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The Awakening and Other Stories
Kate Chopin was one of the most individual and adventurous of nineteenth-century American writers, whose fiction explored new and often startling territory. When her most famous story, The Awakening, was first published in 1899, it stunned readers with its frank portrayal of the inner word of Edna Pontellier, and its daring criticisms of the limits of marriage and motherhood. The subtle beauty of her writing was contrasted with her unwomanly and sordid subject-matter: Edna's rejection of her domestic role, and her passionate quest for spiritual, sexual, and artistic freedom. From her first stories, Chopin was interested in independent characters who challenged convention. This selection, freshly edited from the first printing of each text, enables readers to follow her unfolding career as she experimented with a broad range of writing, from tales for children to decadent fin-de siecle sketches. The Awakening is set alongside thirty-two short stories, illustrating the spectrum of the fiction from her first published stories to her 1898 secret masterpiece, "The Storm."
About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
About the Series: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the broadest spectrum of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, voluminous notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more.
480 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
87 people are currently reading
1378 people want to read
About the author
Kate Chopin
824 books1,959 followersKate Chopin was an American author whose fiction grew out of the complex cultures and contradictions of Louisiana life, and she gradually became one of the most distinctive voices in nineteenth century literature. Raised in a household shaped by strong women of French and Irish heritage, she developed an early love for books and storytelling, and that immersion in language later shaped the quiet precision of her prose. After marrying and moving to New Orleans, then later to the small community of Cloutierville, she absorbed the rhythms, customs, and tensions of Creole and Cajun society, finding in its people the material that would feed both her sympathy and her sharp observational eye. When personal loss left her searching for direction, she began writing with the encouragement of a family friend, discovering not only a therapeutic outlet but a genuine vocation. Within a few years, her stories appeared in major magazines such as The Atlantic Monthly, Vogue, and The Century, where readers encountered her local-color sketches, her portrayals of women navigating desire and constraint, and her nuanced depictions of life in the American South. She published two story collections, Bayou Folk and A Night in Acadie, introducing characters whose emotional lives were depicted with unusual honesty. Her short fiction often explored subjects others avoided, including interracial relationships, female autonomy, and the quiet but powerful inner conflicts of everyday people. That same unflinching quality shaped The Awakening, the novel that would later become her most celebrated work. At the time of its publication, however, its frank treatment of a married woman’s emotional and sensual awakening unsettled many critics, who judged it harshly, yet Chopin continued to write stories that revealed her commitment to portraying women as fully human, with desires and ambitions that stretched beyond the confines of convention. She admired the psychological clarity of Guy de Maupassant, but she pushed beyond his influence to craft a voice that was unmistakably her own, direct yet lyrical, and deeply attuned to the inner lives of her characters. Though some of her contemporaries viewed her themes as daring or even improper, others recognized her narrative skill, and within a decade of her passing she was already being described as a writer of remarkable talent. Her rediscovery in the twentieth century led readers to appreciate how modern her concerns truly were: the struggle for selfhood, the tension between social expectations and private longing, and the resilience of women seeking lives that felt authentically theirs. Today, her stories and novels are widely read, admired for their clarity, emotional intelligence, and the boldness with which they illuminate the complexities of human experience.
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September 20, 2020I first read The Awakening some years ago, I think in a cheap edition with a couple of her other stories. It made an impression on me as an archetypal nineteenth century story of an upper class woman achieving a degree of personal liberation and then finding in typical nineteenth century style that there was no place for her apart from in the graveyard .
Anyhow last year I read a small collection of five of her short stories: A pair of Silk stockings, I was pretty impressed by them and so keen to return to The Awakening which I had only vague languid memories of, and perhaps I had seen a review here on Goodreads that roused me from my sleepiness - I am particularly interested in those reviews which draw out the comparison with Aphrodite, because it is there and it works and does not work, I wonder if this image is more linked with a broader idea of transcending and escaping human constraints rather than more narrowly than that Edna is an avatar of the Goddess cruelly marooned in Louisana. I checked the catalogue of the local library and found that thy had a copy but curiously I could not find in on the shelves - and it is a very small branch library a hard place to hide anything , well towards the end of the lockdown we were permitted to write in requests to the library for books which we would be summoned to collect. So I requested this book thinking that either I get it, or the library would discover it was missing.
It was not missing. And I discovered that I had forgotten a lot of the story, particularly the entire lengthy middle section. the Awakening is a long story, 125 pages, this edition has 347 pages of fiction, none of the other stories here is any where near as long and mostly they made little impression upon me, but collectively they were more interesting. Apparently Chopin was a commercially acute writer, the footnotes to this volume record some the amounts that she earned for her stories - five dollars here, six dollars fifty there, which really changed my reading of the story a pair of silk stockings in which the main character finds herself with fifteen dollars. I got the feeling that it took a while for Chopin either to find the journal or editors who were prepared to publish more daring stories.
I was tempted to split off the Awakening and ramble on about it separately, but being both lazy and certain that I'd wind up rambling on about it in any case, I determined against doing that.
The Awakening is extremely rich, and languid, I found it a dreamy read. My imagination was dominated by a sense of waves rolling in upon the shore, sand under the feet, and a lazy warmth. There are lots of interesting points about it, subtle shifts, like currents within the tide, for example how for a just few pages Edna is described as strong which contributes to a sense as readers we experience an awakening ourselves, everything is in flux, it is a story that progresses in subtle gradients. Where Edna is at the beginning, is not where she is in the middle, or at the end, perhaps artistically Chopin had to end Edna because otherwise there would be no reason to stop the process of awakening?
I am curious that some readers are still upset that Edna abandons her children, but my impression was that Edna was not really banded with her children in the first place, invariably when the children are mentioned so is the quadroon woman responsible for caring for them, all the same towards the end of the story Edna herself sees the children as fettering her, her freedom in opposition to their needs. Perhaps that is still a bit shocking, a bit too honest and close to the bone.
Although the ending of The Awakening seems typical, her stories deal with marriage and relations between men and women in many different ways. Sometimes a wife leaves her husband, sometimes she leaves and then returns, sometimes she avoids marriage, or she might marry but preserves part of her life and all of her passion private from her husband. In a very nasty story a woman has a responsible job and an independent life but is tricked out of it by manipulative men. Once a husband throws the wife out, and once a woman goes on a spree with all of fifteen dollars.
Race is always there as a reality though occasionally even a poor black character is presented with dignity and agency - though that does not mostly seem to be her main concern. Race and a near infinite number of degrees of caste come across more as matters of fact than of interest, or that was my impression.
