“the Awakening” from a Feminist Perspective Essay

Running Head: â€Å"THE AWAKENING† FROM A FEMINIST PERSPECTIVE In Kate Chopin’s novel, â€Å"The Awakening†, Edna finds herself in a society where women were socially confined to be mothers and wives. This novel embodies the struggle of women in the society for independence along with the presence of women struggling to live up to the demands that their strict culture has placed upon them. A part of Edna wants to meet the standards of mother and wife that society has set, however her biggest desire is to be a woman free from the oppression of a society that is male dominant. Readers will find that the foundation of â€Å"The Awakening† the feminist perspective because of the passion that Edna has for gaining her own identity, and independence,†¦show more content†¦Although she was just attempting to swim alone, she saw this experience as a great failure because the fear or â€Å"encounter with death† prevented her from moving forward with the goal that she set for herself. The frustration that stemmed from t his experience carried to that night where she asserted herself to her husband by defying his wishes. Her assertion was her first experience of freedom from oppression. â€Å"The Awakening† gives readers different view of feminism. The novel not only displays how Edna begin to gain independence from the role of an obedient wife but the novel also embodies of how Edna gains control of her body. The idea of Feminism rebukes people from being treated as property. This notion of feminism not only applies to independence but also freedom of making decisions, in Edna’s case, Decisions about her body and sexuality. Edna cared for her husband and appreciated how well he took care of their family. However, she didn’t love him, â€Å"she had married without love as an excuse† (Chopin, 2005). This being evident in the novel, it’s no surprise the Edna started to stray from her marriage to Leonce. 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