A Journey To The Deadly Awakening

The Awakening, published in 1899, is the masterpiece of the American woman writer Kate Chopin (1851-1904). In the second half of the 19^th century, society had made great progress in many aspects, but a woman was not allowed to strive for her self identity and autonomy all the same. In men's eyes, women are no more than the property belonging to men. Kate Chopin focuses on this motif in her novels and portrays female's social status, martial life, and autonomy in a profound manner.Though Chopin's writing skills and thoughts were mature enough when she was writing The Awakening, the publication of the novel still aroused great hostility among her contemporary reviewers. Both the novel and the author were castigated in the press for the bold behaviors of the novel's heroine. Then the novel was nearly forgotten by the public. It was not until the late 1950s that Chopin's works were reevaluated and began to receive serious critical attention. More and more scholars and critics began to take a new look at Chopin and her works, and they use various literary theories to interpret her most important novel, The Awakening.This paper intends to study the protagonist's campaign against the fetters of the conventional patriarchal society and her journey of pursuing self identity and independence. It analyzes the obstacles that the female are facing in the process of constructing self identity, and the reasons of their inevitable endings in the patriarchal society.The first chapter focuses on the obstacles to the construction of female identity and independence. In the late 19^th century, modes and codes of Victorian morality were still popular in American society, at least among members of the middle and upper classes. For women, to own self-identity and independence is a zigzag way which is full of thorns and hardships. The patriarchal society subordinates the female to the male in all cultural domains: familial, religious, political, economic, social, legal and artistic. In addition, the traditional patriarchal ideology puzzles women's awareness about themselves. Fettered by endless house chore, women scarcely have time to think about their own right to have self-identity and independence. Though the protagonist Edna is not a typical mother-woman, living in such a social circumstance, she can not escape these invisible patriarchal obstacles on her way to self-awakening.The second chapter talks about the female's revolts to their traditional domestic roles in the patriarchal society. Due to the female's unawareness of self identity and independence, the male apply the standards of Victorian Morality to justify a female character. The female's three domestic roles are over-exaggerated in patriarchal society. All the women are facing the invisible oppression, and they are spiritually barren behind their seemingly glorious lives. Edna deconstructs the female's three domestic roles in three steps: challenging the doctrine of the father, challenging the authority of the husband, and questioning the role of the mother.The third chapter is about Edna's awakening and self-construction. In the process of pursuing self identity, two exterior factors influenced her a lot. The first factor is the natural environment. The sea and the shore are two opposite scenes. The former makes her realize her self-identity but it is full of dangers; the latter one is safe but it is dull to live on it. The second factor is Edna's female friends: Madame Adele and Mademoiselle Reisz. They are two controversial characters. The first represents the Victorian feminine ideal, but the second one is an unmarried woman with new thoughts. In the process of Edna's awakening, these two factors promote her to be on the awakening journey. With a series of revolts and attempts, Edna finds her self identity and independence. She transits from Mrs. Pontellier to Edna. At the same time, she is in the possession of the right to speak for herself.The fourth chapter analyzes the reasons why Edna abandons the world and the meaning of her going into the sea. Though Edna enjoys her physical and spiritual awakening as an individual, she gradually realizes that it is infeasible to get a successful revolt in such a patriarchal society. She finds that the closer she gets to her seif-identity and independence, the farther she is from the world. She can not gain these two things at the same time. Since the world and people can not understand her pursuit of self-identity and independence, she would rather choose a new place than return to the world she does not like at all. As a New Woman, Edna would like to pursue her dream at any costs. Going into the sea is not a compromise to the society, or Edna's failure in the fight for female rights. Instead, it is a kind of extrication and rebirth for her.Through the above analysis, this paper may at least claim the following conclusions: under the strict control of the patriarchal society in the nineteenth century, the female's desire to have self identity and independence can hardly to be realized; Edna, who is the pioneer woman in fight with the patriarchal oppression, experiences a journey from ignorant to awakening; Edna's awakening journey is a process and a passage rather than a program or a destination, and going into the sea is a kind of extrication and rebirth for the oppressed female.