KATE CHOPIN

When in 1899 Kate Chopin's The Awakening was published the reading public was shocked by such a sympathetic view toward the actions and emotions of the sexually aware and independent female protagonist.

The feminist movement, just beginning to emerge in other parts of America,

was almost entirely absent in the conservative state of Louisiana. In fact, under Louisiana law, a woman was still considered the property of her husband. Chopin’s novel was scorned and ostracized for its open discussion of the emotional and sexual needs of women.

Edna is the protagonist of the novel, and the “awakening” to which the title refers is hers. The twenty-eight-year-old wife of a New Orleans businessman, Edna suddenly finds herself dissatisfied with her marriage and the limited, conservative lifestyle that it allows. She emerges from her semi-conscious state of devoted wife and mother to a state of total awareness, in which she discovers her own identity and acts on her desires for emotional and sexual satisfaction. Through a series of experiences, or “awakenings,” Edna becomes a shockingly independent woman, who lives apart from her husband and children and is responsible only to her own urges and passions. Tragically, Edna’s awakenings isolate her from others and ultimately lead her to a state of total solitude.

THE AWAKENING

Kate Chopin (1850–1904) is an American writer best known for her stories about the inner lives of sensitive, daring women. Her novel The Awakening and her short stories are read today in countries around the world, and she is widely recognized as one of America’s great authors.