Phases of Awakening
In different stages of life, people usually experience some form of awakening after encountering various situations and events. The state of awakening comes with a sudden awareness or epiphany. Although the final state of awakening is important, the phases before the ultimate awakening are just as significant. In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, the main character Edna Pontellier, who is a wife and mother, awakens after her vacation at the Grand Isle. Edna reaches spiritual and sexual awakening through three phases: the hiding phase, the dreaming phase, and the final awakening phase. Chopin utilizes symbolism, motif, foreshadowing, and metaphor throughout these phases in order to emphasize the complicated process of her ultimate spiritual and sexual awakening.
Firstly, Chopin uses symbols in her description of early events in the book to convey Edna’s first phase of spiritual and sexual awakening, which is the hiding phase. During this time period, Edna accepts her societal position as a mother and wife and does not outwardly express her doubts about her given role. Chopin’s use of bird symbolism appears multiple times throughout the book. The story begins with “a green and yellow parrot” that is “hung in a cage outside the door” (Chopin 5). Chopin’s use of a parrot and cage vividly symbolizes repression. The bird in a cage represents Edna’s hiding phase where she is trapped in society’s expectations and accepts her societal roles without taking any measures to protest against the norms. Simultaneously, being trapped in a cage symbolizes Edna’s inner dissatisfaction since she desires freedom and independence from the cage that society has placed her in. The symbol of a bird in a cage is significant as it shows that Edna has a hidden yearning for freedom and independence, but is unable to act upon it. Ultimately, the symbol of a parrot trapped inside a cage conveys that even though Edna does not take any steps to change her position, she starts to realize her inner longing to break away from societal expectations. The beginning of Edna’s inner thoughts, therefore, emphasizes the starting phase of her spiritual awakening, which is the hiding phase. Other than Edna’s spiritual awakening, her sexual awakening also begins early in the book, as is shown by Chopin’s use of the ocean as a symbol. The author states that “the voice of the ocean is seductive” and “the touch of the ocean is sensuous” (Chopin 25). The ocean symbolizes sexuality and marks the start of Edna’s sexual awakening. The depiction of the ocean symbolizes Edna’s realization of her sexual desire for Robert, a young man she meets during her Grand Isle vacation. However, this is only the beginning of Edna’s sexual awakening since she does not fully realize the attraction between them as she does not yet make an effort to fulfill her sexual desires. Chopin uses the bird and the ocean to symbolize the beginning of Edna’s hiding phase of her spiritual and sexual awakening.
After the hiding phase, Edna reaches her second phase: the dreaming phase. Throughout this phase, Edna not only realizes her desire for freedom but also notices that her desire for freedom and independence could be fulfilled after the temporary departure of her husband for business. Chopin employs the symbol of the ocean once again in order to create a motif, marking the start of the dreaming phase. During Edna’s hiding phase, the ocean is used as a symbol of sexuality, however, there is no interaction between her and the ocean, meaning that she has not yet tried to experience freedom and independence. The phase progresses as Edna begins to swim in the ocean symbolizing the advancement of her awakening into the dreaming phase. Even though Edna “[swims] out alone” into the “vast expanse of water”, she still “[turns] and [looks] toward the shore, [and] toward the people she [has] left there” (Chopin 48). Edna’s new ability to swim symbolizes her first act of pursuing her desire to be free from and escape the social expectations placed on a woman. However, the motif of the ocean as a symbol of freedom and Edna’s attachment to the shore conveys that she is still not fully detached from her role as a traditional wife and mother. Since Edna is still looking back at the shore, which symbolizes control and norms imposed by society, she has not yet reached her ultimate spiritual awakening. On the other hand, when the ocean is first introduced, it symbolizes Edna’s sexual awareness and independence. Swimming in the ocean emphasizes the progress of Edna’s understanding of her feelings for Robert throughout the vacation. At the same time, looking back at the shore conveys her hesitation to act on her attraction towards Robert due to all the social barriers.
Lastly, Chopin utilizes symbols and motifs to emphasize the final phase Edna reaches, which is her ultimate spiritual and sexual awakening. In this phase, Edna does not only fully realize her desire, but is also completely free from her role as a married woman. Her realization that she cannot gain total freedom causes her to commit suicide in the ocean and complete her awakening. Before going into the ocean, Edna removes “her clothing in the bath-house,” where the clothes symbolize all the societal burden she carries (Chopin 189). By taking off her clothes, Edna detaches herself from all the societal norms and expectations. The act of discarding her garments also emphasizes leaving behind all her traditional and burdensome responsibilities as a wife and mother. Edna also gains a sense of self as she embraces her own body without any addition. Therefore, the removal of Edna’s clothes conveys her final realization of the awakening. Apart from clothing, the ocean being the place of Edna’s death further enhances the motif by connecting it to when it is introduced and when Edna learns how to swim. Near the end of the story, Edna tells Robert’s brother, Victor, that she is going to take “a little swim” (Chopin 188). The swim is very significant, as it is the cause of her death, which allows Edna to achieve complete independence from her controlled and limited lifestyle. She swims one way in the ocean until she cannot make it back, which conveys her utter unwillingness to live under the restrictions of society. Instead, she desires to be in the ocean where she can keep her freedom both spiritually and sexually.
Edna Pontellier reaches her ultimate awakening, achieving total freedom and independence from society. In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, Chopin utilizes many literary devices conveying the three phases that Edna experiences: the hiding phase, the dreaming phase, and the final awakening phase. Chopin shows how Edna’s previous phases lead to her final awakening, which causes her to commit suicide in order to separate herself from the societal rules. However, Edna’s choice to commit suicide shows how insurmountable the obstacles of patriarchy are at times for women.