Edna’s Choice

何煦

Abstract：Kate Chopins The Awakening is a classic of womens writing in American literature. In this novel， Chopin spoke ahead of time. Ednas suicide is always the focus of the critics. The article argues that Ednas suicide is the final awakening， and her decision to give herself to the sea shows strength and independence that defies social expectation.

Key words：Kate Chopin； The Awakening； choice； independence； social expectation

Kate Chopin， American woman writer in the late 19th century， holds a very important position in the history of American literature. In her fictions， Chopin explores the dilemmas that women face and suggests that women want sex and independence. All of these themes appear in Kate Chopin's second and final novel， The Awakening.

The Awakening was published in 1899， and in this novel， Chopin spoke ahead of her time. Edna， the main protagonist， moves out of the family where she is just the property of her husband in order to pursue a sense of herself as a complete and autonomous human being. After her total awakening at the end of the novel， Edna chooses to end her life in the sea. So to speak， she follows her own path in a special way. Her final choice is always the focus of the critics. Is her suicide a failure to complete her escape from convention？ Does her death prove her inability to defy the society？ No， the fact is that Ednas suicide is the final awakening， and her decision to give herself to the sea shows strength and independence that defies social expectation. Thus， Edna can be considered as a prototypical feminist and a woman before her time.

In 19th century， the American society which was still man-centered canonized “true womanhood.” （Welter 372）. Men intended to limit the women within the home to take the conventional roles of wife， mother， and daughter so as to counterwork the emancipation of women. About the “true womanhood”， Barbara Welter states the following：

The attributes of True Womanhood， by which a woman judged herself and was judged by her husband， her neighbors， and society could be divided into four cardinal virtues—piety， purity， submissiveness， and domesticity. Put them altogether and they spell mother， daughter， sister， wife—woman. Without them， no matter whether there was fame， or wealth， all was ashes. With them she was promised happiness and power. （372）

Thus it seems natural that it is womans duty to take care of family and give birth to children， which results in the fact that the creativity of woman is totally neglected. The Awakening reflects such background. In the novel， Chopin describes the lives of Creoles in Southern U.S. in the late 19th century. Descending from French immigrants， Creoles are sincere and friendly and their women are traditional and virtuous. At the beginning of the novel， Chopin gives reader a vivid description of these women：

It was easy to know them， fluttering about with extended， protecting wings when any harm， real or imaginary， threatened their precious brood. They were women who idolized their children， worshiped their husbands， and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels. （26）

It is obvious that these women totally accept what are required of them by man-centered society and complain little. For them， family， husband and children are their whole world where they can hardly be found. Though one of them before her awakening， Edna is not satisfied with this kind of enslavement at all.

In the novel there are two subordinate female roles， Madame Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz. Madame Ratignolle is a “perfect” woman. She devotes herself to her husband and children and dutifully plays the social role of “mother-woman”. Madame Ratignolle is quite satisfied with the roles she plays. Edna does not admire her though she likes her. Mademoiselle Reisz is a typical professional pianist and performing on piano is not mere entertainment or domestic decoration for her as it is for Madame Ratignolle. It is Mademoiselle Reiszs music that speaks to Ednas soul， awakening grand passions in Ednas soul and sparking her later rebellion. Mademoiselle Reisz lives in a dingy and dirty apartment and has a reputation as a rude， ill-tempered woman. The single life makes her enjoy absolute freedom and independence which are at the cost of her solitude. She gains neither love nor others understanding.

Madame Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz， each woman represents a path Edna can take： traditional or rebellious. Traditional woman is happy on the surface but has no freedom， while rebellious woman enjoys freedom but bears solitude. In fact， Edna can follow neither of them. If she chose to be Madame Ratignolle， she would “give up her rebellion， return to her marriage， have another baby， and by degrees learn to appreciate， love， and even desire her husband.” （Showalter 182） If she chose to be Mademoiselle Reisz， she would “lose her beauty， her youth， her husband， and children--everything， in short， but her art and her pride—and become a kind of New Orleans nun.” （Showalter 182） It is an irreconcilable conflict that Edna faces. For one thing， she does not want to go back to the past. For another， she can hardly imagine what the life would be like without Robert and his love. So to speak， the sharp contrast between Madame Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz reflects Ednas dilemma and stresses her misery and despair. Through them， Chopin expresses her understanding of the mode of existence of the women at that time and then reveals their status and difficult situation.

Faced with such an irreconcilable conflict， Edna chooses to commit suicide. Before making this choice， Edna tells Doctor Mandelet： “the years that are gone seem like dreams—if one might go on sleeping and dreaming—but to wake up and find—oh！ Well！ Perhaps it is better to wake up after all， even to suffer， rather than to remain a dupe to illusions all ones life. ” （133） This is the meaning of Ednas awakening： she would rather die after the awakening than live an ignorant life. Ednas suicide is the soundless react against patriarchy rather than a passive failure. Edna chooses to end her life in the sea which symbolizes freedom， glory and strength. To some extent， Ednas death can be seen as a rebirth.

本文研究受到四川师范大学校级项目（项目编号：124595）支持

Works Cited

[1] Chopin， Kate. The Awakening. Ed. Nancy A. Walker.

[2] Showalter， Elaine. “Tradition and the Female Talent： The Awakening as a Solitary Book.” Case Studies in Contemporary Criticism： The Awakening. Ed. Nancy A. Walker. No publisher. No date. 169-189.

[3] Welter， Barbara. “The Cult of True Womanhood： 1820—1860.” The American Family in Social–Historical Perspective. Ed. Michael Gordon. New York： St. Martins Press， 1983. 372-392.