女權(quán)主義在《覺醒》中的體現(xiàn)FeminisminTheAwakeningContentsAbstract……………………...1Keywords……………….…………………...1I.Introduction………………2II.LiteratureReview…………...…………...31.ThediversityofcriticismonTheAwakening………………32.FeministcriticismonTheAwakening……5III.FeministCriticalTheories…………...…………………6IV.KateChopin’sBackgroundandPoliticalBackground………………8V.AnalysisoftheProtagonistandtheSymbolsinTheAwakening…91.Analysisofthemaincharacter:Edna…...…….…………92.AnalysisofthesymbolsinTheAwakening………………101)Birds………………...102)Thesea………………...……………113)Clothes……………...11VI.Conclusion……...………11References……………...…………………...12FeminisminTheAwakening第13頁共12頁FeminisminTheAwakeningAbstract:KateChopin'sTheAwakeningisamostimportantpieceoffictionaboutAmericanwoman.Itenlightensthefeministmovement,daringlyreflectsthethemeofsex,andexpressestheawakeningofwomen'ssexualconsciousnessandself-consciousnessandtheirseekingforindependenthumandignity.However,whenfirstpublishedin1899,itmetwithwidespreadhostilecriticismbecauseofitstheme.NotonlythebookwasremovedfromthelibraryshelvesinSt.Louis,butalsoChopinherselfwasrejectedmembershipintheSt.LouisFineArtClub.Fortunately,itreturnedtothespotlightbecauseoftheresearchworkcarriedoutbytwoEuropeanscholarssomeyearslater.Afterthat,peoplebegantostudythenovelfrombrandnewangle,reaffirmeditssignificantexplorationconcerningproblemsofmarriage,sex,andreestablishedKateChopin'sstatusinthehistoryofAmericanLiterature.TheresearchisdevotedtoexploringthefeminismimpliedinTheAwakening,followingsomefeministcriticaltheoriesandthebackgroundofTheAwakening,andthebackgroundofKateChopin.Someideasoffeministcriticsareusedtoreinterpretthenovel.ThentheimportanceofthesymbolsinthenovelwillbeanalyzedtohelpChopinexpressthethemeoffeminism.Finally,theauthorgetstheconclusionthatTheAwakeningisafamouspieceoffictionaboutthethemeoffeminism.Keywords:Feminism;Symbol;FeministLiteraryCriticism;TheAwakening摘要：凱特肖班的《覺醒》是一部講述關(guān)于美國婦女生活的小說。該小說大膽的反映了女性性意識以及自我意識的覺醒，和對獨立的人格尊嚴(yán)的追求這一主題，對女權(quán)主義運動有很大的啟迪作用。由于主題過于敏感，導(dǎo)致小說以及肖班本人在很長一段時間內(nèi)遭受到相當(dāng)大的打擊。多年之后在兩位歐洲學(xué)者的研究的推動下，小說與作者又重見天日。人們用新的視角來研讀小說，肯定了它在探究女性在婚姻以及性等問題上的貢獻(xiàn)，重新確立了肖班在美國文學(xué)史中的地位。本文致力于對隱含在小說中的女權(quán)主義的研究。通過對女性主義批評理論以及對時代背景的介紹，運用女權(quán)評論家的觀點重新解讀該書。通過對人物形象以及象征手法的分析來闡述肖班想要參闡述的女權(quán)主義主題。最后得出結(jié)論：該小說是一部重要的涉及女權(quán)主義主題的經(jīng)典之作。關(guān)鍵詞：女權(quán)主義；象征；女權(quán)主義批評;《覺醒》I.IntroductionKateChopinhasbeenconsideredtobeagreatAmericanfemalewriterandherreputationasmajorAmericanwriterhasbeenontheincreaseeversincethefeministmovementinwhattimehersTheAwakeninghasbeenrediscovered.Thenovel,withitsbalancestructure,poeticlanguage,superuseofsymbols,especiallyitsbarelyconnotationhasarousedinterestsofonegenerationafteranother.ThecriticalfocusonTheAwakeninghasbeenshiftingconstantly.Criticsinterpretthenovelfromdifferentangels,andcometodifferentconclusions.Theaimofthisthesisistoreinterpretthenovelfromfeministcriticalperspectives.Duetothedevelopmentoffeministmovement,feministcriticismhasgraduallybecomeoneofthemainstreamsinthecriticalworld.Ittakesanelectriccriticalstanceandabsorbsvarioustheoriestoserveitsowncriticalpurpose.Attheearlystage,feministcriticsfocusontheinterpretationofmale—authoredtext.Afteranalyzingstereotypesofwomenintheworks,theyfindthatwesternculturehasstrongmisogynistictendencies.Themaintaskoffeministcriticsistouncoverthesemisogynyassumptionswhicharewidelypervasiveinmalewriters’worksandhelpreaderstoendthesubordinationofwomen.Then,feministcriticsreturntofemalewriterstostudytheirforgottenworks.Therecoveryofarichtraditionoffemalewritershelpsreaderstounderstandhowearlierfemaleauthorsarevictimizedbypatriarchalsociety.Inordertoestablishtheirowncanonandtoexpresswomen’sexperiences,feministcriticsencouragewomenthemselvestocreatetheir“own”literatureintheirownlanguagetosubverttheman-dominatedculture.Furthermore,feministspointoutthatthewholeofideologysetsupbinaryoppositions.Thesebinariesleadtoahierarchy.Inotherwords,oneofthebinarytermsachievessuperiorstatusinthecultureandtheothertermisviewedastheinferiorpole.So,feministsshoulddeconstructthebinaryoppositionstorecuperatewomen’sidentity.Recently,feministcriticismfocusesitsattentionondevelopingitsowntheoreticalsystemtoreinterprettheclassicworks.Inthisthesis,thewriteristomakeuseofsomefeministcriticaltheories,methodologyandsomeconclusionsthecriticismhasarrivedattoexploreKateChopin’sfeministconsciousnessimpliedinFeministideasarepartoftheintellectualclimateinwhichKateChopinlived.Influencedbyherlivingbackground,andtheideologicalrevolutionofhertime,Chopinnurturesherfeministconsciousness.ItisherfeministconsciousnessthatcontributestothecreationofEdnaasafeministprecursor.ThroughdisclosingEdna’spersecutionbythesociety,ChopinshowsthatEdnahasbeenputina‘marginal’positioninthesociety.ThemarginalizedstatushasarousedgreatsympathyfromChopin.Andshesuggeststhataharshsuppressionusuallybringsoutastrongflameofrebel.Chopin’sfeministoutlookcanbereflectedbyEdna’srebelliousthoughtsandactions.Incomparisonwiththemalecharacters,EdnahasbeengivenmoreprominenceinTheAwakening.Besides,ChopinexhibitsherappreciationofEdnaasafeministprecursorbyelaboratelydelineatingherindividuality,whichconstitutesanimportantpartofEdna’spersonality.Inshort,inTheAwakening,KateChopinportraysafeministfigure,Edna,throughThethesisisdividedintofourmainpartstoexplorefeminismembeddedinTheAwakening.Inthefirstpart,literaturereviewwillbegiven.DifferentschoolsofinterpretationofTheAwakeningwillprovideapanoramaofthecriticismonthenovel.Inthesecondpart,abriefintroductionwillbegiventofeministcriticism.Inthethirdpart,Chopin’slivingbackgroundinformationcanhelptoshowhowChopin’sfeministconsciousnesscomesintobeing.Thefourthpartisthemainpartofthethesis.Detailedanalysisofthemaincharacters,thesymbolsusedinthenovelwillprovethatKateChopinmeltsherfeministAftertheanalysis,thethesisdrawsaconclusionthatKateChopin,inhersnovel,hassuccessfullyinterwovenhersfeministconsciousnessintothearrangementofthestoryandportrayalofhermainfemalecharacter.Indeed,TheAwakeninginwhichfeminismisembeddedisaclassicofwomen’sliterature,andChopinisthepioneeroffeministmovement.II.LiteratureReview1.ThediversityofcriticismonTheAwakeningShortlyafterthepublicationofTheAwakeningonApril22,1899,someAmericansreviewedonthePublicOpinion,NewYork:“TheAwakeningwrittenbyKateChopinisafeeblereflectionofBourget.A,themeandmanneroftreatmentbothsuggestingtheFrenchnovelist?Weverymuchdoubtthepossibilityofawomanof“solidoldPresbyteriansKentuckystock”beingatalllikeMrs.EdnaPontellierwhohasalonglistoflesserlovesbutwearewellsatisfiedwhenMrs.Pontellierdeliberatelyswimsouttoherdeathinthewaterofthegulf”(22June1899).Truly,thisremarknotonlyindicatestheastonishingimpactwhichthenovelbringstoitscontemporaryreaders,butalsopredicatesthediverseandendlessconcernsaboutitfromthattimeon.Withitsbroadconnotation,delicaterepresentationaswellasitsdazzlingsymbolicalimages,TheAwakeninghasbeenfocusofcriticismover100years.Criticsshifttheirattentiontoalmosteveryaspectofthenovelfromtimetotime.Someareinterestedintheethicalcontent;somearedrawnbythepolysemyofthetheme;sometrytointerprettheimpressivecharacters;someattempttodeconstructthefascinatingsymbolsusedbytheauthortoexpresshersambivalentfeelingsandattitude.Influencedbyvariousliterary,philosophicalandpsychologicalideologyandtheories,criticsreadthestoryintermsofdeconstruction,psychoanalysis,andaesthetics.Wewillreaditintermsoffeminism.AlltheseapproachesworkbecausenotonlydoesChopinsuccessfullyentertainavarietyofperspectivesinthisnovel,butitcansustaindiversecriticism.Earlyreviewerscallthisnovelasunhealthy;morbid;andimmoral.Theycriticizethenovel’slackofapparentmoralolesson.ThereviewersalsodeclarealackofsympathyoradmirationforChopin’sheroine:“Attheveryoutsetofthestoryonefeelsthattheheroinshouldprayfordeliverancefromtemptation,andintheveryclosingparagraph,when,havingremovedeveryvestigeofclothesshestandsnakedinthesunandwalksoutintothewateruntilshecanwalknofarther,andthenswimsonintoeternity,onethinksthatherverysuicideisinitselfaprayerfordeliverancefromevilsthatbesether,allofherowncreating”.(St.LouisDailyGlobe—Democrat,13May,1899)Itisnotstrangethatthereviewsareironicalbecauseitsthemeisfaraheadofitstime.However,otherreviewersalsogivesomepositivepublicreviews.Theycreditthenovel’sflawlessartanddeclaretheworkanunusual,unique,completemasterpiece.Thereviewsadmit,though,thatbecauseofthenovel’sthemeitshouldnotbereadbyyoung,whowouldnotunderstandit,ortheold,whoavoidunpleasanttruth.Alsosomereviewshintsthereviewersappreciationforrealisminthenovel,asitcredits,“Itisthelifeandnotthemaskthatitissubjectofthestory”.Furthermore,otherreviewers,unlikesomeofthem,appreciateastorythatrelateswhatlifeis,ratherthandesiringastorythatdepictswhatlifeshouldbe.TheyalsosuggestthatEdna’sresentmentofherhusband’sinattentionisthecauseofheraction.InsteadofblamingEdna,likealloftheotherreviews,theyseemedtoblameherhusband.Besides,therealsohavesomeaccuraterepresentationofpublicbeliefsaboutTheAwakening.Whileitpraisestheauthor’sliteraryabilityitcondemnshersubjectchoiceasvulgarandthenovelascommonplace.Bycallingthenovelcommonplace,thereviewerrelateshisbeliefthatliteratureshouldexploretheidealratherthanreal.Chopin’snovelisrootedinthereal,and,therefore,isautomaticallysituatedforthecriticismofasocietyresistingrealisminliterature.Thereviewalsorevealssociety’sexpectationsforwomenthroughitscriticismofEdna’srebellion.ItcondemnsEdnafornotfinding“marriageandmotherhoodacablestrongenoughtokeepherfromformingotherattachments”.Thereviewcreditsthedeathof“onewhohasdriftedfromallrightmooringsandhadnotthegracetorepent”.Society,therefore,upholdsChopin’scriticismthatsocialexpectationsprovidewomenwithonlymarriageordeath.However,inadditiontoexploringmoralteachinginthebook,somecriticsemphasizesymbolisminTheAwakening.Forinstance,birds,clothes,housesandothernarrativeelementsarepowerfulsymbolswhichaddmeaningtothenovelandtothecharacters.WewillanalyzethemostrelevantsymbolspresentedinKateChopin’sliteraryModerncriticsinfluencedbythelatestdevelopmentofmodernphilosophyandpsychology,implementsometheoriesininterpretingTheAwakening.Theydevelopatext—relatedapproachtodeconstructthenovel.Variousschoolsofnewinterpretationboomedinthesixtiesorseventiesofthe20thcentury.Psychoanalytic,archetypal,andphenomenologicalcriticismaffordthreeexamplesofcontemporarycriticaltheorieswhosepractitionersareskepticalofnewcriticalorformalistanalysisandinterpretthenovelfromtheirrespectivestance.Feministcriticism,absorbingimpetusfromthewomen’sliberationmovementofthattime,launchesanewsurgeofinterpretingthegreatwork.TheimplementationofdifferenttheoriesincriticismindicatesanewtendencyinanalyzingTheAwakening2.FeministcriticismonTheAwakeningSincefeministcriticsbegintheircriticismwithrevisitingbooksbymaleauthorsandreviewingthemfromawoman’spointofviewtounderstandhowtheybothreflectandshapetheattitudesthathaverestrictedwomen,thentheychangetheirmindintofemalewritersandanalyzefemalewriterswork.TheAwakeningseemstobenaturalsubjectforfeministcriticism.FeministcriticsofKateChopinemployanumberofcriticalapproachestoarriveattheirconclusions.Forexample,JaneBallHowardcommentsthatChopindarestowriteoftheprivateneedsofwomen,namely,education,thevote,rightstoherownpropertyandherownchildren,thattheperiodtriestodenyexisted.LarzerZiffwroteinTheAmerican1890’s:LifeandTimesofaLostGenerationthatthenovel,wasthemostimportantpieceoffictionaboutthesexuallifeofawomanwrittentodateinAmerican,andthefirstfullytofacethefactthatmarriage,whetherinpointoffactitclosedtherangeofwoman’ssexualexperiencesornot,wasbutanepisodeinhercontinuousgrowth…ontheveryeveofthetwentiethcenturyitraisedthequestionofwhatwomanwastodowiththefreedomshestruggledtoward.PerSeyested,theauthorofKateChopin:ACriticalBiography(1980),wrotethatTheAwakening,bydelicatedescriptionofthereality,brokeupthetraditionalfantasywhichdominatepeople’sthoughtandvacillatetheoptimismofbourgeoisideas,moreover,itinevitablyarousedthedoubtoftheideawhetherthingsexistedwouldbeeverlasting,therefore,neitherhadtheauthorshowsomesolutiondirectly,norsheindicatedhersposition,thebookitselfhadalreadyfinishedthismission.Althoughdifferentfeministcriticshaveinterpretedthenovelfromdifferentdimensions,noneoftheiranalyseshasbeennecessarilydominantoverothers’.AndKateChopinherselfisnoteasilycategorized.Mythesis,basedonfeministtheoriesandcriticalapproaches,willexploreChopin’sfeministconsciousinportrayingthefemalecharacter,Edna,asacourageousrebelagainstthepatriarchysociety.Edna’III.FeministCriticalTheoriesInevitably,theflourishingdevelopmentofwomen’sliberationmovementhasexertedgreatinfluenceovertheideology,cultureandartofhumansociety.Itsappearancebroadenspeople’sperspectivesoflookingattheworld.Andpromotesthemtorediscoverinliterarycanonsmanycontentsignoredinthepast.Moreimportantly,itisthemovementthatchangestheuniquemaleperspectiveofviewingtheworldintheman—dominatedsociety.Fromthenon,women’svoicewouldnotbeneglected.Feministliterarycriticismfinsitsimpetusinthemovementandhasbecomeaninfluentialtendinliterarycriticalcircle.In1919,theBritishscholar,teacherandearlyfeministVirginiaWoolflaidthefoundationforfeministcriticisminherARoomofOne’sOwn,inwhichshedeclaresthatmenhavetreatedwomen,andcontinuetotreatthem,asinferiors.Itisthemale,sheasserts,whodefineswhatitmeanstobefemaleandwhocontrolthepolitical,economic,socialandliterarystructure.Asadesigneroffeministliterarycriticism,Woolffirstintroducesherfeministthoughtsintoliterarycriticism.Thus,feministissuehasbecomeanimportantcriticaldimensionfromthenon.What’smore,sheadvocatesthatwomenwritersshouldchangepresentexpressivepatternsandcreatenewmodetoexpresstheirideas,sothattheywouldnotbemisunderstoodanddistortedbyreaders.Inliterarycriticism,byadoptingnon-traditionaltheoreticalstyleandexpressivepatterns,shehassuccessfullywrittenalotofcriticalworksinaformofstorytelling.SuchbreakthroughinlanguagerepresentsWoolfrebelagainstpatriarchallanguagesystemandpavesthewayforlaterfeministcriticism.ThepublicationoftheFrenchwriterSimonedeBeauvoir’sTheSecondSexmarksanewsurgeoffeministcriticism.Heraldedasthefoundationalworkoftwentiethcenturyfeminism,Beauvoir’stextdeclaresthatbothFrenchandWesternsocietiesarepatriarchal,thatis,femalearecontrolledbymales.Shebelievesthat“oneisnotborn,butratherbecomesawomen,itiscivilizationasawholethatproducesthiscreature.”(Beauvior,1952).Thetaskoffeministcriticsistoexaminethefemaleimageinthemalewriters’literaryworkanduncoverhowtheyreflectandshapetheattitudesthathaverestrictedwomen.Atthisstage,manyfeministcriticsbegintorevisitbooksbymaleauthorsandreviewthemfromawoman’spointofview.But,whentheytrytodefinewhatthewomen’sidentityis,feministcriticsbecomeconfused.Feministcriticismseemstofallintoatrapsetbythepatriarchalsocietywhichittriestosubvert.ElaineShowaltercreatestheterm“gynocritics”inherALiteratureofTheirOwn,todescribesuchanalysesofwhichmainattentionshouldbefocusedonwomenwritersandwomencharacterstodeveloptheoriesandmethodsbasedonfemaleexperiencesandseektorecuperatefemaleidentity.Shearguesfora“programofgynocriticswhichconstructsafemaleframeworkfortheanalysisofwomen’sliteratureanddevelopsanewmodelsbasedonthestudyoffemaleexperienceonthenewlyvisibleworldoffemaleculture.”(1979)thatistosay,thepurposesofgynocriticsaretorediscoverwomen’shistoryandculturebystudyingwomenauthorsandforgeanalternativeliterarytradition,acanonthatbetterrepresentsthefemaleperspective.However,thefocusesonthestudyofwomenandwomenwritersdonothelpfeministcriticstosolveallproblemsthattheyareconfrontedwith.Meanwhile,feministcriticsfeelthattheyshouldnotconfinetheirvisionstoself—discovery,asearchforidentity.Manyfeministcriticsembracethelearningimpartedbytraditionalhumanismthatweallsharebasicuniversalvalues,thoughwomen’sandmen’sexperienceoftheworldmaybedifferent,thatwehaveacommonviewofexperience,inshort,thatweshareanunquestioned“commonsense”.Asearchforandrogynousimplicationsbecomesoneofthemaintasksforcontemporaryfeministcritics.Theyemphasizethedifferencesoftwogendersbutdonotignorecommonessenceashumanbeing.Now,feministcriticismmarksoutabroadareaofliterarystudies,eclectic,originalandprovocative.Nomatterwhattheyemphasizeintheory,however,allfeministcriticsassertthattheyareonjourneyofself—discoverythatleadsthemtoabetterunderstandingofthemselves.Andoncetheyhaveunderstoodandknowhowtodefinethemselveswomen,theybelievewillabletochangetheworld.Whatevertheoryandmethodcriticismwechoosetoapplytoatext,wecanbegintextualanalysisbyaskingsomegeneralquestions:Istheauthormaleorfemale?Whattypeofrolesdowomenhaveintext?Arethefemalecharacterstheprotagonistsorsecondarycharacters?Whataretheattitudestowardwomen?Howdoestheauthor’scultureinfluenceherorhisattitude?Mythesiswillfollowsomefeministcriticaltheoriesandapproachestoreinterpretthemainfemalecharacter,EdnainChopin’sTheAwakening.Bytracingthesourceofherfeministconsciousness,includetheawakeningofhersexualconsciousness;self—consciousnessandherseekingforindependenthumandignitytoshowyouthefeminismembeddedinthisnovel.IV.KateChopinAlthoughmoderncriticsadvocatetext—centeredcriticalapproachestointerpretationofliteraryworks,itdoesnotnecessarilymeanthatbackgroundinformationcontributeslittleinunderstandingtheworks.Infact,backgroundinformationsometimesprovidesalotofvaluablematerialsforreaderstoanalyzesomeimpliedmeaningthatauthorimplicitlyweaveordeliberatelyhideintheirtexts.EspeciallyforChopin,whosecomplicatedthoughtsareusuallyexpressedinanambiguousway,wecan’tneglecttheinfluenceontheformationofsomeofherconsciousnessfromherbackground.KateChopinwasborninSt.Louis,Missouriin1850.Shewasthethirdoffivechildren,buthersisterdiedininfancyandherbrothersintheirearlytwenties.Shewastheonlychildtolivepasttheageoftwenty-five.Atfiveandahalf,shewassenttoTheSacredHeartAcademy,aCatholicboardingschoolinSt.Louis.Herfatherwaskilledtwomonthlater.Forthenexttwoyearsshelivedathomewithhermother,grandmother,andgreat-grandmother,allofthemwidows.Hergreat-grandmotheroversawhereducationandtaughtherFrench,music,andthegossiponSt.Louiswomenofthepast.Shegrewupsurroundedbysmart,independent,singlewomen.Especiallyhergreat-great-grandmotherhadbeenthefirstwomaninSt.Louisobtaininglegalseparationfromherhusband.ThesefactslaidgreatimpactuponChopin.Attheageoftwenty,shemarriedOscarChopinwhowasFrenchcatholicinbackground,aswasKate.Byallaccountsheadoredhiswife,admiredherindependenceandintelligence,and“allowed”herunheardoffreedom.OscardiedandleftmanychildrenforChopin.AndChopinexperiencedmoredifficultieswhatotherwomenneverexperienced.Inshort,Inthe1890ssocialcontradictionwassharpened;from1893to1896theeconomicdepressionacceleratedthepolarizationbetweenclasses.Traditionallifestylehadbeenchangedbyindustrialization.Andthedoctrineofthepuritansocietyhadbeenimpacted.Inthe1960s,Americanwomenbegantolaunchapowerfulanddynamicwomen’sliberationmovement.Womenfromtheupper--classgotthechancetostudyintheuniversity;however,womenfromtheunderprivilegedhadtofightforbetterworkcondition.In1890twoorganizationshadbeensetuptoaskfortheequalpoliticalrightswithmen,suchastherighttovote.Inthisperiod,many“newfemale”appeared,theywantedtobetheirownandchoosethelifetheywanttohave.However,inthatpatriarchalsociety,thiskindofwomenhadbeentreatedasmad.ThefeministorganizationturneditseyetoNewOrleans,buttherewasonlyfewofwomenjoinitbecausewomen’srolehadrootedinthetraditionalsociety.Womenfromtheupper—classofsouthernhadbeentaughttobegentlewomen.Creolefemaleliveinthestraightnesssociety,however,theorganizationpavethewaythewomentobeeducatedorbroadentheirminds.V.AnalysisoftheProtagonistandtheSymbolsinTheAwakening1.Analysisofthemaincharacter:EdnaKateChopincreatesheridealimageofwomen,Edna,toexpressherunderstandingofsomefeminineattributes.Byelaborateportrayingarebelliouswomancharactershedemonstratesherfeministtendency.Ashasbeendiscussed,Chopin’slivingbackgroundnurturesherdeepconcernforwomen’slives;hercontemporaryideologicalrevolutionhasbroughtinfluentialimpactonherattitudetowardswomen;hermiserableexperienceprovidesadomainforhertointerpretfemininityphysicallyaswellaspsychologically.Thefollowinginterpretationofthenovelwillbefocusedontheanalysisofthemaincharacter,Edna.Edna’slifeisaprocessofseekingforlove,independentandfreedom,alsoherlifeismiserable.Shelivedherlifeforothers,notforherself.Intheinitialtextitstatesthat“Mrs.Pontellierwasnotamother-woman,”furtheralonginthenovel.Forthedurationofhermarriageshestayedinherplaceasachild-bearingwife,doinglittlebutexistingforthepleasuresofherhusbandasaprizedtokenmorethanacompanion.Beingsubduedbysociety,thecharacterEdnaDuringthisperiod,societyofthenineteenth-centurygaveaheightenedmeaningtowhatitmeanstobeawoman.Accordingtothecommonlyknown'codeoftruewomanhood',womenweresupposedtobedocile,domesticcreatures,whosemainconcernsinlifeweretobetheraisingoftheirchildrenandsubmissivenesstotheirhusbands.ButEdnacouldnotbearthisanylonger.Soshewillbeawakenedgradually.Herhusband,Mr.Pontellier,isamoneymaker,onlycareaboutmoneyandconsidersheraspersonalproperty.Arobin,adude,arouseshersexualconsciousnessbutonlycaretomakelovewithher,shecannotcommunicatewithhim.Mr.Robert,whohasthesamehobbyasEdna,teachesEdnatoswimintheseawhichmakesherunderstandherpotentialisindefinite,andshefallsinlovewithRobert,towhomshesays:“Iloveyou...onlyyou;noonebutyou.Itwasyouwhoawokemelastsummeroutofalife-long,stupiddream...Oh!Ihavesuffered!Nowyouarehereweshallloveeachother.Nothingelseintheworldisofanyconsequence.”InthisEdnaiscravingtheadventure,love,andfreedomthathavebeenavoidedfromherlifesinceherbirth.ButRobertwasshockedbyherbravewordsandevaded.Ednafinallyhastochoosedeathasawaytofreeher“Leavingherclothinginthebath-house,andshewenton,thewaterwaschill,butshewalkedon.Thewaterwasdeepbutsheliftedherwhitebody,reachingoutwithalong,sweepingstroke.Thetouchoftheseaissensuous,enfoldingthebodyinitssoft,closeembrace”.(chapter39)2.AnalysisofthesymbolsinTheAwakeningTheAwakeningisanovelfullofsymbols;withineachnarrativesegmentthereisoftenacentralandpowerfulsymbolthatservestoaddmeaningtothetextandtounderlinesomesubtlepointChopinismaking.Understandingthemeaningofthesesymbolsisvitaltoafullappreciationofthestory.Wewillanalyzethemostrelevantsymbolspresentedinthenovel.1)BirdsTheimagesrelatedtobirdsarethemajorsymbolicimagesinthenarrativefromtheverybeginningofthenovel:“Agreenandyellowparrot,whichhunginacageoutsidethedoor,keptrepeatingoverandover:‘Allezvous-en!Allezvous-en!Saprist!That’sright!’”InTheAwakening,cagedbirdsserveasremindersofEdna’sentrapment.Sheiscagedintherolesaswifeandmother;sheisneverexpectedtothinkforherself.Moreover,thecagedbirdssymbolizedtheentrapmentofVictorianwomeningeneral.Liketheparrot,thewomen’smovementislimitedbyruleofsociety.Inthefirstchapter,theparrotspeaksin“alanguagewhichnobodyunderstood”.TheparrotisnotabletocommunicateitsfeelingjustlikeEdnawhosefeelingsaredifficulttounderstand,incomprehensibletothemembersofCreolesociety.Incontrasttocagedbirds,Chopinuseswildbirdsandtheideaofflightassymbolsoffreedom.2)TheseaTheseainTheAwakeningsymbolizesfreedomandescape.Itisavastexpansethat