The Awakening
Kate Chopin has been considered to be a great American female writer and her reputation as major American writer has been on the increase ever since the feminist movement in what hers the awakening has been rediscovered. The novel, with its balance structure, poetic language, super use of symbols, especially its barely connotation has aroused interests of one generation after another.
The aim of this thesis is to reinterpret the novel from feminist criticism has gradually become one of the mainstreams in the critical world.
This is simply a story about a lonely and desperate housewife who couldn't bear her boredom and craving for young and pleasant male company, throwing away all the duty and responsibilities of a wife and mother to join her lamentable self-meditating new life.
The author seems to make every attempt to justify an affair. Edna flirted outrageously with a few young men and accidentally fell in love with one of them.
If awakening means falling in love with somebody else instead of your husband, someone much younger than you are, and finally failing to have the courage of getting a divorce and flying away with your lover, you'd better not wake up.
Edna is extremely pathetic. Even though it is no doubted the book is well written and well received. This is by no means a joyful feminism text.
I'm sorry for her husband and sorry for Robert. She doesn't worth it.
But still, the book is absolutely worth reading.