Understanding Chopins The Awakening :: Chopin Awakening Essays

Understanding Chopins The Awakening By version The Awakening, the reader gets a sense of what the life of a Creole woman is like. In actuality, though, it is non until reading the etiquette books, Chopins biographical information, and essays about the interposition of women at the time that there can be a deeper catch of the rules Edna is breaking. Passages from Chopins Biographical Information Fawned over as a society belle, esteem for her cleverness and musical talent, Kate wrote what she re every(prenominal)y thought in her diary I dance with people I despise amuse myself with men whose barely talent is in their feet. She wrote advice about how to flirt (just keep asking, What do you turn over? and you get out be praised everywhere for your intelligence). (116) The sarcasm and wit of Kate Chopin can be seen and heard through the character of Edna Pontellier. Just from this small excerpt in Chopins diary, we can hear the similarities. In The Awakening, Edna seems to move through the Creole social scene in a daze, possibly because she despised all of it. But when she was alone with her thoughts, she appears quite aware of what she wanted and necessitate to be happy. I feel that although many critics say that The Awakening is not ground on Chopins let life, the author has taken many aspects of her own personal life to develop characters. For example, the biographical information says that Chopins economise is an attentive, loving man. I think that Robert is, in part, modeled after him. hither is a passage dealing with the rules of etiquette that Edna is breaking Let nothing, but the most(prenominal) imperative duty, call you out upon your reception day. Your callers are, in a measure, invited guests, and it will be an insulting mark of rudeness to be out when they call. uncomplete can you be excused, except in case of sickness. (123) The amount of etiquette that essential be learned by these women is astounding. The articles give the reader a tangible appreciation for the social faux pas that Edna is committing. Before reading this, I did not quite understand how far from the norm Edna is straying. After reading this excerpt, I fully realize why it is such a dire federal agency to Leonce when Edna went out on her reception day. The rules made it sound like women needed to be home on their day to have guests and on the otherwise days, they needed to be out visiting.