In this presentation, I have presented the biography of Kate Chopin and give some background information about the last novel she had written, "The Awakening." Summaries by chapter are also included, as well as the themes and symbolisms used in the novel. This is only the first part. The second part deals with the approaches in criticizing the novel better.

1. Kate Chopin
Kate O'Flaherty

2. *February 8, 1850
-St. Louis, Missouri
-Eliza and Thomas
O'Flaherty
*1855
-Enters St. Louis Academy
of the Sacred Heart
*1861
-Confirmed in the Catholic
Church by Archbishop
Peter Richard Kenrick
*1863
-death of grand mother and
half-brother, George
*1867
-poems, essays, sketches,
criticismsKate O’Flaherty

3. *1868
-graduated from
Sacred Heart
Academy
*1869-1870
- “Emancipation:
A Life Fable”
*1870
-Married Oscar
Chopin and
moved to New
Orleans
Kate O’Flaherty

4. *1871-1878
-Jean, Oscar Charles,
George, Frederick, and
Felix
*1879
-moved to Coulterville
*1882
-Oscar dies of malaria,
leaving Kate with a
heavy debt and six
young boys
*1883-1884
-tried to run Oscar’s
business
*1885
-death of her mother;
Dr. Kolbenheyer
Kate Chopin

5. *1888
-read Maupassant
and wrote
“Euphrase”
*1889
- “If it Might Be”
* 1890-1892
-Joins the
Wednesday Club,
founded by Charlotte
Stearns Eliot
* 1891
-writes "Mrs.
Mobry's Reason"
and "A Shameful
Affair”
Kate Chopin

6. * 1894
-Writes "A Respectable
Woman" (Vogue) in
January, introducing
the character of
Gouvernail, who
reappears in The
Awakening
*1897-1898
–wrote “The
Awakening”
*1899 The
Awakening published
by Herbert S. Stone
and Company on April
22
*1901
-wrote and published
only one story, "The
Wood-Choppers."Kate Chopin

7. *1902
-published her
last story, "Polly“
*1904
-Died from a
cerebral
hemorrhage on
August 22, after
collapsing at the
World's Fair
Kate Chopin

8. Left: KC’s Grave; Right: KC’s
Statue

10. The Awakening
 Originally entitled as “The Solitary
Soul”
 Deals about a woman’s transformation
from an obedient, traditional wife and
mother into a self-realized, sexually
liberated and independent woman
 Louisiana law still held that wives were
the property of their husbands
 Feminism

12.  Date written - 1899
 Point of View – Third Person
Omniscient
 Genre – Tragedy
 Writing Style – Controlled, perceptive,
concise

13. Edna Pontellier (Presbyterian)
◦ She got a husband and two lovers
◦ Cannot married the other man she
loves because of finding marriage
too constricting
◦ trying to become a human being the
best way she knows how

14.  Robert Lebrun
◦ handsome, charming, and seems to have fallen
in love with Edna Pontellier
◦ Robert leaves the country for Mexico, where he
plans to make his fortune and declares their
love upon his return
 Leonce Pontellier
◦ A ―perfect‖ husband
◦ he acts like Edna is his property
◦ Not Edna’s first kiss :D

15.  Adelle Ratignolle
◦ Edna’s close friend and almost complete
opposite
◦ represents the ideal that Edna is supposed to
imitate
◦ her character started chain reaction in Edna’s
life
 Mademoiselle Reisz
◦ A pianist and an odd ―creature‖ in the society
◦ Responsible for keeping Edna’s love for
Robert alive

16.  Alcee Arobin
◦ introduces Edna to various physical
pleasures
◦ Has a playboy reputation
 Doctor Mandelet
◦ Family physician
 Victor Lebrun
◦ Robert’s younger brother

17.  The Two Lovers
◦ Remain faceless and nameless
◦ Always appear in conjunction with the
lady in black
 The Lady in Black
◦ Vacationer at the Grand Isle
◦ Follows the young lovers around with
patient, resigned solitude

18.  Etienne and Raoul
 Beaudelet
 Mariequita
 Monsieur Ratignolle
 Monsieur Farival
 Mrs. Highcamp
 Mr. and Mrs. Merriman
 Miss Mayblunt and Mr. Gouvernail

19. Grand Isle and New
Orleans during the
late nineteenth
century

20. Chapter 1
 The novel opens on Grand Isle, a summer
retreat for the wealthy French Creoles of
New Orleans
 The parrot repeats phrases in English and
French while the mockingbird sings
persistently
 Léonce smokes a cigar and watches as his
wife, Edna, strolls toward him from the
beach, accompanied by the young Robert
Lebrun, Mrs. Lebrun’s son

