The Awakening by Kate Chopin

This novel is chiefly about psychological realism and the interiority of the mind. Psychological realism precedes modernist authors like Virginia Woolf and James Joyce, whose novels deviate slightly. The novel was published in 1899 during the suffragist movement, and the concept of the "new woman" is reflected in the character of Edna Pontellier. The "new woman" smoked, voted, wore pants, worked, etc. In Edna's case, this "new woman" enjoyed men and worked for herself. The Victorian woman has evolved at this point through different forms of literature: first American, then realist, reformist, and finally feminist.

The biggest emotion expressed in the novel is desire: Edna awakes sexually and experiences longing and passion. She further desires to be independent and live selfishly. Men during this period were allowed to live selfishly, but Edna is unique in her selfish living because she is a woman. This is just one side of the novel, however. The novel could also be read politically, though Edna herself isn't political. She is too rebellious and can't assert individuality, but the novel itself is a push for the feminist movement, and it was a very controversial book when it first appeared on the shelves. Edna experiences an increase in agency, resulting in her ability to make choices for herself. Edna can't explain her emotions and passions very well, however.

The style in which Chopin tells the story is very straightforward. The novel is about selfishness and the individual, sex, and ennui. She doesn't sugar coat the hard stuff. Early on in the novel, she writes, the "Beginning of things . . . is necessarily vague, tangled, chaotic, and exceedingly disturbing" (14). This is Chopin's strength: she allows the novel to be tangled and disturbing. It ends in Edna's suicide, which is presented as both wonderful and horrible. The novel isn't meant to be clear cut even though the issues are presented in a straightforward manner.

A huge metaphor throughout is the image of the sea. Edna is reborn through the sea because she gains the power to live and the power to die through it. It also symbolizes her sexuality, which is likewise shapeless and shifting. Furthermore, the historical frame of reference for sexuality during this period is solitude and internalization. The sea represents both of these because she is all alone while she is out swimming.

The passions that Edna experiences are her vehicle to agency and individuality. Her passions reflect Victorian passions: for women, it is acceptable to embrace one's passions, but for men, it's acceptable to show great restraint.

To conclude, the Awakening could fit into three different genres that gained popularity during the 19th century: domestic (nostalgic, sentimental); local color (weird, off the wall); modernism (new beginnings). Typically the Awakening is placed in the last genre because it is all about starting over. It could also typify the first, domestic, because Edna dies in the end for love. The genre is obviously up for interpretation.