the awakening

The title, The Awakening, implies that a rebirth from a stupor intoself-awareness is something good. One would expect that someone who was oncesleeping is better off and can see more clearly when he is fully awake. But thisexpectation is exactly opposite to Edna's condition. She is not awake. She iseventually drawn by the sea and drowns herself. She was deceived. Edna fails tosee that the connection of a mother to her children is far more important than theenjoyment of a passion which experience has taught her. By the title of this book,Chopin is glorifying Edna's fatal situation. Edna does not exist and never will. It is useless and perhaps dangerous tomake judgments about these characters. Assuming that their situations and theoutcomes of their behavior are applicable to our own lives is risky. Her charactersare fictional. The combinations of their actions and outcomes are entirely aninvention of Kate Chopin reflecting what she wants to teach her readers. If Chopinhas successfully convinced a reader that the characters are real or that they could bereal, the reader is likely to apply what he has learned from this fable in his or herown life. With these assumptions in mind, one must apply the task of figuring outwhat she wants people to believe and how to behave as a result of reading her book. Edna, whose husband has held her like a piece of furniture, a piece ofpersonal property, suddenly becomes aware she is a human being. Leonce certainlyerrs if he only values his wife as a piece of furniture. There is nothing wrong if hebelieves her to be his most prized possession. The difficulty is that Edna does notlook at him in this way. They should have appraised each other's value with mutualrespect. I would recommend this book to others. It was well written and did not try tocover up the truth about the life of a woman in an extra-marital affair. . drawn by the sea and drowns herself. She was deceived. Edna fails tosee that the connection of a mother to her children is far more important than theenjoyment. perhaps dangerous tomake judgments about these characters. Assuming that their situations and theoutcomes of their behavior are applicable to our own