21. Chapter 2
Robert and Edna talk without
pause, discussing the sights and
people around them
Robert: Plan to find his luck in
Mexico
Edna: Her childhood in Kentucky
and her sister’s upcoming wedding

22. Chapter 3
 Léonce is in great spirits when he
returns from playing billiards late that
evening
 Edna experiences an unfamiliar
oppression
 The next morning, Léonce departs for a
week-long business trip. Before he
leaves, he gives Edna some spending
money and says good-bye to the small

23. Chapter 4
 Léonce cannot explain why he always
feels dissatisfied with Edna’s treatment
of their sons, but he perceives a
difference between his wife and the
other women on Grand Isle
 Edna’s friend Adèle Ratignolle, who
embodies all the grace and charm of a
romantic heroine, is the prime example
of the mother-woman

24. Chapter 5
 As Robert sits with Edna and Adèle by
the shore, he tells Edna of his days as
Adèle’s attendant
 Although Robert devotes himself to a
different woman every summer, his
playful attentions to Edna differ from
his treatments of past women
 Edna declines Robert’s suggestion that
they go for a swim

25. Chapter 6
She is slowly beginning to think of
herself as an individual with a
relationship to the outer world, and
the sound of the sea draws her soul
to ―inward contemplation‖ and
wisdom that are disturbing in their
newness and depth.

26. Chapter 7
 Throughout the summer at Grand Isle, her
reserve gradually erodes because of her
increasingly close friendship with the candid
Adèle
 ―Sometimes I feel this summer as if I were
walking through the green meadow again;
idly, aimlessly, unthinking and unguided.‖ -
Edna
 The relationships that most absorbed Edna
were her intense, unrequited crushes on
men
 She considers herself ―uneven and

27. Chapter 8
 After Edna’s confession of her former
passions, Adèle worries that Edna might
take Robert’s attentions seriously and warns
him to let her alone.
 Adèle reminds him that if he were indeed to
court married women with any seriousness,
then he would ruin his reputation as a
trusted gentleman
 Robert launches into stories of a well-known
seducer, Alcée Arobin

28. Chapter 9
 A few weeks after Adèle’s conversation
with Robert, Madame Lebrun and her
renters hold a Saturday-night
celebration to entertain their weekend
guests
 Edna’s response to Adele and
Mademoiselle Reisz’s piano piece
 Robert suggests that the party go for a
nighttime swim.

29. Chapter 10
 As the crowd makes its way from the
party down to the beach, Edna wonders
why Robert has distanced himself from
her
 Despite the attempts of the other
guests to teach her, she is still unable
to swim
 Robert runs after Edna as she makes
her way home, and she asks if he

30. Chapter 11
Léonce returns and urges
Edna to go to bed, but she
tells him not to wait for her—
she will stay outside in the
hammock

31. Chapter 12
 Edna wakes up after a few hours of
restless sleep
 The two lovers and the lady in black,
are on their way to the wharf to take the
boat to the isle of Chênière
Caminada for Sunday mass
 Edna and Robert together

32. Chapter 13
 In the middle of the church service,
Edna feels drowsy and troubled
 Edna takes a rest on the cottage of
Madame Antoine
 They rest together under a tree,
listening to the Antoine’s stories until
the sun has set and they must return
home.

33. Chapter 14
 When Edna returns, Adèle reports that
Edna’s younger son, Etienne, has refused
to go to bed
 Léonce was worried when Edna did not
return from the Chênière after mass, but
once he was assured that Edna was merely
resting at Madame Antoine’s and that
Madame Antoine’s son would see her
home, he left for the club on business
 ―Ah! Si tu savais . . .‖

34. Chapter 15
 One evening at dinner, several people inform
Edna that Robert is leaving for Mexico that
evening
 Mrs. Lebrun sends a message requesting
that Edna sit with her until Robert leaves, but
Edna replies that she doesn’t feel well and
wants to stay in
 Robert himself then visits Edna and bids her
good-bye and is unable to say when he will
return

35. Chapter 16
 Edna is constantly possessed by thoughts of
Robert.
 Edna’s jealousy
 When Edna learns that Léonce saw Robert
in New Orleans before his departure for
Mexico, she questions him extensively about
their meeting
 Mademoiselle Reisz gives her Mrs. Lebrun’s
address in New Orleans

36. Chapter 17
 Léonce takes great pride in his possessions
and enjoys walking around his lavishly
decorated New Orleans home and examining
his household goods
 She replies that she was not at home to
receive visitors, nor did she leave the
servants with an excuse with which they
might placate her guests
 She throws her wedding ring to the floor and
tries unsuccessfully to crush it.

