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A review by botanyandbookends
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
adventurous
challenging
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
“The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abyss of solitude; to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation. The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, and enfolding the body in it’s soft, close embrace.”
i often see comments in the reviews of this book mention how scandalous it was for the time it was first published (1899). i submit, it is still a subject minimally discussed with a level of seriousness and introspection. i also believe the topic is often misunderstood.
the piety of the time latches on to the main character’s infidelity when in truth, her affairs were a side subject to her primary desire, that of personal freedom and self-discovery.
while Mrs. Pontellier’s marriage was traditionally domestic, her husband (who was often gone due to business traveling) was attentive to the children and indulgent to his wife when he was present. yet this was not the life Edna desired (once referring to marriage as the most lamentable spectacle on earth.)
she married because it was the correct thing to do. the accepted norm. yet she was still childlike in her thinking and life experiences. she had not yet discovered her own mind. she had not yet formed her own opinions. she had not yet…awakened.
this is the second time i’ve read The Awakening and each time it has felt deeply melancholy. but i would challenge you to read and re-read this classic at various times throughout your life. it hits a little different each time.
still today, a woman’s desire for independence and/or a desire to not marry or not have children is a challenging topic of discussion in society. even more difficult, her discontent in these things after having already committed to them.
“…if one might go on sleeping and dreaming - but to wake up and find - (sigh), perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all one’s life.”
for a very long time Mrs. Pontellier was afraid to swim and needed someone nearby. but when she finally learned how to properly outstretch her arms wider and wider, propelling herself forward, she swam deep into the waves, further than she ever had before. she longed to swim out beyond the crowd, alone, to hear nothing but the sounds of the sea.
self-discovery (divorcing ourselves from our parents way of thinking and from our childhood ways) will happen. ideally this is a process that occurs in our early twenties before life commitments are made. but if they are delayed for any reason, the awakening might happen at a complicated time. we quip during girls nights that we wish these kids would just give us a moments rest or that our spouses would leave us alone. but do we openly discuss what happens when our minds are awakening to ideals and dreams that feel too late to embrace?
Kate Chopin’s The Awakening is a part of classical literature not because of its controversy in 1899 but because it holds common truths found in and wrestled with in the aught lives of today.
i often see comments in the reviews of this book mention how scandalous it was for the time it was first published (1899). i submit, it is still a subject minimally discussed with a level of seriousness and introspection. i also believe the topic is often misunderstood.
the piety of the time latches on to the main character’s infidelity when in truth, her affairs were a side subject to her primary desire, that of personal freedom and self-discovery.
while Mrs. Pontellier’s marriage was traditionally domestic, her husband (who was often gone due to business traveling) was attentive to the children and indulgent to his wife when he was present. yet this was not the life Edna desired (once referring to marriage as the most lamentable spectacle on earth.)
she married because it was the correct thing to do. the accepted norm. yet she was still childlike in her thinking and life experiences. she had not yet discovered her own mind. she had not yet formed her own opinions. she had not yet…awakened.
this is the second time i’ve read The Awakening and each time it has felt deeply melancholy. but i would challenge you to read and re-read this classic at various times throughout your life. it hits a little different each time.
still today, a woman’s desire for independence and/or a desire to not marry or not have children is a challenging topic of discussion in society. even more difficult, her discontent in these things after having already committed to them.
“…if one might go on sleeping and dreaming - but to wake up and find - (sigh), perhaps it is better to wake up after all, even to suffer, rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all one’s life.”
for a very long time Mrs. Pontellier was afraid to swim and needed someone nearby. but when she finally learned how to properly outstretch her arms wider and wider, propelling herself forward, she swam deep into the waves, further than she ever had before. she longed to swim out beyond the crowd, alone, to hear nothing but the sounds of the sea.
self-discovery (divorcing ourselves from our parents way of thinking and from our childhood ways) will happen. ideally this is a process that occurs in our early twenties before life commitments are made. but if they are delayed for any reason, the awakening might happen at a complicated time. we quip during girls nights that we wish these kids would just give us a moments rest or that our spouses would leave us alone. but do we openly discuss what happens when our minds are awakening to ideals and dreams that feel too late to embrace?
Kate Chopin’s The Awakening is a part of classical literature not because of its controversy in 1899 but because it holds common truths found in and wrestled with in the aught lives of today.