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Title: The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Helen Taylor ISBN: 0-7043-4733-4 Publisher: Womens Pr Ltd Pub. Date: October, 2002 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $13.99 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.91 (276 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Vivid and engaging
Comment: "The Awakening," while not as controversial or scandalous today as it was when first released, is still relevant to modern life. The protangonist, Edna Pontellier, is a great example of a strong female character. She is not yet thirty, but tied down with the responsibilities and burdens of marriage and motherhood. Mrs. Pontellier must choose between her husband and lover, but - in an ending that will shock you - ultimately chooses neither and sacrifices everything for her independence.
Edna Pontellier's journey from an ideal wife and mother to an independent woman is totally engaging. The characters she ecnounters along the way each have a story to tell, and a set of problems of their own. From the eccentric spinster Mademoiselle Reisz to Edna's baffled husband, each character adds a certain something to the plot. Edna's journey and awakening are not merely emotional, but also physical. She travels from the Gulf of Mexico, with its sultry heat and sandy beaches, to the more refined streets of New Orleans. The author relies heavily on imagery to create Edna's world, and the setting is so realistic and vivid that it practically leaps off the pages.
This novel is a quick, fairly easy read. You probably won't find it shocking or sexy, but it has subtly sensual undertones. It is an excellent examination of adultery, responsibility, the roles of women, and society in general. "The Awakening" is a classic.
Rating: 4
Summary: Powerfully written book about a woman in torment.
Comment: Edna Pontellier, the protagonist of Kate Chopin's "The Awakening," lives in New Orleans in the 1890's. She seems to have it all--two lovely children, physical beauty, an extremely comfortable lifestyle, and good social standing. However, one summer, Edna experiences the aforementioned "awakening," and she realizes that her life is vapid and devoid of meaning. She is a trophy wife who has no real connection to her husband. She loves her children, but she is not extremely involved with them. Who is Edna? What does she want? She wants to experience life to the fullest, without constraint. She wants personal freedom, without the need to conform to the social mores of her day. However, she does not want to harm her children while seeking her own personal fulfillment. Edna's torment leads to a deep depression. The reason that this book has attracted so much attention is that it was written a century ago, long before women had heard of "liberation". Chopin's writing is eloquent and moving. She describes Edna's agony in a way that is surprisingly modern. Although it is difficult to sympathize with a woman who is not mired in poverty and who has a great deal to be thankful for, I understand that she feels stifled by a lifestyle that does not suit her. It is astonishing that a woman, writing in the 1890's, would articulate this radical viewpoint. She must have received a great deal of criticism at the time. This book does have some flaws. Some of the key characters are not fully fleshed out. Robert, Edna's close friend, is a handsome and affectionate companion, but little more. Mr. Pontellier, Edna's husband, is an insensitive lout, who treats his wife in the way that he would treat a pet. These caricatures weaken the book. I get the feeling that Chopin is so anxious to convey her "message" that she feels the need to stereotype the men in Edna's life. However, "The Awakening" is a book that articulates a viewpoint that is way ahead of its time, and for that alone, it is worth reading.
Rating: 3
Summary: well written, poor themes
Comment: We read this book for high school english class. Although it was written beautifully, and at times i could sympathize with Edna's character, i could not help but think she was a bad person by the end of the book. Although she did reach self-actualization, she did so without any responsibility shown towards the people close to her. She cheated on her husband, and then cheated on the man that she was having an affair with with someone else, hardly feeling any guilt for any of it. She also neglected her children, and treated them as if they were antagonists. Although I can understand her plight to become an independant woman and go beyond her society, the way that she attempted this made her a bad person, and she (arguably) failed at her task anyway. Her life, even though she said she was independent, ended when the man she was having an affair with left her. After that, she kills herself. Had she had the courage to separate from her husband (despite her society) and pursue Robert, or even if she didn't get him at the end, but still lived on just as much a woman then before rejection, THEN this book would be feminist. Otherwise its simply immorality disguised as feminism. If a man had done all the things she has in this novel, no one would be arguing whether the character was good or not.
besides the problem i had with the themes and plot, it was a very well written book, and i don't agree with it being censored. It was far ahead of it's time, and may be worth a read..Just don't expect too much out of it.
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