I found The Awakening more powerful than The Yellow Wallpaper, Edna I felt was not just controlled by her husband, but was barely human to him, just a tool for advancing his business interests just one unfortunately not as reliable as his pocket watch. Edna's awakening, for me, was not about rejection or rebellion from him, but something more fundamental, an awakening and discovery of herself, and because that must be an open ended process, the novella must end as it does.
Curious how similar Edna is described as physically being to her lover Robert Lebrun, leaving me with the question of whether The Awakening was a story or a fable like Cupid and Psyche. The Anima and Animus in search of some other way of being beyond the confines of the page.
Anyhow last year I read a small collection of five of her short stories: A pair of Silk stockings, I was pretty impressed by them and so keen to return to The Awakening which I had only vague languid memories of, and perhaps I had seen a review here on Goodreads that roused me from my sleepiness - I am particularly interested in those reviews which draw out the comparison with Aphrodite, because it is there and it works and does not work, I wonder if this image is more linked with a broader idea of transcending and escaping human constraints rather than more narrowly than that Edna is an avatar of the Goddess cruelly marooned in Louisana. I checked the catalogue of the local library and found that thy had a copy but curiously I could not find in on the shelves - and it is a very small branch library a hard place to hide anything , well towards the end of the lockdown we were permitted to write in requests to the library for books which we would be summoned to collect. So I requested this book thinking that either I get it, or the library would discover it was missing.
It was not missing. And I discovered that I had forgotten a lot of the story, particularly the entire lengthy middle section. the Awakening is a long story, 125 pages, this edition has 347 pages of fiction, none of the other stories here is any where near as long and mostly they made little impression upon me, but collectively they were more interesting. Apparently Chopin was a commercially acute writer, the footnotes to this volume record some the amounts that she earned for her stories - five dollars here, six dollars fifty there, which really changed my reading of the story a pair of silk stockings in which the main character finds herself with fifteen dollars. I got the feeling that it took a while for Chopin either to find the journal or editors who were prepared to publish more daring stories.
I was tempted to split off the Awakening and ramble on about it separately, but being both lazy and certain that I'd wind up rambling on about it in any case, I determined against doing that.
The Awakening is extremely rich, and languid, I found it a dreamy read. My imagination was dominated by a sense of waves rolling in upon the shore, sand under the feet, and a lazy warmth. There are lots of interesting points about it, subtle shifts, like currents within the tide, for example how for a just few pages Edna is described as strong which contributes to a sense as readers we experience an awakening ourselves, everything is in flux, it is a story that progresses in subtle gradients. Where Edna is at the beginning, is not where she is in the middle, or at the end, perhaps artistically Chopin had to end Edna because otherwise there would be no reason to stop the process of awakening?
I am curious that some readers are still upset that Edna abandons her children, but my impression was that Edna was not really banded with her children in the first place, invariably when the children are mentioned so is the quadroon woman responsible for caring for them, all the same towards the end of the story Edna herself sees the children as fettering her, her freedom in opposition to their needs. Perhaps that is still a bit shocking, a bit too honest and close to the bone.
Although the ending of The Awakening seems typical, her stories deal with marriage and relations between men and women in many different ways. Sometimes a wife leaves her husband, sometimes she leaves and then returns, sometimes she avoids marriage, or she might marry but preserves part of her life and all of her passion private from her husband. In a very nasty story a woman has a responsible job and an independent life but is tricked out of it by manipulative men. Once a husband throws the wife out, and once a woman goes on a spree with all of fifteen dollars.
Race is always there as a reality though occasionally even a poor black character is presented with dignity and agency - though that does not mostly seem to be her main concern. Race and a near infinite number of degrees of caste come across more as matters of fact than of interest, or that was my impression.
I found The Awakening more powerful than The Yellow Wallpaper, Edna I felt was not just controlled by her husband, but was barely human to him, just a tool for advancing his business interests just one unfortunately not as reliable as his pocket watch. Edna's awakening, for me, was not about rejection or rebellion from him, but something more fundamental, an awakening and discovery of herself, and because that must be an open ended process, the novella must end as it does.
Curious how similar Edna is described as physically being to her lover Robert Lebrun, leaving me with the question of whether The Awakening was a story or a fable like Cupid and Psyche. The Anima and Animus in search of some other way of being beyond the confines of the page.
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May 29, 20198.0/10
The Awakening 7.0/10
An interesting, if somewhat meandering tale of a Victorian woman's "awakening". Chopin's prose is clear and precise so it becomes easy to fall into the trail of Edna Pontellier's slow emergence into self-hood, but I couldn't help but feel that Chopin's abilities were much more suited to the shorter fiction she wrote. There isn't enough magic in her "grand reveal" for one knows exactly what's going to happen to Edna from the end of the second chapter, and there isn't enough complexity in the tale to make it compelling. I found it to be a good, light read without having to think too much. There were a number of petty annoyances along the way, but I reined myself in to concede each time that Chopin, after all, was only a privileged white woman writing at the end of the Victorian era, and so what else could she do? The Awakening may be her own story, in a sense, without the rather dramatic ending.
Beyond The Bayou 7.0/10
A different kind of awakening, but this time with a much more measured response by the protagonist. La Folle dares to reach beyond the bayou to find it is not as terrifying as she once imagined.
Ma'me Pelagie 7.5/10
A poignant, but not overly sentimental narrative on the misplaced self-sacrifice that war demands; and the effects of "new eyes" on an old problem.
Desirée's Baby 9.0/10
I knew the answer to this problem the moment Desirée had her baby -- yet it was an eminently satisfying, captivating little story of poetic justice being achieved. This is Chopin at her best.
A Respectable Woman 5.0/10
Respectable women are quite boring, imo, -- and in Chopin's opinion too, it would seem.
The Kiss 5.0/10
A misplaced kiss, to a different kind of poetic justice. Barely worth the writing of it I would think.
A Pair of Silk Stockings 9.5/10
You would read this collection for this story alone for it captures, beautifully, how longing and desire will always have their day in the sun, if only for the briefest moment. Chopin reveals her deep understanding of the hungry heart.
The Locket 9.5/10
Another startlingly beautiful and poignant message on the spoils of war. The impact is the greater for being so brief. A poem in prose.
A Reflection
I transcribe it here in its entirety. You be the judge.
Some people are born with a vital and responsive energy. It not only enables them to keep abreast of the times; it qualifies them to furnish in their own personality a good bit of the motive power to the mad pace. They are fortunate beings. They do not need to apprehend the significance of things. They do not grow weary nor miss step, nor do they fall out of the rank and sink by the wayside to be left contemplating the moving procession.
