Context
The Story
The main character in The Awakening, Edna Pontellier is a young married woman living in the
late 1800s. She begins to search for meaning and fulfillment in her life, realizing she has not
found them either in her relationship with her husband or through her role as a mother. She
develops a passion for self-fulfillment, and she goes from longing to do what she pleases, when
she pleases, to actually doing just that, refusing to bow to the expectations of society or of her
husband when either dictates she should do other than what she wishes.
Mrs. Pontellier wants to find (or create) her own identity, and this means she is rejecting any predetermined identity based purely on her relation to her husband or children; she is rejecting the
identity of the wife or the mother. She desires liberation from the traditional expectations of
bourgeois (middle-class) matrimony because meeting the expectations of the wife and mother is
not spiritually fulfilling for her; instead, she wishes to follow her own heart and be herself. In
insisting that she, Edna, is a distinct individual with desires and needs separate from those of her
family, Edna has to reject the culture. The key idea here is that women have a right to pursue their
own happiness and to form their own identities outside of those of the wife and mother.
Unfortunately, the patriarchal (ruled by men) Victorian culture (a culture obsessed with propriety,
morality, and domesticity) in which she lives demands that she confine herself to the role of a
dutiful, obedient, and loving wife and mother. This is the only acceptable identity for a woman to
have. A rejection of the culture means that the culture will reject her. There is no place in this
society for an independent woman. It cannot understand or accept a woman who tries to be
independent, who is not fulfilled by the role she has been given. Society views her rejection of
her duties as wife and mother as shocking and disgraceful.
Another important element of her search for independence, meaning, and spiritual fulfillment is
her desire to follow her own sexual desires and romantic feelings. However, when she attempts to
claim this erotic freedom, society cannot accept or understand her actions. These desires and
actions threaten the control men have over female sexuality; they also threaten the family
structure.
The Author
Kate Chopin, the author of The Awakening, was a well-educated French Creole woman who lived
a very happy married life and was a devoted mother to six children. She was well known and well
liked in her upper-middle class social circles, reputed to be a delightful, intelligent, and beautiful
woman – in fact, she was a perfect model of nineteenth-century (1800s) womanhood.
If all this is true, then why would she write stories like “The Storm,” “A Pair of Silk Stockings,”
and “The Story of an Hour;” and why would she write a book like The Awakening? Well, despite
her very happy home and social life, she was not content to be just a perfect domestic woman.
Throughout her life, she worked hard to develop her mind and pursue her own interests. She was
an accomplished piano player and enjoyed attending theatrical productions and educational
presentations. She also read and studied with a voracious passion an incredibly wide variety of
scientific, historical and literary texts.
Critical Reception
When The Awakening was published in 1899, critics absolutely hated the work. They did not feel
compassion for Edna Pontellier’s (the main character’s) situation and feelings. In fact, they felt
that her actions, and that Kate Chopin’s novel itself, were vulgar (crude and obscene), trite
(lacking in originality) and sordid (demonstrating the worst aspects of human nature – dirty and
depressing).
At the time of the novel’s publication, Kate Chopin’s husband had recently passed away after
thirteen years of marriage, and she was attempting to deal with her grief through her writing and
intellectual pursuits. She had moved from the home she had made with her husband in New
Orleans back to her hometown of Saint Louis.
Shortly after The Awakening came out, it was banned in all of Saint Louis’ public libraries,
Chopin was denied membership to the Saint Louis Fine Arts Club, and many of her friends and
acquaintances cut off all contact with her. She made only 145 dollars in royalties from the novel
from 1899 to her death in 1904, and she was unable to find a publisher for her next volume of
short stories.
The Novel’s Place Among Literary Movements
It is interesting to note that Chopin was writing during a movement called the “Fin de Siecle” –
The End of the Century. The element of “Fin de Siecle” writing readers will see most clearly in
this novel is its treatment of women. Readers can think about two “new types of women” that
emerged at the end of the 19th century.
The first was called the “New Woman;” she wanted to be free to make political, professional and
emotional decisions and to hold opinions on those matters that were distinct from those of her
father or husband. “New Women” believed that in a perfect world, society would get rid of all
proscribed gender roles.
The second was called the “Decadent.” Decadents wanted a new acceptance of women’s
sexuality. They believed society should accept and affirm women’s sexual desires, and they felt
there should be a serious questioning of (and, ultimately, a rejection of) Puritan morality, which
denied women the opportunity to express their sexuality because it held that women either did not
have sexual urges, or, if they did, that those urges were bad and undignified. Any woman who
expressed or admitted to them was thought to be immoral or possibly mentally ill.
During the Fin de Siecle, literature tackled many questions about gender roles. What is a
woman’s place? How can or should a woman express her sexuality? What is the nature of
women’s sexuality? Is marriage an institution that should be upheld, or is it repressive and oldfashioned?
