The Importance of the Sea in The Awakening Essay - 830 Words

The Importance of the Sea in The Awakening Throughout her novel, The Awakening, Kate Chopin uses symbolism and imagery to portray the main characters emergence into a state of spiritual awareness. The image that appears the most throughout the novel is that of the sea. â€Å"Chopin uses the sea to symbolize freedom, freedom from others and freedom to be ones self† (Martin 58). The protagonist, Edna Pontellier, wants that freedom, and with images of the sea, Chopin shows Ednas awakening desire to be free and her ultimate achievement of that freedom. Ednas awakening begins with her vacation to the beach. There, she meets Robert Lebrun and develops an intense infatuation for him, an infatuation similar to those which she†¦show more content†¦It will not be until months later that the voice of the sea will pull her back to it with its promises of freedom. The voice of the sea pulls her back with reminiscence of her childhood. Edna recalls an incident of running through a meadow that seemed as big as the ocean (Chopin 60) This connection of the seemingly endless field and the wide expanse of the ocean leads to a realization for Edna. Her life is no longer as plain and simple as it had been for many years. Suddenly, she feels like a little girl running through an unending field, unthinking and unguided (Chopin 61). She does not know what she wants from life anymore. She has a husband and children, but the thought of them lacks the feelings of pleasure and love that she should have for them. Instead, they are holding her back, preventing her from running across that wide expanse of grass which symbolizes freedom. She realizes this when she returns home, despondent over what seems to be a loss of her new-found freedom and despondent over the realization that Robert will never gie up societys traditions to be with her, a married woman. Ednas feelings of despondency fade as the seas spell reaches out for her again. The narrator points out that [the] voice of the sea is seductive, never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander inShow MoreRelated The Importance of the Sea in Chopin’s The Awakening Essay2327 Words   |  10 PagesThe Importance of the Sea in Chopin’s The Awakening Unlike Marà ­a Eugenia, Edna in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening chooses not to fill her family’s expectations. As she takes her final steps into the sea she thinks to herself: â€Å"they need not have thought that they could possess her, body and soul† (655). Edna treasures her autonomy and chooses death over familial subjugation. However her transformational journey, alluded to by the title of the novel leads to more than the rejection of her self-sacrificingRead MoreThe Importance of Setting and Symbols in The Awakening by Kate Chopin1014 Words   |  5 Pagesthe meadow in Kentucky, symbols and settings in The Awakening are prominent and provide a deeper meaning than the text does alone. Throughout The Awakening by Kate Chopin, symbols and setting recur representing Edna’s current progress in her awakening. The reader can interpret these and see a timeline of Edna’s changes and turmoil as she undergoes her changes and awakening. The setting Edna is in directly affects her temperament and awakening: Grand Isle provides her with a sense of freedom; NewRead MoreEssay about Importance of the Ocean in Chopins Awakening874 Words   |  4 PagesImportance of the Ocean in Chopins Awakening      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In Kate Chopins novel, The Awakening, Chopin uses the motif of the ocean to signify the awakening of Edna Pontellier. 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Throughout the novel, there are a few distinct types of awakenings; from her awakening to herself as an artist, realizing that she can have her own opinion over what kind of music she liked, and the most important, Edna realizedRead More Symbolism in Kate Chopins The Awakening Essay1467 Words   |  6 PagesSymbolism in Kate Chopins The Awakening Chopins The Awakening is full of symbolism.   Rather than hit the reader on the head with blunt literalism, Chopin uses symbols to relay subtle ideas.   Within each narrative segment, Chopin provides a symbol that the reader must fully understand in order to appreciate the novel as a whole.   I will attempt to dissect some of the major symbols and give possible explanations as to their importance within the text.   Art itself is a symbol of both freedomRead MoreEssay on symbolaw Use of Symbols and Symbolism in The Awakening1292 Words   |  6 PagesUse of Symbolism in Chopins The Awakening The Awakening is a novel full of symbolism; within each narrative segment there is often a central and powerful symbol that serves to add meaning to the text and to underline some subtle point Chopin is making. Understanding the meaning of these symbols is vital to a full appreciation of the story. This essay lists some of the major symbols with explanations of their importance. Art becomes a symbol of both freedom and failure. It is through theRead MoreThe Awakening By Kate Chopin And The House On Mango Street1732 Words   |  7 Pagesthe endeavors those authors sought to accomplish. Two particular works, The Awakening by Kate Chopin and The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros, spearheaded movements for freedom by tackling the prejudice of gender roles, expressing through their novels’ characters and experiences the arguments for individual freedom and the challenges that must be conquered to achieve those goals for future generations. The Awakening by Kate Chopin was written at the end of the nineteenth century in a time whereRead More Essay on the Characters in The Awakening793 Words   |  4 PagesImportance of the Characters in The Awakening  Ã‚   The Awakening was a very exciting and motivating story. It contains some of the key motivational themes that launched the women’s movement. It was incredible to see how women were not only oppressed, but how they had become so accustomed to it, that they were nearly oblivious to the oppression. The one woman, Edna Pontellier, who dared to have her own feelings was looked upon as being mentally ill. The pressure was so great, that in the end,