Ah! that moving procession that has left me by the road-side! Its fantastic colors are more brilliant and beautiful than the sun on the undulating waters. What matter if souls and bodies are failing beneath the feet of the ever-pressing multitude! It moves with the majestic rhythm of the spheres. Its discordant clashes sweep upward in one harmonious tone that blends with the music of other worlds--to complete God's orchestra.
It is greater than the stars--that moving procession of human energy; greater than the palpitating earth and the things growing thereon. Oh! I could weep at being left by the wayside; left with the grass and the clouds and a few dumb animals. True, I feel at home in the society of these symbols of life's immutability. In the procession I should feel the crushing feet, the clashing discords, the ruthless hands and stifling breath. I could not hear the rhythm of the march.
Salve! ye dumb hearts. Let us be still and wait by the roadside.
The End.
The Awakening 7.0/10
An interesting, if somewhat meandering tale of a Victorian woman's "awakening". Chopin's prose is clear and precise so it becomes easy to fall into the trail of Edna Pontellier's slow emergence into self-hood, but I couldn't help but feel that Chopin's abilities were much more suited to the shorter fiction she wrote. There isn't enough magic in her "grand reveal" for one knows exactly what's going to happen to Edna from the end of the second chapter, and there isn't enough complexity in the tale to make it compelling. I found it to be a good, light read without having to think too much. There were a number of petty annoyances along the way, but I reined myself in to concede each time that Chopin, after all, was only a privileged white woman writing at the end of the Victorian era, and so what else could she do? The Awakening may be her own story, in a sense, without the rather dramatic ending.
Beyond The Bayou 7.0/10
A different kind of awakening, but this time with a much more measured response by the protagonist. La Folle dares to reach beyond the bayou to find it is not as terrifying as she once imagined.
Ma'me Pelagie 7.5/10
A poignant, but not overly sentimental narrative on the misplaced self-sacrifice that war demands; and the effects of "new eyes" on an old problem.
Desirée's Baby 9.0/10
I knew the answer to this problem the moment Desirée had her baby -- yet it was an eminently satisfying, captivating little story of poetic justice being achieved. This is Chopin at her best.
A Respectable Woman 5.0/10
Respectable women are quite boring, imo, -- and in Chopin's opinion too, it would seem.
The Kiss 5.0/10
A misplaced kiss, to a different kind of poetic justice. Barely worth the writing of it I would think.
A Pair of Silk Stockings 9.5/10
You would read this collection for this story alone for it captures, beautifully, how longing and desire will always have their day in the sun, if only for the briefest moment. Chopin reveals her deep understanding of the hungry heart.
The Locket 9.5/10
Another startlingly beautiful and poignant message on the spoils of war. The impact is the greater for being so brief. A poem in prose.
A Reflection
I transcribe it here in its entirety. You be the judge.
Some people are born with a vital and responsive energy. It not only enables them to keep abreast of the times; it qualifies them to furnish in their own personality a good bit of the motive power to the mad pace. They are fortunate beings. They do not need to apprehend the significance of things. They do not grow weary nor miss step, nor do they fall out of the rank and sink by the wayside to be left contemplating the moving procession.
Ah! that moving procession that has left me by the road-side! Its fantastic colors are more brilliant and beautiful than the sun on the undulating waters. What matter if souls and bodies are failing beneath the feet of the ever-pressing multitude! It moves with the majestic rhythm of the spheres. Its discordant clashes sweep upward in one harmonious tone that blends with the music of other worlds--to complete God's orchestra.
It is greater than the stars--that moving procession of human energy; greater than the palpitating earth and the things growing thereon. Oh! I could weep at being left by the wayside; left with the grass and the clouds and a few dumb animals. True, I feel at home in the society of these symbols of life's immutability. In the procession I should feel the crushing feet, the clashing discords, the ruthless hands and stifling breath. I could not hear the rhythm of the march.
Salve! ye dumb hearts. Let us be still and wait by the roadside.
The End.
May 16, 2021
This collection of Chopin’s short fiction has been languishing on my shelves for years. I had previously read, and not much cared for, one of the short stories featured here and it inhibited me from eagerly returning to the rest of this author’s work. I decided to space out this book’s contents over the course of a fortnight and am a little sad to say that I am not convinced, after reading them, that Chopin is the author for me.
I adored the longest tale collected here, which was the title novella, ‘The Awakening’. Perhaps the extended page length is what caused me to so fully love this creation, but the rest failed to appeal in anywhere close to the same way. In fact, I found most ultimately proved a little forgettable or pointless, to me. I could appreciate Chopin’s craft in their construction, but the contents and the direction were rarely for me, personally.
Here is a breakdown of my ratings for each story:
The Awakening - 5/5 stars
Wiser Than a God - 3/5 stars
A Point at Issue! - 3/5 stars
The Christ Light - 3/5 stars
The Maid of Saint Phillippe - 3/5 stars
Doctor Chevalier’s Lie - 3/5 stars
Beyond the Bayou - 3/5 stars
Old Aunt Peggy - 1/5 stars
Ripe Figs - 2/5 stars
Miss McEnders - 3/5 stars
At the ‘Cadian Ball - 3/5 stars
The Father of Desiree’s Baby - 2/5 stars
Caline - 3/5 stars
A Matter of Prejudice - 3/5 stars
Azelie - 3/5 stars
A Lady of Bayou St. John - 3/5 stars
La Belle Zoraide - 3/5 stars
Tonie - 3/5 stars
A Gentleman of Bayou Teche - 3/5 stars
In Sabine - 3/5 stars
A Respectable Woman - 4/5 stars
The Dream of an Hour - 3/5 stars
Lilacs - 4/5 stars
Regret - 4/5 stars
The Kiss - 2.5/5 stars
Her Letters - 3.5/5 stars
Athenaise - 3/5 stars
The Unexpected - /5 stars
Vagabonds - /5 stars
A Pair of Silk Stockings - 3/5 stars
An Egyptian Cigarette - 2.5/5 stars
Elizabeth Stock’s One Story - /5 stars
The Storm: A Sequel to “The ‘Cadain Ball” - 3/5 stars
I adored the longest tale collected here, which was the title novella, ‘The Awakening’. Perhaps the extended page length is what caused me to so fully love this creation, but the rest failed to appeal in anywhere close to the same way. In fact, I found most ultimately proved a little forgettable or pointless, to me. I could appreciate Chopin’s craft in their construction, but the contents and the direction were rarely for me, personally.
