The Awakening By Kate Chopin - 1427 Words

Maternity Leave In The Worth of Women, Moderata stated, when it s said that women must be subject to men, the phrase should be understood in the same sense as when we say we are subject to natural disasters...it s not a case of being subjected in the sense of obeying, but rather of suffering an imposition (Moderata). Throughout history, the inherent inferiority of women to men has often been cited as a way to deter women from becoming an individual and pursuing more in life. This notion is a prevalent issue in The Awakening by Kate Chopin; in which Edna fights to live her own way and is ultimately unable to survive in the cage of society. Not only has this supposed inferiority effected women for generations, but it has created†¦show more content†¦After years of following the gender roles that have been placed upon her she finally, was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being, and to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and a bout her† (Chopin 14). Edna has a personal awakening, in which she realizes that she does not need to be held back, and she can escape from the cage she has been put in. Over time she separates herself from the society around her, and begins to become more independent and free. By overcoming the, indescribable oppression, which seemed to generate in some unfamiliar part of her consciousness (Chopin 8), Edna becomes herself, and pushes away the people around her. She alienates herself from the life she was raised in, and begins to live as she wants, and be who she truly is. Most importantly, she [has] resolved never again to belong to another than herself (Chopin 76). Unlike the fragile housewives who she acquaints herself with, Edna is able to discover the freedom of being an individual. Although her husband and her friends continued to pressure her to return home, she can no longer go back; now that she has a taste of a fulfilled life she can not return to her aimless life of solitude. This revelation that overcomes Edna, the reality that she is living an unfulfilled life that she must fix, ultimately becomes too much for her. The social