37. Chapter 18
 The next morning Edna declines Léonce’s
request that she meet him in town and
instead tries to work on some sketches.
 Edna informs her friend that she wants to
take drawing lessons and presents her
portfolio, seeking praise and encouragement
in the matter
 She pities Adèle’s ―colorless existence‖ and
―blind contentment‖

38. Chapter 19
 Léonce, severely displeased by Edna’s
refusal to submit to his demands, scolds his
wife for spending her days painting instead
of caring for the ―comfort of her family.‖
 Léonce sometimes speculates that Edna
suffers from some mental disturbance, and
he leaves Edna alone to paint and sing
Robert’s song to herself as she dreams of
the sea and Grand Isle

39. Chapter 20
 Edna visits Madame Lebrun in search of
Mademoiselle Reisz’s new address
 Edna is depressed to hear that Robert
enclosed no message for her
 She asks about Mademoiselle Reisz, and
Madame Lebrun gives her the pianist’s new
address
 ―Some way she doesn’t seem like the same
woman.‖ –Victor Lebrun

40. Chapter 21
 Mademoiselle mentions nonchalantly
that Robert has sent her a letter from
Mexico, in which he has written almost
entirely about Edna
 She mentioned that Robert requested
to play for Edna ―That Impromptu of
Chopin’s‖
 Edna as an artist
 ―Isolde’s song‖

41. Chapter 22
 Léonce expresses his concern about Edna to
Doctor Mandelet
 ―She’s got some sort of notion in her head
concerning the eternal rights of women.‖ -
Leonce
 ―A wedding is one of the most lamentable
spectacles on earth.‖ - Edna
 Suspecting a secret affair

42. Chapter 23
 Edna decides to sketch her father in her
studio
 The Colonel takes Edna’s painting very
seriously, posing patiently for her sketches
 ―We wouldn’t have anything to say to each
other.‖ –Edna
 Chit-chat 
 ―I hope to heaven it isn’t Alcée Arobin.‖
- Dr. Mandalet

43. Chapter 24
 Argument about Janet’s wedding
 Colonel criticizes Leonce’s lack of
control and authority over Edna
 Edna suddenly changed her attitude
towards Leonce
 She find ―radiant peace‖ on the
absence of her husband

44. Chapter 25
 The initial restfulness and ease Edna feels
after the departure of her family quickly
dissipates
 One day, Alcée Arobin and Mrs. Highcamp,
whom Edna had run into recently while at
the races with her father, call on her to
accompany them to the track
 A few days later Alcée and Edna attend the
races alone
 Infidelity towards Robert

45. Chapter 26
 Alcée writes Edna an elaborate letter of
apology
 Edna plans to rent a small house around
the corner, which she will pay for with her
winnings from the racetrack and the profits
from her sketches
 As usual, Mademoiselle Reisz gives Edna
Robert’s latest letter
 Real feelings

46. Chapter 27
 ―The bird that attempts to fly above
tradition and prejudice must have
strong wings, or it will ―fall back to
earth, battered and bruised‖ -
Mademoiselle Reisz
 Edna’s FIRST KISS :*

47. Chapter 28
 After Alcée leaves, Edna weeps
 The thought of Robert and of her love for
him, growing ever ―quicker, fiercer‖ and
―more overpowering‖ that affects her
 Her kiss with Alcee was not motivated by
love

48. Chapter 29
 Moving to the pigeon house
 Edna in her old dress and kerchief
 Alcee begs to see her sooner, and
she scolds him but laughs as she
does so, looking at him ―with eyes
that at once gave him the courage to
wait and made it torture to wait.‖

49. Chapter 30
 The dinner Edna hosts in celebration of
her new home is small and exclusive
 In her magnificent gown, Edna seems
a woman who ―rules, who looks on,
who stands alone.‖
 Someone begs Victor to sing and he
accepts dramatically, looking at Edna
and beginning, ―Ah! Si tu savais!‖

50. Chapter 31
 Alcée stays with Edna after everyone has
left and assists her as she shuts up the big
house. He accompanies her to the pigeon
house, which he has filled with flowers as a
surprise. He tells her he will leave, but when
he feels her beginning to respond to his
caresses he sits beside her and covers her
shoulders with kisses until she becomes
―supple to his gentle, seductive entreaties.‖