Here is a breakdown of my ratings for each story:
The Awakening - 5/5 stars
Wiser Than a God - 3/5 stars
A Point at Issue! - 3/5 stars
The Christ Light - 3/5 stars
The Maid of Saint Phillippe - 3/5 stars
Doctor Chevalier’s Lie - 3/5 stars
Beyond the Bayou - 3/5 stars
Old Aunt Peggy - 1/5 stars
Ripe Figs - 2/5 stars
Miss McEnders - 3/5 stars
At the ‘Cadian Ball - 3/5 stars
The Father of Desiree’s Baby - 2/5 stars
Caline - 3/5 stars
A Matter of Prejudice - 3/5 stars
Azelie - 3/5 stars
A Lady of Bayou St. John - 3/5 stars
La Belle Zoraide - 3/5 stars
Tonie - 3/5 stars
A Gentleman of Bayou Teche - 3/5 stars
In Sabine - 3/5 stars
A Respectable Woman - 4/5 stars
The Dream of an Hour - 3/5 stars
Lilacs - 4/5 stars
Regret - 4/5 stars
The Kiss - 2.5/5 stars
Her Letters - 3.5/5 stars
Athenaise - 3/5 stars
The Unexpected - /5 stars
Vagabonds - /5 stars
A Pair of Silk Stockings - 3/5 stars
An Egyptian Cigarette - 2.5/5 stars
Elizabeth Stock’s One Story - /5 stars
The Storm: A Sequel to “The ‘Cadain Ball” - 3/5 stars
February 26, 2020
The Awakening - 4.5*
I want to save and savor the other short stories for another time since I don't have other Kate Chopin works to read.
I want to save and savor the other short stories for another time since I don't have other Kate Chopin works to read.
November 28, 2020
"El pájaro que quiere remontarse por encima del nivel ordinario de la tradición y los prejuicios debe tener las alas fuertes."
— Kate Chopin, 'El despertar' 🕊
Por desgracia, las alas de Edna Pontellier no fueron lo suficientemente fuertes para sostener sus ansias de libertad e independencia...
Todo empieza en la estación balnearia de Grand Isle, en la costa de Luisiana. Un idílico lugar de retiro veraniego frecuentado por la buena sociedad criolla de Nueva Orleans.
Cuando conocemos a Edna, joven esposa de un acaudalado comerciante y madre de dos niños, su vida parece transcurrir de forma plácida y previsible entre amigos y conocidos de su misma clase.
Uno de ellos es Robert Lebrun, un atractivo joven que coquetea inocentemente con las respetables señoras de la estación balnearia.
Más, en ese verano de finales de siglo, el encuentro entre Edna, Robert y el mar no tendrá nada de inocente. Unas sensaciones, hasta ahora desconocidas, harán presa de la joven y serán el catalizador de un placentero y a la vez doloroso despertar.
No puedo desvelaros más detalles de la trama, porque os estaría privando del placer de descubrir por vosotros mismos esta bella y delicada novella.
Un relato que se abre dulcemente, entre el rumor de las olas, el sonido de un piano y el roce de los vestidos de muselina, para terminar culminando en un grito, largamente contenido. Un grito ahogado que trae consigo el escándalo y la tragedia.
'El despertar', publicado en 1899, causó gran indignación en su época y, pese al paso del tiempo, una entiende perfectamente porqué.
En sus páginas se cuestionan instituciones 'sagradas' por aquel entonces como el matrimonio y la maternidad. En él queda expuesta la difícil dicotomía entre la realización individual de una mujer y la sumisión a los roles impuestos de esposa y madre.
Como bien dice Kate Chopin 'el pájaro que quiere alzarse contra la tradición debe tener alas fuertes y resistentes'. La misma autora lo vivió en carne propia y también lo haría Edna, su heroina. ¿Cómo iba a salir airosa la mujer que osa anteponer sus propios deseos al cuidado de sus hijos y a los dictados de su marido?
Otros relatos, como el espléndido 'Historia de una hora', en el que la infelicidad en el matrimonio también es protagonista, acompañan a 'El despertar' en este volumen.
En conjunto forman una maravillosa puerta de entrada a aquel mundo de los criollos (descendientes de franceses) que poblaban aldeas y ciudades de Luisiana tras la Guerra de Secesión.
Un mundo de costumbres ancestrales y de anhelos frustrados que Kate Chopin recrea con maestría.
— Kate Chopin, 'El despertar' 🕊
Por desgracia, las alas de Edna Pontellier no fueron lo suficientemente fuertes para sostener sus ansias de libertad e independencia...
Todo empieza en la estación balnearia de Grand Isle, en la costa de Luisiana. Un idílico lugar de retiro veraniego frecuentado por la buena sociedad criolla de Nueva Orleans.
Cuando conocemos a Edna, joven esposa de un acaudalado comerciante y madre de dos niños, su vida parece transcurrir de forma plácida y previsible entre amigos y conocidos de su misma clase.
Uno de ellos es Robert Lebrun, un atractivo joven que coquetea inocentemente con las respetables señoras de la estación balnearia.
Más, en ese verano de finales de siglo, el encuentro entre Edna, Robert y el mar no tendrá nada de inocente. Unas sensaciones, hasta ahora desconocidas, harán presa de la joven y serán el catalizador de un placentero y a la vez doloroso despertar.
No puedo desvelaros más detalles de la trama, porque os estaría privando del placer de descubrir por vosotros mismos esta bella y delicada novella.
Un relato que se abre dulcemente, entre el rumor de las olas, el sonido de un piano y el roce de los vestidos de muselina, para terminar culminando en un grito, largamente contenido. Un grito ahogado que trae consigo el escándalo y la tragedia.
'El despertar', publicado en 1899, causó gran indignación en su época y, pese al paso del tiempo, una entiende perfectamente porqué.
En sus páginas se cuestionan instituciones 'sagradas' por aquel entonces como el matrimonio y la maternidad. En él queda expuesta la difícil dicotomía entre la realización individual de una mujer y la sumisión a los roles impuestos de esposa y madre.
Como bien dice Kate Chopin 'el pájaro que quiere alzarse contra la tradición debe tener alas fuertes y resistentes'. La misma autora lo vivió en carne propia y también lo haría Edna, su heroina. ¿Cómo iba a salir airosa la mujer que osa anteponer sus propios deseos al cuidado de sus hijos y a los dictados de su marido?
Otros relatos, como el espléndido 'Historia de una hora', en el que la infelicidad en el matrimonio también es protagonista, acompañan a 'El despertar' en este volumen.
En conjunto forman una maravillosa puerta de entrada a aquel mundo de los criollos (descendientes de franceses) que poblaban aldeas y ciudades de Luisiana tras la Guerra de Secesión.
Un mundo de costumbres ancestrales y de anhelos frustrados que Kate Chopin recrea con maestría.
May 12, 2025
The Awakening - 3.5/5
Wiser Than a God
A Point at Issue!
The Christ Light
The Maid of Saint Phillippe
Doctor Chevalier’s Lie
Beyond the Bayou
Old Aunt Peggy
Ripe Figs
Miss McEnders
At the ’Cadian Ball - 2/5
The Father of Désirée’s Baby (Désirée’s Baby) - 4/5
Caline
A Matter of Prejudice - 4/5
Azélie
A Lady of Bayou St. John
La Belle Zoraïde
Tonie (At Chênière Caminada)
A Gentleman of Bayou Têche
In Sabine
A Respectable Woman - 3.5/5
The Story of an Hour (The Dream of an Hour) - 5/5
Lilacs
Regret - 1/5
The Kiss - 3/5
Her Letters - 3/5
Athénaïse
The Unexpected - 2.5/5
Vagabonds
A Pair of Silk Stockings - 4/5
An Egyptian Cigarette - 2/5
Elizabeth Stock’s One Story
The Storm: A Sequel to “The ’Cadian Ball” - 4/5
Wiser Than a God
A Point at Issue!
The Christ Light
The Maid of Saint Phillippe
Doctor Chevalier’s Lie
Beyond the Bayou
Old Aunt Peggy
Ripe Figs
Miss McEnders
At the ’Cadian Ball - 2/5
The Father of Désirée’s Baby (Désirée’s Baby) - 4/5
Caline
A Matter of Prejudice - 4/5
Azélie
A Lady of Bayou St. John
La Belle Zoraïde
Tonie (At Chênière Caminada)
A Gentleman of Bayou Têche
In Sabine
A Respectable Woman - 3.5/5
The Story of an Hour (The Dream of an Hour) - 5/5
Lilacs
Regret - 1/5
The Kiss - 3/5
Her Letters - 3/5
Athénaïse
The Unexpected - 2.5/5
Vagabonds
A Pair of Silk Stockings - 4/5
An Egyptian Cigarette - 2/5
Elizabeth Stock’s One Story
The Storm: A Sequel to “The ’Cadian Ball” - 4/5
December 23, 2017
"She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before."This short but impassioned novel, first published at the turn of the 19th century, portrays a new way of thinking; a dissension among the women of North America and Europe, which caused excitement and consternation in equal measure.
Kate Chopin's clever, lyrical story, set on the Louisiana Gulf coast and in New Orleans, draws on the lives of the Franco-Creole beau monde, using their apparently sparkling lives as a backdrop to highlight the strict social conventions of the day.
The young Edna Pontellier, an attractive, seemingly happily married woman, dreams of putting her needs before those of her husband and children. She is far from contented with her cosseted but strictly controlled existence, and becomes wilful and defiant. Her subsequent behaviour is considered unacceptable and unwomanly in such a patriarchal society.
Chopin is a magnificent storyteller. Her frank portrayal underscores the very real frustrations experienced by her contemporaries and vividly depicts the tremendous courage required for a woman to slip her shackles.
April 28, 2016
Since discovering this gem while studying, it has become a firm favourite and a rarity in that I can reread it many times and it never loses appeal. I’m certainly not surprised it figures on most ‘best novella’ lists – even the heavily male-author orientated ones – as Chopin created not just a compelling story set in southern america during the late 1890s, which can be savoured in its own right, she also produced an iconic tale that challenges the perceptions and expectations of a woman’s ‘place’ in society.
Full review: https://poppypeacockpens.com/2015/11/...
Full review: https://poppypeacockpens.com/2015/11/...
April 12, 2023
Wooow Chopin must have created some real scandal in her time. The general theme of all of these stories is empowering women and often embarrassing and emasculating men in some regard WAHOO. There’s a lot of desire and passion and general horniness which- big shock for 1800s men- women feel too! Another shocker: not all women want to be sweet meek and mild dutiful mothers and wives, quelle surprise. Some great early feminism here which still feels relatable and radical, paired with exceptionally beautiful writing. Big up Kate Chopin!
October 11, 2020
Ya había leído "El despertar" hace unos años y me encantó. Esta relectura, sumada a sus cuentos (que no conocía), me ha gustado aún más.
January 25, 2026
Chopin feels like a forgotten master of the short story, but she still shines in longer formats (re: The Awakening). Her ability to contain an entire world of emotion and circumstance in just a few pages is so stunning to me!
November 16, 2017
"The Awakening" by Kate Chopin was first published in 1899 and soon rose to eminence as a forerunner of feminist literature. The novel revolves around a 28-year-old woman Mrs.Edna Pontellier who hails from the South. While vacationing with her family, she realizes that she has been living a routine life. A mood comes over her that pushes her to let go of her inhibitions and impose her will.
Acquiring this new found courage makes her into an artist-leaving all past prejudice behind. Her awakening confounds her husband and her friends, yet she is determined not to sacrifice herself for her family. But then what about her two young children? She has to grip with the fact that they need her and she needs them. They are a much more profound part of her identity that she cannot quickly rub off.
Edna is unable to resolve this problem, and this leads to her annihilation. This short novel deals with heavy themes of individualism, motherhood, tradition, love, and sexuality. Too bad Kate Chopin died soon after the book's publication and did not live to see its success.
Acquiring this new found courage makes her into an artist-leaving all past prejudice behind. Her awakening confounds her husband and her friends, yet she is determined not to sacrifice herself for her family. But then what about her two young children? She has to grip with the fact that they need her and she needs them. They are a much more profound part of her identity that she cannot quickly rub off.
Edna is unable to resolve this problem, and this leads to her annihilation. This short novel deals with heavy themes of individualism, motherhood, tradition, love, and sexuality. Too bad Kate Chopin died soon after the book's publication and did not live to see its success.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2015
loved the awakening, and i really liked almost all of the short stories, i was worried about how much racism would be in this book but it wasn't as bad as i expected, there was a part in the last sort story i read where she kept saying the hotel owner was going to cut up this mixed race kid with a knife, that went a little over my head, i'm hoping she didn't mean that literally? lol i can definitely say she avoided the "white savior" that is so loved in any stories involving slaves, in "la belle zoraïde" i thought she was headed in that direction at first but nope, not at all, the mistress was HORRIBLE in that story, took away everything the woman loved and literally drove her mad
January 1, 2017
The Awakening es la historia de Edna, una mujer que descubre que no tiene por qué vivir la vida que se le ha impuesto y que puede intentar salir de la jaula en la que ha estado encerrada toda su vida. Kate Chopin y su delicioso uso del lenguaje llevan a Edna a través de ese despertar, que a pesar de que no termina como pensaba que haría, me dejó con la sensación de haber leído algo maravilloso. Si os interesa el modernismo en Estados Unidos, la visión femenina de finales de siglo en el sur del país o queréis experimentar la maravilla de leer un texto que esconde un erotismo casi imperceptible para el que no sabe buscar, The Awakening es la elección perfecta.
