There would be no powerful will bending hers in that blind persistence with which men and women believe they have a right to impose a will upon a fellow-creature. There would be no one to live for her during those coming years she would live for herself. When thinking about a husbandless future, the main character of ‘ The Story of an Hour,’ Louise, thinks: They’re also representative of a reality that countless women contended with during their lives as they strove to remain members of society but also achieve some degree of independence from the role of mother and wife.Ī famous quote from Chopin’s short story, ‘ The Story of an Hour,’ sums up this experience perfectly. Her bravery and efforts to achieve freedom are liberating and deeply sad as they come to a sorrowful conclusion in the novel’s final pages. Today, her actions are interpreted in a far different light. To 19th-century readers, Edna’s actions symbolized a type of moral corruption that should not have been depicted in a literary work, especially one written by a woman.
Today’s readers have a far better understanding of the oppressive ideals that women of the 19th century (and the many centuries before it) were forced to contend with in their marriages. This selfish act is hard to understand from the perspective of a 19th-century reader but is far easier to comprehend from a contemporary perspective. It’s easy to imagine how shocking Edna Pontellier’s actions were, especially leaving her husband and children to live on her own. I find it interesting to take this perspective into consideration when reading and analyzing The Awakening. Sadly, Chopin was deeply disappointed by the public’s reaction to what is now considered a masterpiece of the 19th century and wrote little after ‘The Awakening.’ This depiction of infidelity is one that the literary world was not ready to accept when the novel was published. Famously, after it was published, the public (particularly the literary community) reacted poorly to its content and intentions.ġ9th Century and 21st Century PerspectivesĬhopin spends much of the novel following her protagonist’s attempts to find happiness, including affairs with other men while still married to her husband.
Published in 1899, ‘The Awakening’ is one of only two books that Kate Chopin published during her lifetime.
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