An Awakened But Solitary Soul

Kate Chopin(1850-1904)is a famous novelist,poet and critic of American literature in the late 19th century.The advent of her masterpiece The Awakening in 1899 caused a stormy sea of criticism.Most are the negative entries.The local libraries rejected her books and the publishers declined her later short stories.It was not until the fifties of the 20th century,along with the deepening of the women's liberation movement,that this novel has been ranked the canon of American literature because of its strong sense of feminist insights.Western feminists critics have thought highly of The Awakening and its author,considering the text to be the landmark in American female fiction and considering Chopin to be the pioneer of the feminist movement by exploring new roles for women through fictional writing.On the basis of a critical reading of The Awakening,this thesis analyzes the text from the perspective of feminist interpretation.In view of the development of the heroine Edna Pontellier's awakening,it is divided into three chapters.It first explores the awakening of the heroine's self-consciousness with a focus on both a close analysis of the process from the awakening,the rebellion,to the final drowning,and a feminist interpretation of the determination and courage which support her to struggle for the freedom she has longed for.Then,through a detailed discussion of the text,the thesis focuses upon the themes of matemity versus paternity and the construction of feminine identity,and attempts to interpret the triple identity of a woman as an individual,wife,and mother.Finally,this thesis points out that Edna rejects her patriarchal gender identity but she is unable to embrace the feminine except in death, which is the root cause of the tragedy.Her quest for economic independence,sexual freedom and escape from the maternal bondage are destined to failure.However,her final drowning in the sea is her last voiceless but strong denounciation against the masculinist and patriarchal society.