The Awakening
Kate Chopin
Webquest Trial of Edna Pontellier
Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening is a provocative account of one woman’s quest for
freedom in her restrictive environment. Her decisions challenge the social norm, defy
conventional family roles, and disrupt her community’s “safety.” As you read about Edna
Pontellier, decide for yourself whether she was courageous or mentally disturbed; an
inspiration or a threat to society.
The Task
Edna Pontellier is considered a dangerous rebel! Her scandalous behavior has been deemed
immoral and unfit by New Orleans society. It is feared that her negative influence will be the
downfall of women everywhere unless she is stopped. Her trial will begin the last week of
the semester and you will be a member of the jury. As the trial progresses you must collect
facts to either vote against her behavior or to support her actions. But be careful, your
decision may affect your own standing in society!
During the trial you must visit several places to collect information so that you may form an
educated opinion. Unfortunately, jury duty restricts your freedom and these visits must be
done on the laptop provided in your reserved hotel room. You have a room booked at a
hotel called A Creole House where you will conduct your research.
Step 1 Check into your hotel (Creole House).
Read Chapters I-VII
 Research a historical, local bed and breakfast. What are the historical points of your
accommodations? What makes your hotel unique and connected with the historical
location of New Orleans?
Resources:
http://www.neworleansonline.com/book/rooms/lodging.php?lodgingType=1
http://www.tourneworleans.com/
http://www.creolegardens.com/
Step 2 Visit the Visitor Center.
Read Chapters VIII-XII
Please tour New Orleans Visitor Center to get a sense of the areas you will be staying during
the trial.
 Find 2 New Orleans laws that you think are silly or strange and revise them. Include 2-3
sentences explaining why you think they should be revised.
Resources:
http://www.fox8live.com/story/28138074/25-strange-laws-in-louisiana
http://www.whereyat.com/weird-laws-in-new-orleans

Find 3 pictures that appeal to you and write a short half page the connection you find
between the picture and the novel. Your focus should be on Edna and her family,
friends, or lovers.
Resources:
Step 3 Who Influenced Edna’s? Kate Chopin Biographical Info.
Read Chapters XIII-XVII
 Find out 15 facts (type them) about Chopin and decide whether or not she should be
arrested as an accomplice or if she does not have enough connection with Edna. Write
your decision in a paragraph that includes at least 5 facts that you found.
Resources:
http://www.katechopin.org/biography/
http://www.literarytraveler.com/literary_articles/kate_chopin_coutierville.aspx
http://www.literarytraveler.com/literary_articles/kate_chopin_awakening_grandisle.aspx
http://www.katechopin.org/
Step 4 Know Your Cultural Geography
Read Chapters XVIII-XXVIV
In your books in the “Introduction: Biographical and Historical Contexts” section it is said
that “Chopin’s ability to render the authentic details of the specific locale- the “local color”
they would later identify as the best feature of her short stories” (12). Many authors we will
read in this class center their novels not just around vivid characters, but also on detailed and
vibrant places (settings).
Cultural Geography: A tool to understand human experience, which in turn lends itself to
the study of literature.


Cultural Geography is dynamic in the sense that it is the study of the spaces people
inflect/imprint and how people live in those places.
The subject of the spaces themselves, i.e. maps of meaning, what does a house mean,
a freeway, Grand Isle? There can be multiple meanings derived from one image or
space.
In The Awakening Edna deals with the pleasures and perils of living in her community. The
spaces she chooses to inhabit or leave play a critical role in the development of the novel.
Compare setting, spaces and environment of The Awakening and Grande Isle to either The
Catcher in the Rye/ Prep School or All the Pretty Horse/ Mexico.
Step 5 How does the Women’s Rights Movement Influence The Awakening?
Read Chapters XXVI-end
 Go to the following website and find 5 facts about the WRM that you didn’t already
know. Explain how these pieces of history are influential in The Awakening (2-3
sentences for each fact)
 Print out a page from the timeline from the web and highlight one event. Create a
slogan, announcing the event to the world.
Resources
http://www.factmonster.com/spot/womenstimeline1.html
http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/WIC/Historical-Essays/NoLady/Womens-Rights/
Step 6 Read short story “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
 How is this story like or unlike Edna’s situation in The Awakening? Explain, using
supporting evidence in one page.
 Research some common turn-of-the-century medical practices using the web and any
you find on your own. List five ways that medical practices have improved since then
in 2-3 sentences each.
Resources
http://www.cracked.com/article_15669_the-10-most-insane-medical-practices-inhistory_p2.html
Additional Resources
Kate Chopin biographical information
“The story of an Hour” info
- http://www.katechopin.org/the-story-of-an-hour.shtml
Women’s Rights Movement information
Suffrage Songs and Verses-Charlotte Perkins Gilman
- http://digital.library.upenn.edu/women/gilman/suffrage/suffrage.html
Local Color/ Grand Isle
-
http://www.grand-isle.com/
-
http://www.loc.gov
-
http://www.literarytraveler.com/literary_articles/kate_chopin_awakening_grand
isle.aspx
Medicine
- http://www.eyeonmedicine.com/back/bull4.htm
St. Peter House Hotel (was A Creole House)
- http://www.frenchquarterguesthouses.com/
Step 2
Dumb Laws
http://www.dumblaws.com/laws/united-states/louisiana
www.whereyat.com
New Orleans Library Online
- http://www.neworleanspubliclibrary.org/
New Orleans
- http://www.neworleanscvb.com/
-
http://www.neworleansonline.com/
Art
The Met http://www.metmuseum.org/exhibitions/current-exhibitions
The Louvre http://www.louvre.fr/en