Want to read
December 24, 2023Contains the stories:
The Awakening
Wiser Than a God
A Point at Issue!
The Christ Light
The Maid of Saint Phillippe
Doctor Chevalier’s Lie
Beyond the Bayou
Old Aunt Peggy
Ripe Figs
Miss McEnders
At the ’Cadian Ball - 3/5 - a potential love affair is preempted (but continued in the later story "The Storm")
The Father of Désirée’s Baby (Désirée’s Baby)
Caline
A Matter of Prejudice
Azélie
A Lady of Bayou St. John
La Belle Zoraïde
Tonie (At Chênière Caminada)
A Gentleman of Bayou Têche
In Sabine
A Respectable Woman
The Story of an Hour (The Dream of an Hour) - 4/5 - probably not fair to compare eras but I felt the same way when my divorce was finalized
Lilacs
Regret
The Kiss
Her Letters
Athénaïse
The Unexpected
Vagabonds
A Pair of Silk Stockings
An Egyptian Cigarette
Elizabeth Stock’s One Story
The Storm: A Sequel to “The ’Cadian Ball” - 4/5 - a sudden, tempestuous affair that passes quickly
The Awakening
Wiser Than a God
A Point at Issue!
The Christ Light
The Maid of Saint Phillippe
Doctor Chevalier’s Lie
Beyond the Bayou
Old Aunt Peggy
Ripe Figs
Miss McEnders
At the ’Cadian Ball - 3/5 - a potential love affair is preempted (but continued in the later story "The Storm")
The Father of Désirée’s Baby (Désirée’s Baby)
Caline
A Matter of Prejudice
Azélie
A Lady of Bayou St. John
La Belle Zoraïde
Tonie (At Chênière Caminada)
A Gentleman of Bayou Têche
In Sabine
A Respectable Woman
The Story of an Hour (The Dream of an Hour) - 4/5 - probably not fair to compare eras but I felt the same way when my divorce was finalized
Lilacs
Regret
The Kiss
Her Letters
Athénaïse
The Unexpected
Vagabonds
A Pair of Silk Stockings
An Egyptian Cigarette
Elizabeth Stock’s One Story
The Storm: A Sequel to “The ’Cadian Ball” - 4/5 - a sudden, tempestuous affair that passes quickly
June 17, 2025
Una historia muy adelantada a su época, con quien fácilmente podríamos empatizar hoy en dia. Una valiente novela donde antes que nada habría que aplaudir a la autora por publicar una novela tan rompedora, una especie de revelación que condena muchas instituciones y costumbres de la época para dar voz a la individualidad y al deseo de independencia de la mujer, que en aquel tiempo vivía subyugada a los deseos del marido y las reglas sociales que se dictaban para las mismas.
Kate Chopin fue una pionera del feminismo de aquella época, donde mientras se escribían y publicaban novelas victorianas donde las mujeres sólo eran personitas débiles que habría que defender o condenar, la autora nos trae a Edna, una mujer totalmente diferente a las clásicas protagonistas, un personaje fuerte, que toma las riendas de su vida para pelear por su individualidad.
Kate Chopin fue una pionera del feminismo de aquella época, donde mientras se escribían y publicaban novelas victorianas donde las mujeres sólo eran personitas débiles que habría que defender o condenar, la autora nos trae a Edna, una mujer totalmente diferente a las clásicas protagonistas, un personaje fuerte, que toma las riendas de su vida para pelear por su individualidad.
May 28, 2024
De dones que es troben atrapades i dels camins pels quals fugen. "El despertar" encara té un to una mica compassiu però els relats són fantàstics!
July 7, 2024
Bere garaiko emakumeen eguneroko bizitza, batez ere, ezkontzaren betebeharren inguruan. Batzuetan ematen du istorio arin eta xaloak direla, baina testuinguruan ematen dituen xehetasunak eta gertatzen diren egoerak eta ekintzak, batzuetan gogorrak ere badira.
August 11, 2025
The awakening: my awakening?!?
pause
August 28, 2025read the entirety of TA and a few of the other stories included in this for a women's lit class, haven't had the time to get back around to the rest but I WILL!!!!! at some point
May 31, 2024
edna pontellier's ghost is going to hunt me in my dreams.
January 10, 2026
“I would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn’t give myself.”
September 21, 2013
The awakening to self-awareness of a rich New Orleans woman at the end of the nineteenth century. Unfortunately, in my opinion a rather dull book about a very dull woman.
On the island of Grand Isle in the Gulf of Mexico a number of wealthy New Orleans are spending their summer vacation away from the city. Mrs Pontellier is of these: a young woman who has drifted into marriage and motherhood with very little thought, and with no strong feelings in relation to her husband, and very few towards her children, she finds herself bored with her life after six years of marriage. Robert Lebrun, the son of the house where they are staying, devotes himself slavishly to Edna Pontellier throughout her visit but, as he devotes himself slavishly (and innocently) to one young married woman or other during every summer season, this passes without remark or without exciting any jealousy on the part of Mr Pontallier. But rather than it just being an innocent flirtation for Edna, on her return to New Orleans she starts to question the very life that she leads.
So a story of a woman's awakening to realisation of herself as a person in her own right, rather than as a wife and mother with needs subjugated to those of her family. But unfortunately I couldn't see Edna as anything other than a selfish little rich girl, who was quite happy to take from others without being prepared to give in return, and didn't seem to care about anybody other than herself in any meaningful way. She just didn't engage my interest at all, and neither did any of the other characters. So OK, but not great.
On the island of Grand Isle in the Gulf of Mexico a number of wealthy New Orleans are spending their summer vacation away from the city. Mrs Pontellier is of these: a young woman who has drifted into marriage and motherhood with very little thought, and with no strong feelings in relation to her husband, and very few towards her children, she finds herself bored with her life after six years of marriage. Robert Lebrun, the son of the house where they are staying, devotes himself slavishly to Edna Pontellier throughout her visit but, as he devotes himself slavishly (and innocently) to one young married woman or other during every summer season, this passes without remark or without exciting any jealousy on the part of Mr Pontallier. But rather than it just being an innocent flirtation for Edna, on her return to New Orleans she starts to question the very life that she leads.