51. Chapter 32
Léonce writes a letter of stern
disapproval in response to
Edna’s move
In her husband’s continued
absence, Edna feels her sense of
individuality and spirituality
growing

52. Chapter 33
Adele confesses to Edna that she
worries about the impulsive and
reckless nature of her actions,
adding that perhaps she should not
be living alone in the little house
Seeing Robert
Alcee’s photograph

53. Chapter 34
After they have eaten, they sit in
the parlor, and Edna questions
Robert about the young Mexican
girl whose gift of a tobacco pouch
has become the topic of
discussion
Robert ---Edna--- Alcee

54. Chapter 35
 ―She had abandoned herself to Fate
and awaited the consequences with
indifference.‖
 She awakes each morning in a state
of hope and expectation, but retires
each evening in despair
 Edna and Alcee

55. Chapter 36
 One day Edna bumps into Robert in her
favorite garden café, which is nestled in
the suburbs of New Orleans
 She emphasizes that she is not afraid to
share her opinions, however ―unwomanly‖
he may think them. He responds by
accusing her of cruelty, of wishing him to
―bare a wound for the pleasure of looking
at it, without the intention or power of
healing it.‖

56. Chapter 37
Edna begins to feel uneasy as
memories of her own childbirth
experiences surface but seem
removed, vague, and undefined
―Think of the children, Edna. Oh
think of the children!‖ – Adele

57. Chapter 38
A talk with Dr. Mandelet
She begins to say that no one has
any right to oblige her to do what
she does not wish, excepting,
perhaps, children
―Good-by—because I love you,‖ –
Robert Lebrun

58. Chapter 39
―Bonding‖ with Victor and
Mariequita
The night before, Edna realized
EVERYTHING
Edna committed suicide by
drowning herself into the sea,
naked

59.  Exposition
◦ Edna is stuck in a loveless marriage
 Conflict
◦ Robert Lebrun came into the scene
 Complication
◦ Robert was awakened that he was in a
wrong affair; Edna became independent

60. Climax
◦Edna and Robert met again
Denouement
◦Robert left Edna forever
Conclusion
◦Edna drowns into the sea

61. SYMBOLISMS
Edna Pontellier
◦Typifies an individual who is
afraid to express himself because
of the criticisms and judgments
he might received from society
◦Symbolizes unstable mind;
pleasure

62. Grand Isle
◦The quest in finding
Edna’s real self and
identity

63.  Birds
◦ The parrot (Edna) and the mocking bird
(Mademoiselle Reisz)
◦ ―The bird that would soar above the level plain
of tradition and prejudice must have strong
wings.―
- Mademoiselle Reisz
◦ Bird with the broken wing

64.  Sea
◦ Empowerment
◦ Lover
 ―"The touch of the sea is sensuous,
enfolding the body in its soft, close
embrace.―
◦ Ending her life where it truly began

65. SYMBOLISMS
Music of the piano
◦Edna’s unconscious
thoughts, desires, and
feelings

66. The Two Lovers
◦Edna and Leonce
◦Edna and Robert
◦Edna and Alcee
◦Young love accepted by society

67.  The Black Lady
―Love does not
always last
forever.‖

68.  Solitude as a Consequence of
Independence
Edna realizes that independent
ideas cannot always translate into
a simultaneously self-sufficient
and socially acceptable existence.

69.  Self- expression
◦ Once her Creole friends show her
that it is okay to speak and think
about one’s own feelings, Edna
begins to acknowledge, name,
define, and articulate her
emotions.
◦ Artwork

70.  Freedom
◦ Withdraws from social obligations
that are important to her husband
◦ Moves to ―pigeon house.‖
◦ Ventures out on her own and
discovers people and places she
would have previously ignored

71.  Free will
◦ Her choice to remain in a
relationship with Léonce would result
in her continuing dissatisfaction with
life
◦ No matter what choices she makes,
Edna can never be totally free within
the confines of the society in which
she lives.

72. Themes
 Sex
◦ The choices Edna makes in her life
result, largely, from her rediscovery of
sexual pleasure
◦ Her unfulfilled love for Robert and her
loveless affair with Alcée demonstrate to
her that love and sex are entirely
separate entities

73. Themes
Public vs. Private Lives
◦The public is not ready to
embrace the private Edna,
and Edna is unwilling to
yield to public sentiment

74. Themes
Repression
*will be discussed further in
Psychoanalytic Approach*