Also, writers at the time were questioning the moral values held by mainstream society and
asking whether it might not be better for people to follow their own natural impulses in order to
find what was good and right. These ideas were part of the Romantic Movement, which began
with the French Revolution (1879) and ended with the American Civil War (1865).
Other Romantic elements in the novel include a heavy emphasis on nature, frequent narration of a
character’s inner thoughts, childhood memories, the personification of the sea, the mysterious
woman in black, the strange gulf spirit, and Edna’s desire to express herself through art. In terms
of the plot, Edna’s search for individuality and freedom is a popular Romantic quest. During this
quest, one must rebel against society, and often, death comes for the hero. Additionally, Edna, in
some ways, is alone in the universe, a true individual, as Romantic heroes often are.
Realism and Naturalism, movements that were actually reacting against Romanticism, are also
present in the novel. Realism, unlike Romanticism, stressed the real over the fantastic. It
attempted to truthfully and realistically portray commonplace events, real people (often of the
lower and working classes), and everyday life. The story’s realistic portrayal of sexuality is one
of its Realist elements. Naturalism was similar, but more pessimistic, and Naturalists believed
man’s instinctual, biological drives dominated his actions and were inescapable. The novel
stresses how Edna is held hostage to her biology. Because she is female and married, she has
children. Because she is a mother, she must make decisions based on the welfare of her children.
In the end, besides death, she has no escape from her biological destiny as a woman.
Note-Taking Strategy
In the work of a good author, nothing is insignificant! Good readers recognize that each
paragraph is meaningful in some way, and chapters are significant to the whole. Text divisions
like paragraphs and chapters are NOT random or meaningless!
At the end of a paragraph, ask “What was important about that paragraph?” Did it help
you better know a character? Did it contain an important symbol? Is there a key line you should
write down? There isn’t always something to write down, but it’s a good strategy to pause after
each paragraph to think about it.
Cornell Notes
1. Write the chapter assignment in the top margin.
2. The red line on your lined paper separates your page number column
from your notes.
3. Good notes cover four parts of a story:
a.
b.
c.
d.
Characterization
Plot elements
Literary devices (like symbolism and foils)
Key lines
4. For the first half of the novel, you can use this packet as a guide to the kinds of things
you should be taking notes about. Page numbers are provided.
5. For the second half, you will have to decide what is important. Be sure you write the page
number(s) your notes refer to in margin to the left of the red line on your paper.
What Do Good Readers Do?
Analyze Character
Identify Symbolism
Look for:
Look for:
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Personality traits
Conflicts
Motivations
Values and Beliefs
Desires
Repetition
Detailed Descriptions
If an item, animal, or minor character
comes up a lot or is described in great
detail, ask whether it could represent
something larger than itself.
Key Characters:
Key Symbols:
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Edna
Robert
Adéle
Mlle Reisz
Léonce
Alcée
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Sleep/Waking
The Sea/Gulf
Domestic Objects
Swimming
Birds
Homes
Notice Plot Elements
Recognize Key Lines
Important:
Important:
The exposition often shows important character
traits and the setting of the story.
If a line (or a few sentences) seems to really
give away a message or show something very
important about a character, write it down,
word-for-word.
The rising action helps develop the conflict.
Someone wants something, but someone/thing
is in the way.
The climax is the point of no return. If one
thinks about the climax, the falling action, and
the resolution, one can often find the main
theme of the story.
Character:
Who is Edna? Why does she do what she does?
What does she want? How does she grow and
change? What does she learn or realize?
Themes:
The falling action and resolution often happen
very quickly. The climax often happens near
the end of the novel.
Ask Constantly:
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What does the main character want?
Who or what is in the way?
Does the main character “win”?
Why or why not?
What is this story saying about self-expression,
identity, women, motherhood, femininity,
marriage, and female desire/sexuality?
Chapters 1-4
Page #
Notes
1
Parrot = possible symbol. Describe the parrot.
1
Character: Describe Mr. Pontellier.
2
Lady in black = possible symbol
2
Mr. Pontellier views his wife as…
3
Describe Edna.
4
Describe Robert.
2-4
How do Robert and Edna interact compared to how she interacts with her husband?
5
What conflict emerges between Edna and Mr. Pontellier?
6
Why does Edna cry?
7
How does Mr. Pontellier attempt to make up with Edna?
7
Why do the ladies think Mr. Pontellier is the best husband in the world?
7-8
What kind of mother is Edna?
8
Symbolism: What animal are the mother-women compared to?
8
Describe Adéle.
7-8
Adéle could be a foil for Edna because…
8-9
Sewing represents…
9
In what key way are the Creole people strange to Edna?
Chapters 5-7
Page #
10
9-10
10
9-10
Notes
Sewing symbolizes…
Compare Robert’s relationship with Edna to his relationship with Adéle.
