Choppin is Boppin

The Awakening seems like a book that tells us more about the time period it was written than an interesting story. Because the novel was considered revolutionary at the time we can see what society thought of women when it was written. Right now I'm doing a project for history on the changing Victorian Woman so I can basically grasp what a shock The Awakening would be to readers in 1899. One thing I thought was interesting was how I learned in my history text book that women were finding their roles from the 1850's-1900 and the book proves that, "Mrs. Pontellier was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being" 13. I think this really shows what the time period was about for women and how they started to understand they might have more of a role than just wife and mother.
Although I have no experience with motherhood, if you're not cut out to be a mom I can see how it would be quite annoying to take care of two smelly brats. Mrs. Pontellier seems to have absolutely no connection with her children or her husband. When her husband suggests she should check up on their son because he thinks he has a fever, Edna is extremely reluctant to get out of bed. This shows how the mom was supposed to unquestionably take care of the children and how hard it is for Mrs. Pontellier to be a mother and a wife but nothing more. As Chopin describes, "her marriage was purely an accident resembling many other marriages which masquerade as the decrees of Fate" 18. Women of the time pretended they fell in love at first sight but this was all just an act because in reality many women did not marry the men they were in love with, but just those who found them suitable. I think Mrs. Pontellier knows she wants out of her typical life, but because everyone around her thinks her husband is amazing she is really lost and confused inside. It seems as if everything around her is perfect so Edna is left asking herself "why am I so unhappy???" If only her husband wasn't so conventional and a bit more open minded Mrs. Pontellier wouldn't feel so frustrated.
Mrs. Pontellier's relationship with Robert could just be an escape from her husband. At first it appears that she doesn't care much for him but this obviously changes. I'm just unsure if her admiration for him is true or if he's just there at the right time. Right now she's basically having a mental break down and heres this young, casual man who is apparently flirtatious and has frequent obesessions with women; he's basically the perfect fling to distract her from her marital problems.
Throughout this novel I think Chopin's main goal is to make a point about how women were forced into a role to be submissive and passivly walk through their life when they DO have true emotions and go deeper than just a pretty face. Chopin's voice is apparent in the novel: "but unthinkingly as we walk, move, sit, stand, go through the daily treadmill of life which has been portioned out to us" 31, here she is speaking directly about women, to women. She's showing them how they've all been given this pre-planned life that they CAN be dissatisfied with and ultimately change.
It's tough to get through this book because Edna's character is not exactly likeable. She comes off as a whiney and annoying, perhaps someone tied her corset too tight. (BTW Chopin obviously cared a lot about clothes and hair bc she always mentions in detail what the women are wearing!) I thought it was amusing when she swam a foot, felt like an olympian, then almost drowned. I wish I was there to point and laugh at her, but the literary importance of this was to show how once she feels at the height of her strength and independence she always gets knocked down by someone or society.
I hope there's more action in this book soon! But for now I'll just take a few cat naps between chapters =) leave yo comments at ur leisure


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