Psychoanalytical Perspective of the Awakening free essay sample

Psychoanalytical Perspective of The Awakening: The True Desires of Edna Pontellier Stacey Berry South University Online The True Desires of Edna Pontellier In the novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, the emotional and sexual awakening is exemplified by a significant revelation in regards to the main character. The protagonist, Edna Pontellier, is a young woman caught in a loveless, but pampered marriage with husband, Leonce. Stirrings of independence began one summer after obtaining a friend in Robert LeBrun while resorting in Grand Isle, an island off the coast of Louisiana. Basking in Robert’s attention, new feelings awaken and unleash themselves beginning a profound change in Edna and liberating her beyond belief. Understanding that she has discarded her youthful hopes and dreams and that her current life is unfulfilling, Edna takes small steps toward freeing herself. This desire of freedom is ensued by infidelity that fills her void to some extent, ultimately at the expense of her marriage and motherhood. A psychoanalytical perspective will enable readers â€Å"to reveal the influence of the subconscious in the texts plot, setting, conflict, symbols, point of view, language, and character development† (South University Online, 2011). Assessing this novel through a psychoanalytical perspective will disclose Chopin’s use of symbols and events to uncover Edna’s true desires. This essay uses a psychoanalytical perspective; however, the use of a feminist or historical perspective can be applied to expose other valid points. First, a feminist perspective could reveal how Edna rebelled against the social grain by acting in a way that was not yet acceptable by women. There are two common principles of most feminine perspectives and according to South University Online, â€Å"one is that gender is socially constructed and another is that power is distributed unequally on the basis of sex, race and ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, ability, sexuality, and economic class status† (2011). Chopin acknowledged the difference in the expectations of a woman’s behavior as Edna expressed, â€Å"I suppose this is what you would call unwomanly; but I have got into a habit f expressing myself. It doesnt matter to me, and you may think me unwomanly if you like† (Chopin, 2005, Ch. 36, para. 12). Secondly, a historical perspective could reveal that there was still racial tension during the late 1800’s. Throughout the novel, Edna refers to the children’s caregiver as a â€Å"quad roon† which means that she was three quarters white and one quarter black and those where the roles that people like her partook in. A historical perspective also shows of Edna’s prosperity in comparison to those who were not white that had many disadvantages. They suffered as laborers to whites during that time due to social, racial, and cultural issues. This view can be depicted through the language used for describing blacks such as when the narrator stated, â€Å"†¦to look at the darkies laying the cane† (Chopin, 2005, Ch. 32, para. 10). Throughout the course of the novel, the symbols of things relating to birds seemingly portrayed what Edna desired. From the very beginning, the caged parrot represented Edna’s inability to communicate and her feeling of being trapped in the society that surrounded her. The mockingbird, however, was akin to Madame Reisz in the sense that she came to terms with her place in society, so she whistled as she pleased. â€Å"[The parrot] could speak a little Spanish, and also a language which nobody understood, unless it was the mocking-bird that hung on the other side of the door, whistling his fluty notes out upon the breeze with maddening persistence† (Chopin, 2005, Ch. 1, para. 3). The entrapment is recognized for her desire to be free, in general, but the misunderstanding of the other language revealed her desire of wanting to express herself freely. In the narrator’s mention of Edna not being a â€Å"mother-woman,† the use of wings in terms to describe the other women of Grand Isle was for protection, not flying. Edna had no use of these wings, if not to fly. Recalling when Edna heard Madame Ratignolle play â€Å"Solitude,† she would imagine â€Å"the figure of a man standing beside a desolate rock on the seashore†¦ His attitude was one of hopeless resignation as he looked toward a distant bird winging its flight away from him† (Chopin, 2005, Ch. 9, para. 19). Perhaps Edna was imagining herself as this bird fleeing her husband, Leonce, for the freedom she so sought after. The pigeon house presumably pleased Edna. She felt â€Å"every step which she took toward relieving herself from obligations added to her strength and expansion as an individual† (Chopin, 2005, Ch. 32, para. 7). Madame Reisz understood Edna’s desire to be independent, but in order for her to be free, as well as act on her love for Robert, she knew that Edna would have to be strong. The narrator explains how Madame Reisz â€Å"felt [Edna’s] shoulder blades, to see if [her] wings were strong†¦ and stated that the bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings’† (Chopin, 2005, Ch. 7, para. 11). Nevertheless, the pigeon house resulted in being another cage for Edna because Robert could not bring himself to reside in the lifestyle she longed for. The strength required proved too much for Edna, thereby her suicide caused her to be the â€Å"bird with a broken wing [that] was beating the air above, reelin g, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water† (Chopin, 2005, Ch. 39, para. 23). Unable to conform to society, Edna received her freedom at the cost of her life. Similarly, the symbolism of the sea represented Edna’s freedom and independence, in addition to her rebirth. The sea was also a voice of reasoning for Edna. It soothed her, conveying all that she wanted to hear. â€Å"The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing†¦ inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude†¦ The voice of the sea speaks to the soul† (Chopin, 2005, Ch. 6, para. 6 and 7). It was Robert LeBrun who first introduced Edna to the water when teaching her how to swim; perhaps it was inevitable that she would desire him given that he initiated her journey to freedom and self-discovery. In fact, Robert encouraged her relationship with water early on when he insisted, â€Å"You mustnt miss your bath. Come on. The water must be delicious; it will not hurt you. Come† (Chopin, 2005, Ch. 5, para. 26). Therefore, the relationship was non-existent without him. Edna’s awakening ignited after swimming for the first time when â€Å"a feeling of exultation overtook her, as if some power of significant import had been given her to control the working of her body and her soul†¦ She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before† (Chopin, 2005, Ch. 10, para. 7). Edna’s yearning to swim further was the foreshadowing of what was to come; it showed how far she was willing to go to get her freedom. She was also reminded by the water of her first interaction with independence as a child. She reminisces of walking through the tall grassy meadow with swimming arms in Kentucky (Chopin, 2005, Ch. 7, para. 15). Edna describes that independence when stating, â€Å"I was a little unthinking child in those days, just following a misleading impulse without question† (Chopin, 2005, Ch. 7, para. 20). Edna’s desire to regain freedom and independence, which she realized she had as a child, is brought on by her encounter with the sea. Later she recognizes that the only way to fulfill those desires was to use the water to be reborn. She compared herself to a baby when learning how to swim and now she must return to that state to be reborn. The ocean represented her rebirth. â€Å"She felt like some new-born creature, opening its eyes in a familiar world that it had never known† (Chopin, 2005, Ch. 39, para. 26). She undressed herself, as though preparing for birth from the womb, appearing as an infant. â€Å"When she was there beside the sea†¦ for the first time in her life she stood naked†¦ and the waves invited her† (Chopin, 2005, Ch. 9, para. 25). Edna meeting Robert slowly, but surely, triggered her deepest desire. She wanted to love and be loved passionately by him. â€Å"There was no human being whom she wanted near her except Robert† (Chopin, 2005, Ch. 39, para. 22). He loved her just the same as he explains, â€Å"There in Mexico I was thinking of you all the time, and longing for you† (Chopin, 2005, Ch. 36, para. 31). Robert had wanted Edna as his wife and if he had been what Leonce was for her, she could have been her happiest self. Leonce treated her like a possession which tainted her belief that marriage would ever work again. While on the other hand, Robert loved Edna for all the woman she was, not trying to change her. He did not stay because after thinking it over, while Edna was away with Madame Ratignolle, he realized that having Edna, not as his wife, would be looked down upon by society. Had she stayed, she could have had everything she hoped for. All things considered, her true desires would have been met with a life shared with Robert. Edna pours out her heart to Robert when she declares, â€Å"I love you†¦ only you; no one but you. It was you who awoke me last summer out of a life-long, stupid dream†¦ We shall be everything to each other. Nothing else in the world is of any consequence† (Chopin, 2005, Ch. 36, para. 49). Edna desired her freedom and independence, but what she failed to realize was her truest desire which included both. The symbols concerning birds showed Edna why she desired freedom and independence and the water allowed her to feel as though she had them, but being with Robert gave her those things also. Edna saw that being with Robert was the last piece to her puzzle and that is why she longed to be with him. If she stayed with him when he asked, however selfish, she, quite possibly, could have had everything she desired, the life she desired. References Chopin, K. (2005). The awakening [VitalSource digital version]. Raleigh, NC: Hayes Barton Press. South University Online. (2011). ENG1002: Composition/literature: Week 3: Psychoanalytic ways of reading. Retrieved from myeclassonline. com