seen in the following three stories as well. “Beware: do not read this poem”, “Fall of the House of Usher”, and “House Taken Over.”

Do you feel like you just stepped into the 60’s? Probably so, fur coats were at the height of their popularity then and if you were seen wearing one you were thought of as wealthy to be able to afford this luxurious item. Come 2018, that’s not the case. Instead of a fur coat, everyone in the fashion world is gravitating towards the faux fur coat for obvious reasons. Not only are there no animals skinned to make your coat but also, the price is significantly lower. Big name designers such as Gucci and Michael Kors have stopped the use of real fur in their clothing items and it is expected that other designers will follow their lead. In the 1960’s fur coats were seen typically without

In discussing content, like all great authors, Chopin use symbols and metaphor to allow us to look within the subtext of their works. And many of these symbols and metaphors work to build upon their style, heavily composed of irony. As these are discussed, the themes of the obligations of women in marriage and illusions of independence, will come forward.

Chopin uses the first hand description of Adele from Edna as a literary comparison to previous descriptions of Adele, allowing insight into Edna’s own perceptions and changing world view.

Many things one does or does not do in life are based on perception; our perception of someone, their perception of us, and even our perception of ourselves. John Moore says, “your opinion is your opinion, your perception is your perception–do not confuse them with “facts” or “truth.” Wars have been fought and millions have been killed because of the inability of men to understand the idea that everybody has a different viewpoint (Quotations for Martial Artists, John Moore, p 1).” In Kate Chopin 's A Respectable Woman, perception is a major theme; for example, Mrs. Baroda 's perception of her husband’s friend, Gouvernail, shifts drastically throughout the short story. Chopin’s main theme of perception is displayed well because of her use of literary devices such as imagery, setting and dialogue; through these devices, Chopin reveals Mrs. Baroda’s feelings and thoughts, based on the way she perceives Gouvernail before, during and after meeting him for the first time; this paper will discuss the literary devices and how Kate Chopin uses them to portray themes of freedom, identity, desire, as well as perception.