by iWrite

Created on: March 18, 2010

In the novel The Awakening, there were several forms of symbolism. The author, Kate Chopin includes many symbolic elements that define the main idea. Throughout the story, Edna changes drastically and is awakened. She realizes that women all around have little power over things, and doesn’t want to be controlled anymore. Instead she takes control of her own life.

One of the symbols that Chopin uses throughout the story is the certain things that Edna does to her wedding ring. One time, Edna takes the ring off of her finger and throws it across the room. Along with that, she stomps on her wedding ring and throws a vase on the ground, shattering it. This is symbolizing that Edna is not happy with her marriage, and that she really doesn’t want to be with her husband. Since a ring is a symbol of marriage, happiness, and love, stomping on it would symbolize just the opposite.

In the story, Edna gets a small sunburn, and then her husband expresses concern about it. This is a symbol of how in the 19th century, women everywhere had little say in things, and were always watched over like children. Edna also learns how to swim. This is a symbol of independence and freedom, since Edna is in control of herself. It’s also showing how little control women did have, since Edna didn’t even know how to swim at the age of 29. Along with symbolism, Edna learning to swim is a piece of foreshadowing for later in the story.

After Edna realizes that she can lead her own life, and that no one else is in control of her except herself, she starts changing and becoming more and more stubborn. That is why one night when her husband tells her to come to bed; she decides that she would like to sleep in the hammock. She does this because she realizes that she can make her own decisions. One day, she spends a day with Robert, and after she’s awoken from her nap she asks how many years she has been asleep. This is because she feels as if she has awoken a new person.

Throughout Edna’s life she changes because she decides to take control of it herself, instead of letting her husband tell her what to do. In the 19th century, women everywhere had little say, and men constantly took the lead. So once Edna realizes this, she does the opposite. However, Edna can never be happy because she does not know what to do with her life. She has several affairs with her husband, Arobin, and Robert. She is unhappy with her life with her children and husband, and content with Arobin, but she fell the hardest for Robert. That’s why, when Robert leaves her because of her relationship with her husband, Edna commits suicide. She ends her life by swimming out to sea, as far as she can go until she can’t swim any longer, which is why Edna learning to swim was foreshadowing for this event.

Kate Chopin has included many forms of symbolism in The Awakening. From Edna’s life to her death, Chopin has explained the life of women in the 19th century. Women had no say, very few had jobs, and lived their lives cooking, cleaning, and taking care of their children.

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