So a story of a woman's awakening to realisation of herself as a person in her own right, rather than as a wife and mother with needs subjugated to those of her family. But unfortunately I couldn't see Edna as anything other than a selfish little rich girl, who was quite happy to take from others without being prepared to give in return, and didn't seem to care about anybody other than herself in any meaningful way. She just didn't engage my interest at all, and neither did any of the other characters. So OK, but not great.
March 17, 2016
The entire time I was reading Chopin's work I was going 'yass queen!' in my head, which doesn't tell you anything about the book, other than that I really liked it.
In both her novel (novella?) and short stories, Chopin turns a keen eye towards the gender issues of the late 19th century. Rather than passing judgment, she often presents her narratives in a way that allows the reader to draw their own conclusions.
In both her novel (novella?) and short stories, Chopin turns a keen eye towards the gender issues of the late 19th century. Rather than passing judgment, she often presents her narratives in a way that allows the reader to draw their own conclusions.
October 25, 2012
A classic novel telling the story of a woman trapped in a marriage and with a family, feeling oppressed by them and the social conventions of the times (which seem a little more lenient in ways than today in some respects!). She discovers herself and what she really wants and reaches out for those, damned the consequences.
August 31, 2018
This proved a surprisingly modern meditation on a woman’s attempt at self-liberation from the influences of patriarchal society. Edna’s story is one that was/is by no means singular, and the fact that it was written by a woman (at the turn of the century?!?!?!) makes it even more striking. I’m shocked it took me so long to get to this one, but better late than never.
March 1, 2023
I loved The Awakening, thought it was absolutely beautiful. So my review is for The Awakening alone.
I wasn’t a fan of most of the short stories. I really enjoyed “Desiree’s Daughter” and “The Story of an Hour” but that was about it.
I wasn’t a fan of most of the short stories. I really enjoyed “Desiree’s Daughter” and “The Story of an Hour” but that was about it.
November 27, 2020
The rating is for The Awakening, the rest didn’t factor in at all.
May 4, 2023
Ok I KNOW this was revolutionary for women etc… in its day but it did unfortunately commit the cardinal sin of being boring.
August 25, 2025
Reading the works of Kate Chopin well over a hundred years later, I am impressed by the delicacy of her writing. Contemporaries were shocked by the indelicacy of her subject matter. Is there a mismatch here?
There is a difference between style and substance, although I am not sure that you can write about indelicate subjects in a delicate manner. So perhaps the difference is one of years.
What seemed shocking and indelicate in Kate Chopin’s time no longer seems quite so disturbing now. In an age where even writers with serious literary pretentions often seem to feel that books require rape, child or spousal abuse, violence or graphic sex, Chopin’s moral world seems more understated. There is no violence worth speaking about in Chopin. Sex takes place, but is not described in detail.
Still even today marital infidelity and sexual freedom are likely to be shocking to some prudes. Chopin is a romantic in her way, but she does not conform to traditional romantic patterns of happy relationships and marital fulfilment.
We might at first glance consider that the stories in this volume are variations on the same theme, but that is not the case. It would be more true to say that all the stories take place in the same social milieu, and they all share the same worldview, though it is not always easy to determine what that worldview might be.
The stories centre on Louisiana folk, and we see the same mindset across different stories. They are bigoted against anyone who is not like themselves –English Americans, Germans, Spanish etc. They do seem to like African Americans on the whole, but only because they make good servants.
This community loves art, but has little true understanding of it. They love money and status, and this is important in choosing a spouse. They expect rigid conformity to modes of behaviour. A woman who is even slightly unconventional is in danger of being considered mentally ill.
Chopin’s style is broadly similar in these stories too. She favours economy of writing, and only rarely over-strains herself while seeking an effect. Paragraphs are short and business-like. Stories are often brief and to-the-point. Even her most famous novel is not much longer than a novella. No matter how short the story (some are only a page long), they always make a clear point.
Nonetheless Chopin offers no firm authorial judgements within the stories. She does not intrude with her opinion, and leaves it open to the reader. No wonder critics have so much fun interpreting her works. It is sometimes genuinely difficult to tell what Chopin thinks.
In general Chopin has a broader viewpoint than her contemporaries. She does not respect their insularity and bigotry towards the outsider. I am unsure whether her view of black Americans would be seen as condescending, but it is certainly more enlightened than many people of her race and class. She portrays them with sympathy and humanity, and some of them are individuals in their own right.
Chopin’s views on marriage are the ones that have tended to get her most in trouble. I am not sure how the widowed Chopin managed in her own marriage. Her stories are populated with dissatisfied women who pursue affairs or leave their husbands.
Sometimes the women shun the men altogether. In other stories they return to their husbands. Chopin is aware of the different outcomes and the reasons why women make them, but she does not make any judgement against them.
On the whole Chopin is indulgent towards her unfaithful heroines. A little extra-marital activity usually makes the women much happier and sometimes even improves their marriages – if indeed they still wish to stay married.
This brings us to the most important work in this volume, and indeed in Chopin’s work. Her novel The Awakening is so short that it is impossible to discuss it without spoilers, so read on at your peril.
The story’s heroine is Edna. She is married to a Creole businessman, Léonce, and they spend much of the book on vacation. Edna is not exactly miserable in her marriage, but she is hardly fulfilled either. She seems to like and respect her husband, but does not love him.
During her vacation, Edna becomes emotionally involved with Robert Lebrun, a young man who seems serious about her, but has had other flings before. She also becomes physically involved with Alcée Arobin after her return, but his relationship is purely about sex.
What is more interesting however is Edna’s awakening. She becomes more alive and free, and starts to think for herself. She feels happier. During her husband’s absence, she moves out of her home. She is fascinated with the work of a local pianist, causing her to take an interest in art. She paints.
Naturally this is horrifying to her husband who fears the scandal will affect his business. Other members of the community also express concern at this eccentricity, and a doctor friend watches over her to see if she is mentally unwell.
During all this time she neglects her children. Edna is seen as having no great maternal instinct. She rejects her role as both wife and mother.
The ending may perplex some readers, and perhaps meet with disapproval. Rejected by her lover, and oppressed by the thought of taking on her commitments as a wife and mother, Edna returns to the place of her vacation.
Once there she seeks to escape her problems by swimming out into the water. It is unclear whether she drowns herself, but that seems to be the most likely outcome. This is seen as curiously liberating, an escape from the closed space of her life.