How are Creole husbands unique?
Who is compared to Madonna, and why?
11
Edna is connected with art. What could this show?
12
Compare Mrs. Pontellier with her children to Adéle with hers.
12
How is the Gulf described?
13
How is Edna changing?
13
How is the sea described?
12-13
13
How are Robert and the sea connected?
What is the “dual life”?
13-14
How is Edna changing and what seems to have brought on this change?
14
Compare Edna and Adéle’s figures and clothing. What does this show?
15
Lady in Black + Two Young Lovers = these characters appear together often. What
might they symbolize?
16
What does Edna’s childhood memory show about her?
16
Edna says she feels like she’s walking through the meadow again. What is this
supposed to show?
17
How is her relationship with Adéle different from relationships she has had before?
16-17
What was Edna like before marrying Léonce, and how are her feelings for him
antithetical to her basic nature?
17
Why did Edna marry Léonce?
18
Describe Edna’s feelings about her children.
18
Edna isn’t suited for…
Chapters 8-10
Page #
19-20
Notes
What does Adéle ask of Robert, and what is her reasoning?
20
How do the Creoles seem to view Robert’s behavior toward married women?
21
The Lovers + The Lady in Black = symbols?
24
Why does Adéle play music? Compare this with why Edna paints (11).
24
Describe the Gulf.
25
Describe Mademoiselle Reisz.
25
Symbolism: naked man alone + bird flying away
25-26
26
26-27
27
Mademoiselle Reisz likes Edna. Why? What do they seem to have in common?
What change within Edna does her response to the music show?
How has Robert’s behavior toward Edna changed and why might this be?
Describe the mood surrounding the setting.
27-28
Swimming = symbol
27-28
How does Edna feel when she begins to swim? How does she react to this new
power? What does this show about her?
28
What does her fear show?
30
What is the feeling between Robert and Edna at the end of the chapter?
Chapters 11-14
Page #
30-32
31
32-34
33
32-34
34
33-35
34
34-35
35
Notes
Describe the conflict between Edna and Mr. Pontellier.
What new feeling does Edna experience during the conflict?
The Lovers + The Lady in Black = symbol?
What does Edna do that she’s never done before?
What character trait of Edna’s is emphasized in the first two pages of chapter 12?
Robert’s conversation with Mariequita may give a clue to the meaning of the lovers.
Describe Mariequita. How might she be a foil for Edna?
What new feeling does Edna experience as she sails across the bay?
What does Edna and Robert’s conversation suggest?
How does Edna feel at church, and what might this show? What does church
represent?
36-37
How might Edna’s actions at Madame Antoine’s home be symbolic?
37-38
Why do Edna and Robert pretend she has slept for 100 years?
36-39
Describe the tone of the story during the time Edna and Robert are at Madame
Antoine’s.
Chapters 15-16
Page #
Notes
42
Lovers + Lady in Black
45
Why is Robert really leaving?
45
What does the final paragraph of chapter 15 show?
46
Why is swimming so pleasurable for Edna (27)?
47
What important idea does Edna try to express to Adéle?
48-49
How is Mariequita different from Edna?
Chapters 17-19
Page #
Notes
50-51
What does Mr. Pontellier seem to care about most?
50-52
Describe the conflict between Mr. Pontellier and Edna.
52-53
What does the wedding ring scene show? Think about symbolism.
52
53-54
Based on chapter 17, does Edna’s quest seem promising?
What does Mr. Pontellier care about most?
55
Why did Edna bring her sketches to show Adéle? What does this show about Edna?
56
Compare the Ratignolle marriage to the Pontellier marriage.
56
How does Edna feel about Adéle’s life?
56-57
How has Edna changed her behavior and attitude?
57
Describe the conflict between Edna and her husband.
57
What does Edna’s desire to paint represent?
57
What kind of transformation is Edna making?
58
How does Edna feel when she thinks of Robert?
58
Describe Edna’s moods. What does this show about her?
Final Assessment: Choice One
Body Biography
Directions: Create a visual representation of your chosen character. Before you begin to draw
anything, read over the instructions. You need to make intelligent decisions about which quotes to
use, what to draw, and where to draw it.
KEY ELEMENTS
1. Spine – Your character’s backbone represents who he or she is at the core. Make a claim
about your character’s most significant personality trait and write this on or near the
character’s spine.
2. Brain – The mind represents your character’s beliefs and values. Make a claim about your
character’s most important belief or value in or near the character’s brain.
3. Shoulders - What is a burden to this person? What lies heavily on this character’s shoulders?
Make a claim about the main conflict your character deals with. Write out this claim on or
near the character’s shoulders.
4. Heart – Make a claim about what your character loves, wants, or desires the most. Write this
inside or near the heart.
Using Direct Quotations
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Now, find strong passages from the text to prove what you said about your character. For
each key element (the spine, brain, shoulders, and heart), you must back up ideas with 2 to 3
quotes from the novel.
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Once you have chosen your quote(s), write a body paragraph. This means a claim with
evidence and analysis. This paragraph, handwritten or typed, will go on the front of the
poster. Use arrows or some other visual cue (like string or dotted lines) to point to the body
part.

Be sure to cite all your text evidence correctly. Use quotation marks and parentheticals within
the paragraph when you use direct quotes, and put a Work Cited page on the back of your
poster.
Final Assessment: Choice Two
Literary Analysis Essay
Prompt: Identify a major theme in The Awakening and explain how it was developed in the text.
DIRECTIONS:
One paragraph must discuss symbolism.
Other paragraphs could discuss the title, setting, character, or plot.
First, develop a thesis.
Example: Kate Chopin uses the title, symbolism, and the climax to show that women of the
Victorian era are not free to be independent individuals.
Second, you must think of three topic sentences to support your thesis.
Example:
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The title of the novel is The Awakening, which draws attention to Edna’s realizations about
her social position and her lack of freedom.
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Additionally, the theme is developed by the symbolic use of birds in the novel.
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Finally, the story’s climax clearly shows that women cannot be free and independent
individuals within a Victorian society.
Third, think of evidence from the text that supports your topic sentences. Write body paragraphs
with a near-equal mix of evidence and analysis. Be sure to cite correctly.
Fourth, think about the subject of your essay. What can you write about in your hook and
broadening out lines? Develop your introduction and conclusion paragraphs.
Fifth, make your Work Cited page.
Finally, revise and edit.
Helpful Character List
Edna Pontellier - the protagonist of the novel, 28-year-old wife of a New Orleans businessman. Edna
suddenly finds herself dissatisfied with her marriage and the limited, conservative lifestyle it allows.
Léonce Pontellier - Edna’s husband, a forty-year-old, wealthy New Orleans businessman. He loves Edna
and his sons, but he spends little time with them because he is often away on business or with his friends.
Etienne & Raoul Pontellier - Edna and Léonce’s two sons. They are four and five years old, respectively.
Adèle Ratignolle - Edna’s close friend, Adèle Ratignolle represents the Victorian feminine ideal. She
idolizes her children and worships her husband.
Robert Lebrun - a 26-year-old single man with whom Edna falls in love. Dramatic and passionate, he has
a history of becoming the devoted attendant to a different woman each summer at Grand Isle.
Madame Lebrun - the widowed mother of Victor and Robert. She owns and manages the cottages on
Grand Isle where the novel’s characters spend their summer vacations.
Victor Lebrun - Robert’s wayward younger brother. He spends his time chasing women and refuses to
settle down into a profession.
Mademoiselle Reisz - unmarried and childless, she devotes her life to her passion: music. A talented
pianist and somewhat of a recluse, she represents independence and freedom.
Alcée Arobin - The seductive, charming, and forthright Alcée Arobin is the Don Juan of the New Orleans
Creole community.
Doctor Mandelet - Léonce and Edna’s family physician. He is a fairly enlightened man, who silently
recognizes Edna’s dissatisfaction with the restrictions placed on her by social conventions.
The Colonel - Edna’s father, a former Confederate officer in the Civil War. He is a strict Protestant and
believes husbands should manage their wives with authority and coercion.
The Lady in Black - a vacationer at the Lebrun cottages on Grand Isle. She embodies the patient, resigned
solitude that convention expects of a woman whose husband has died, but her solitude does not speak to
any sort of independence or strength. Rather, it owes to a self-effacing withdrawal from life and passion out
of utter respect for her husband’s death. Throughout the novel, the lady in black remains silent, which
contributes to her lack of individuality and to her role within the text as the symbol of the socially
acceptable husbandless woman.
The Two Lovers - The two lovers are vacationers at the Lebrun cottages on Grand Isle. They represent the
form of young love accepted by society. Always appearing in conjunction with the lady in black, the lovers
represent the stage of a woman’s life that comes before her maternal duties.
The Farival Twins - fourteen-year-old girls who vacation at Grand Isle with their family and who
frequently entertain their fellow guests by playing the piano. They represent the destiny of adolescent
Victorian girls: chaste motherhood. Having been dedicated to the Virgin Mary at birth, they wear her colors
at all times. Moreover, they embody society’s expectations of the way women should use art—as a way of
making themselves more delightful to others, rather than as a means of self-expression.
Mariequita - A young, pretty Spanish girl, Mariequita is a mischievous flirt who lives on Grand Isle. She
seems to fancy both Robert and Victor Lebrun.
Madame Antoine - When Edna feels faint at the Sunday service on the island of Chênière Caminada, she
and Robert go to Madame Antoine’s for the day. A friendly inhabitant of the island, Madame Antoine takes
them in and cares for Edna, to whom she tells stories of her life.