What are we to make of this ending? Does it indicate disapproval of Edna? Has she ventured too far into deep waters in living this unconventional life and she has no better option but death? I am inclined to think not. Chopin describes Edna’s feelings with great sensitivity and in lyrical prose that leaves us in no doubt that she identifies with her heroine.
Perhaps a woman cannot have as much freedom as she likes. Does Edna achieve real freedom? Some critics think not. She only pursues affairs, sexually liberating but not breaking free from societal expectations. Maybe the conformist social structures leave her with no choice but death as the only escape.
That may be true and yet Edna genuinely feels free and has a much better life once she begins to think and act for herself. There may be nowhere further that she can take her newfound freedom, but for a while she lives on her own terms, and even this is better than having no life of her own at all. Better a brief escape from masculine and societal expectations than none at all.
The Awakening shocked many readers at the time, and perhaps this explains why Chopin did not write any novels after this. Like Edna, she was an artist who found freedom from the stifling attitudes of her time through her work. Perhaps like Edna, the waters closed over her creative urges and she could not take them any further.
Whatever the case, The Awakening is a great work of literature. The other stories in this volume are also fascinating as an extension of Chopin’s worldview, and as further proof of her consummate skill as a storyteller.
There is a difference between style and substance, although I am not sure that you can write about indelicate subjects in a delicate manner. So perhaps the difference is one of years.
What seemed shocking and indelicate in Kate Chopin’s time no longer seems quite so disturbing now. In an age where even writers with serious literary pretentions often seem to feel that books require rape, child or spousal abuse, violence or graphic sex, Chopin’s moral world seems more understated. There is no violence worth speaking about in Chopin. Sex takes place, but is not described in detail.
Still even today marital infidelity and sexual freedom are likely to be shocking to some prudes. Chopin is a romantic in her way, but she does not conform to traditional romantic patterns of happy relationships and marital fulfilment.
We might at first glance consider that the stories in this volume are variations on the same theme, but that is not the case. It would be more true to say that all the stories take place in the same social milieu, and they all share the same worldview, though it is not always easy to determine what that worldview might be.
The stories centre on Louisiana folk, and we see the same mindset across different stories. They are bigoted against anyone who is not like themselves –English Americans, Germans, Spanish etc. They do seem to like African Americans on the whole, but only because they make good servants.
This community loves art, but has little true understanding of it. They love money and status, and this is important in choosing a spouse. They expect rigid conformity to modes of behaviour. A woman who is even slightly unconventional is in danger of being considered mentally ill.
Chopin’s style is broadly similar in these stories too. She favours economy of writing, and only rarely over-strains herself while seeking an effect. Paragraphs are short and business-like. Stories are often brief and to-the-point. Even her most famous novel is not much longer than a novella. No matter how short the story (some are only a page long), they always make a clear point.
Nonetheless Chopin offers no firm authorial judgements within the stories. She does not intrude with her opinion, and leaves it open to the reader. No wonder critics have so much fun interpreting her works. It is sometimes genuinely difficult to tell what Chopin thinks.
In general Chopin has a broader viewpoint than her contemporaries. She does not respect their insularity and bigotry towards the outsider. I am unsure whether her view of black Americans would be seen as condescending, but it is certainly more enlightened than many people of her race and class. She portrays them with sympathy and humanity, and some of them are individuals in their own right.
Chopin’s views on marriage are the ones that have tended to get her most in trouble. I am not sure how the widowed Chopin managed in her own marriage. Her stories are populated with dissatisfied women who pursue affairs or leave their husbands.
Sometimes the women shun the men altogether. In other stories they return to their husbands. Chopin is aware of the different outcomes and the reasons why women make them, but she does not make any judgement against them.
On the whole Chopin is indulgent towards her unfaithful heroines. A little extra-marital activity usually makes the women much happier and sometimes even improves their marriages – if indeed they still wish to stay married.
This brings us to the most important work in this volume, and indeed in Chopin’s work. Her novel The Awakening is so short that it is impossible to discuss it without spoilers, so read on at your peril.
The story’s heroine is Edna. She is married to a Creole businessman, Léonce, and they spend much of the book on vacation. Edna is not exactly miserable in her marriage, but she is hardly fulfilled either. She seems to like and respect her husband, but does not love him.
During her vacation, Edna becomes emotionally involved with Robert Lebrun, a young man who seems serious about her, but has had other flings before. She also becomes physically involved with Alcée Arobin after her return, but his relationship is purely about sex.
What is more interesting however is Edna’s awakening. She becomes more alive and free, and starts to think for herself. She feels happier. During her husband’s absence, she moves out of her home. She is fascinated with the work of a local pianist, causing her to take an interest in art. She paints.
Naturally this is horrifying to her husband who fears the scandal will affect his business. Other members of the community also express concern at this eccentricity, and a doctor friend watches over her to see if she is mentally unwell.
During all this time she neglects her children. Edna is seen as having no great maternal instinct. She rejects her role as both wife and mother.
The ending may perplex some readers, and perhaps meet with disapproval. Rejected by her lover, and oppressed by the thought of taking on her commitments as a wife and mother, Edna returns to the place of her vacation.
Once there she seeks to escape her problems by swimming out into the water. It is unclear whether she drowns herself, but that seems to be the most likely outcome. This is seen as curiously liberating, an escape from the closed space of her life.
What are we to make of this ending? Does it indicate disapproval of Edna? Has she ventured too far into deep waters in living this unconventional life and she has no better option but death? I am inclined to think not. Chopin describes Edna’s feelings with great sensitivity and in lyrical prose that leaves us in no doubt that she identifies with her heroine.
Perhaps a woman cannot have as much freedom as she likes. Does Edna achieve real freedom? Some critics think not. She only pursues affairs, sexually liberating but not breaking free from societal expectations. Maybe the conformist social structures leave her with no choice but death as the only escape.
That may be true and yet Edna genuinely feels free and has a much better life once she begins to think and act for herself. There may be nowhere further that she can take her newfound freedom, but for a while she lives on her own terms, and even this is better than having no life of her own at all. Better a brief escape from masculine and societal expectations than none at all.
The Awakening shocked many readers at the time, and perhaps this explains why Chopin did not write any novels after this. Like Edna, she was an artist who found freedom from the stifling attitudes of her time through her work. Perhaps like Edna, the waters closed over her creative urges and she could not take them any further.
Whatever the case, The Awakening is a great work of literature. The other stories in this volume are also fascinating as an extension of Chopin’s worldview, and as further proof of her consummate skill as a storyteller.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews