The Awakening

By Kate Chopin

The Awakening
by Kate Chopin


First published in 1899, this beautiful, brief novel so disturbed critics and the public that it was banished for decades afterward. Now widely read and admired, The Awakening has been hailed as an early vision of woman’s emancipation. This sensuous book tells of a woman’s abandonment of her family, her seduction, and her awakening to desires and passions that threaten to consume her.

Originally entitled A Solitary Soul, this portrait of twenty-eight-year-old Edna Pontellier is a landmark in American fiction, rooted firmly in the Romantic tradition of Herman Melville and Emily Dickinson. Here a woman engaged in self-discovery turns away from convention and society and toward the primal, irresistibly attracted to nature and the senses. The Awakening, Kate Chopin’s last novel, has been praised by Edmund Wilson as “beautifully written.” And Willa Cather described its style as “exquisite,” “sensitive,” and “iridescent.”

This edition of The Awakening also includes a selection of short stories by Kate Chopin.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jun 3, 2003
• ISBN: 9780553897630

Kate Chopin

Kate Chopin was born in St. Louis, Missouri,In 1851. She began writing shortly after herHusband's death and, from 1889 until her ownDeath, her stories and other miscellaneousWritings appeared in Vogue, Youth's companion,Atlantic Monthly, Century, Saturday EveningPost, and other publications. In addition to The Awakening, Mrs. Chopin published another novel, At Fault, and two collections of short stories and sketches, Bayou Folk and A Night at Acadie. The publication of The Awakening in 1899 occasioned shocked and angry response from reviewers all over the country. The book was taken off the shelves of the St. Louis mercantile library and its author was barred from the fine arts club. Kate Chopin died in 1904.

Reviews for The Awakening

[george1295 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Kate Chopin's [The Awakening] challenges the norm. For it's time--1899--the book flew in the face of acceptable classical writing. While I am sure there were dime novels which expressed scandalous behavior, this novel was clearly written for the more selective reader of the time. How shocking!! I immagine it made the rounds of the preferred social circles rather quickly. Much as did [Peyton Placce] during the lat 50s. I like a writer who steps out of the box, and I believe this is exactly what Chopin dared to do. Goodby Austen. Goodby Bronte. You've come a long way baby!

[rainpebble_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read this for Banned Books Week and I think that I enjoyed reading about Kate Chopin and her life far more than I enjoyed reading what she wrote. In "The Awakening" Edna Pontellier lives what was at that time an upper middle class life, I would think. She is married to a husband who treats her well, has two children, several servants and is rather comfortably well off. However she finds her life boring and wants to be more independent. She loves her children but is not emotionally connected with them. In trying to change her life to become what she feels she needs to be to become whole and independent, she looks to other men and in the end she turns out to be what appears to me a weak, feeble, simple minded and silly woman. The book just didn't work for me.

[gmillar_8 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book. I didn't expect to. The language used and the character pictures painted were really good. The only thing that stopped me from another half star was the ending. I didn't see it coming so it was good from that aspect but it left me high and dry and unhappy. I guess that makes it good too, a good novel should extract emotion from the reader. However, this old romantic would have liked something a bit more positive.

[susanbevans · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a beautifully written brilliant story. An American classic about a woman's awakening to find her true self and her subsequent quest for independence.

[thatotter-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Really did not sympathize with the protagonist.

[judithrs · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Awakening. Kate Chopin. 1899. I feel like I might be the last person on earth to have read this book. I must have sent it and/or critical information about the book to at least one library each of the 33 years I worked at APLS. As most people know, “the awakening” is Edna Pontellier ‘s slowly growing awareness of herself as a woman who is dissatisfied with her life as a wife, mother, and a member of a rather rigid society. It is classified as an early feminist novel, but it so much more. I not only enjoyed reading about Edna, I really enjoyed the New Orleans setting. I’ll read more of Chopin.

[n.t.embe · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I'm more than a little annoyed. The first part of this book was just... well, you're just ambling along, and nothing is really happening. You get about halfway through, and then our main character, Edna, finally starts to--dun dun DUNNNN!--awaken. And it causes quite the stir and it makes things much more entertaining because she's doing what she wants, when she wants, and nobody can stop her or tell her otherwise what she can and can't do, or what she will and won't do. She follows no one else's desires but her own and it's only her judgment that reigns supreme. Hell, she goes so far as to almost have a lover even!

But there's the flaw in Edna. She ALMOST does things, she never goes the full length, never completely embraces her decisions. Every single thing she does seems half-hearted! Oh wooow, you decided not to listen to your husband and to do what you like. Great! Good! Won't make a difference either way! But you didn't divorce him. You didn't give him a chance to remarry and get a new wife and mother for his kids if you didn't want to do either of those jobs anymore. And what about you moving out of the house, Edna? You took all your things and didn't use any of your husband's money. Nice move of independence! But you moved down the street, in the same neighborhood, perfectly in reach of your husband. If you REALLY wanted to leave this life behind, why not change towns? Change states? Heck, you didn't have to move DOWN THE BLOCK. What kind of person does that when they're trying to show their independence?! Down the block. SHEESH. Could ANYONE make a more pathetic move as a show of INDEPENDENCE? *Rolls eyes* On top of that! She tries to take a lover, twice. And yet, as far as we know, she never gets as far as even SLEEPING with them! Mind you, I'm not complaining about that. I think cheating on your husband is a despicable action, especially since in Edna's case it was HER choice to marry him. If you commit yourself to something like that, and then have two kids with the man, then you PROBABLY know what you're getting yourself into, and you should at LEAST have the dang decency to be RESPONSIBLE for it! D:< It annoys me that she just shrugs that off!! But come on, all this infidelity talk aside, if you're going to be "Oh so naughty~" as to take a lover to show your husband he means nothing to you, then COME ON. What kinda half-hearted effort is it to not even sleep with the man. -3-

And she just does this over and over and over. All these pathetic efforts to rebel against whoever it is she's trying to prove a point to, and they never quite send the message. She never goes far enough, and I'm not sure if it's because she just doesn't have the capability to be that forward, or if she was never planning to be that obstinate in the first place. *Shrugs* It just leads to this ridiculous feeling of growing and peaking irritation at the end of the book with the STUPID decision she makes to "solve" everything once and for all. *Rolls eyes* I'm not going to tell you what the ending is, since I don't believe in spoilers, however, know this: Her solution is just as ridiculous as all her efforts have been before, and, in my eyes, it's the ULTIMATE STUPID ACTION A PERSON COULD TAKE. She ought to be slapped for being such an idiot!!!!

This book, while I get the message it was trying to send, juts does a poor, POOR job of conveying a woman of any strength at all. The ending completely destroys whatever message that the book is trying to send, and Edna's overall determination to BE PATHETIC and make that choice is influenced by what? By the fact that the guy that she's loved for, oh, how long? Since... JUST THIS WEEK (if we're to go by how she felt at the start of the book, for not even a year passes from beginning to end)!! The point is, she makes a majorly LIFE-CHANGING, STUPID decision... JUSTBECAUSESOMEGUYDOESN'TWANTTOMAKEBABIESWITHHER. =__= .......my intense annoyance is RADIATING INTO A NUCLEAR BOMB.

I am IMMENSELY upset at this book for the message it sends. For an author who was supposedly of the feminist persuasion, she sure does a pathetic job of arguing for her beliefs! What a crock!

Listen, it's a decent book. It's short, it's easy to read, and it's really not hard to get through, regardless the way the main character acts. It's not as unbearably pathetic and moronic as are many of the books being written today with similarly half-assed main female leads. If you want to check it out, then I say go for it! It's a book that's a decent enough read, if you're not going to give any credit to storyline or the message it's sending, which, essentially beats the purpose for why the book is written, but hey, who's checking now-a-days anyway. It's still a far cry better written and less painful than some of the similar-in-theme stories written today, and at least Edna gets an ending that suits her pathetic nature, unlike in stories today where the Stupid Girls get the "Good Endings" and so on.

Read it! But don't buy it before you've checked it out. It just may be your cup of tea, but then again, it also may not be. You'll have to experience it for yourself before you decide.

[sealford_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

As much as I enjoyed "A Doll's House," I actually enjoyed this one even more. It is amazing to me to read about women who finally decide to leave their gilded cage and in turn do something so dramatic. I don't want to give the ending away for those who haven't read it yet, but suffice it to say that it is very intense and a beautiful tragedy. I have read this many times and I still enjoy it each time.

[jacketscoversread · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The Awakening is a well-crafted, articulate novel that is considered a classic. {Why else would I be reading it for AP Literature?} But it’s a classic not only because it is considered to be one of the earliest feminist novels, but because this is feminist literature at its finest. Chopin’s story of a housewife who, feeling unhappy and unable to continue in her current course of action, takes the steps necessary to forever break the ties that bound her to the life she loathed, is way better than those with moaning, groaning, and a “whoa is me” mentality. A part of me, though, shutters to think that The Awakening is sold as a Feminist novel to students who are still working to define what Feminism is. Feminism does not involve throwing duty, responsibility, your marriage, and your children to the wind to go “find yourself.”I very much enjoyed Chopin’s writing style. I would be leisurely reading along, watching the plot develop, and then she would suddenly surprise me with a very profound statement about society, identity, or duty. If an author who wrote in 1899 can still connect with a reader of 2008, that’s skill. “I would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn’t give myself. I ain’t make it more clear; it’s only something which I am beginning to comprehend, which is revealing itself to me.” {pg. 80}The Awakening is also a very personal work. The novel is about Edna, not all women. It may raise questions about the identity of women and their role in society, but the novel is, ultimately, about Edna.Yet, what worries me about The Awakening is that it’s the first “Feminist” introduced to students, at least at my school. There’s no denying The Awakening is a Feminist text because it does challenge the vastly unquestioned (in 1899 and still, by some, today) belief that a successful woman must marry, have children, stay home, and love it. Edna is unsuited for and unhappy in this lifestyle, suggesting, very forcibly, that not all women are Adeles, beaming at their husbands and planning when to have their next child. {Two years apart at all times!}My problem is, in Edna, feminism takes the form of self-absorption. She throws duty out the window, and compassion and consideration too. She reaches the point where she lacks any consideration for others outside of what others can do for her. She cares only for herself.Apart of me can understand how a woman unfit for the domestic family life, under extreme pressure from society, can choose to hide away in herself but I fear that, rather than encouraging my fellow students awakening, it hinders it and they will dismiss Edna as mad. And that will only continue to lead to a feminism is bad mentality.

[annekiwi · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I hated this book. I know, it's supposed to be the great feminist tome, but I think it was awful. If she was so unhappy, she should have left. She should have packed herself up and taken herself off. It just makes me crazy that anyone would think that suicide would be some great feminist gesture. Death preferred to the "awful" life she had. Give me a break! Life has possibilities - not all of them great, but at least there are options. Death, you're pretty much done. I don't even know why I still have this book. I'm going to have to get rid of it.

[jemima79_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Edna Pontellier, a resident of New Orleans, is on holiday at a Louisiana holiday resort on Grand Isle. She is with her husband and children as well as the various other guests. Their summer time activities consist of swimming, sitting on the beach, dining and participating in evening social activities. The guests are all Creole and know each other from New Orleans. Edna strikes up some comfortable friendships, including spending a lot of time with Robert, the son of the resort owner. Eventually she realizes that she has gradually fallen in love with him. Not only that, but she has begun to recognize herself as an individual with her own unique sensibilities. "She felt as if a mist had been lifted from her eyes, enabling her to look upon and comprehend the significance of life, that monster made up of beauty and brutality."(p.112)Kate Chopin portrays her protagonist Edna as a woman who has a unique sensitivity to life and a particular appreciation for music. After the vacation the family moves back to their home in New Orleans. Now that she has awakened to her new sense of self she finds that she cannot settle back to her former life. So she moves out of her husbands home into a tiny cottage and pursues her desire to be an artist. She shuns all her responsibilities and delves into a life of freedom. It does satisfy like she had hoped it would though. Edna takes one last trip back to the resort where she notes that, "The voice of the sea is seductive, never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander in abysses of solitude."(p.154)This novel reminded me of Anna Karenina by Tolstoy, but it was a much easier and shorter book to read. It is a good choice if you are looking to read some 'true' classics but do not want something difficult. Chopin is not a 'wordy' writer who goes into great detail. She gives her impressions and ideas in such a way as to spark many questions in your mind rather than to cover all the themes thoroughly. The focus is on the inner psychology of the protagonists mind. I really enjoyed this novel. I loved the subtly of the writing, the interesting characters and the mysterious ending. Chopin's skillful writing captures the essence of the internal awakening of her protagonist without being too dramatic or obvious. The whole book portrays the development of Edna like a gentle unfolding as she opens herself to the influences of art, music, friendship and environment.The Awakening raises the interesting dilemma of being true to the self versus social responsibility. Chopin's character Edna goes so far as to state, "...she would give up the unessential, but she would never sacrifice herself for her children." When thinking of her husband and children she says, "They were a part of her life. But they need not have thought that they could possess her body and soul."(p.155) Kate Chopin does not give a simple answer to this issue, leaving it open to the reader to interpret the nature of Edna and her choices.

[ireed110 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I found this to be a frustrating story. There were no characters that I really liked. The women were snobby and self-absorbed, the men distant and self-absorbed. I never really felt any empathy for Edna until close to the end of the story, and then, the story was over. Very unsatisfying.

[ithilwyn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is always a bit difficult for me to read, but it's just so touching. Chopin really makes me feel Edna's confusion. The end always makes me cry.

[joye_22 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Amazing book. Can't believe they just tried to ban this in a NW suburb!

[herschelian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Awakening has been called the American Madame Bovary, and Chopin certainly writes as beautifully as Flaubert. It paints a picture of the position of a married woman in Louisiana society at the end of the 19th Century, and how Edna Pontellier, mother of two little boys, a respectable, wealthy young protestant woman married to a Creole business man and living in New Orleans, falls in love with another man. This rush of feeling awakens in her her sense of self, her desire to be an independent individual, not anchored or defined by marriage and motherhood. Because this desire is impossible for her to achieve in her society the book ends with her swimming out to sea, and presumably drowning.This vas Kate Chopin's 2nd novel, and when published it caused a terrific stir and damning reviews for its scandalous depiction of female marital infidelity. The book became forgotten, and was only re-discovered in the 1970s, when it was realised that here was a superb piece of American literature. Chopin anticipates the themes of Virginia Woolf's "A Room of One's Own" by at least 30 years, and her insight into the psychology of a woman involved in an illicit relationship is both perceptive and honestly expressed. When reading it it seemed a very "modern" novel, and only details of the places and speech reminded me about the time it was written. The forward to this edition carries a warning sentence for politically correct readers "Sensitive readers should be forewarned that the text in places contains racial references characteristic of the era, which may be deemed offensive by modern standards."

[dquazzo_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

story of repressed womanhood. written 100 years ago yet very contemporary. new orleans and the islands. mrs. pontellier -- edna - an artist. a less repressed age of innocence. her lover - robert.

[threeara · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

i read this for school and really liked it. the metaphors are a little overboard but presented with nice images, the romance addictive (the love interest is my favorite character!), and the ending, well, i doubt you'd see it coming. It's very much about women's rights, and it's pretty old. People tend to either love or hate it-i loved it...

[ysmng_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Good read. A woman trapped in a role as mother and wife and is not content. Taking into consideration that it was first published in 1899, this novel speaks volumes on women and self identity.

[aethercowboy · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Awakening is a defining work of feminism. It features the awakening of Edna Pontellier from her role as a traditional wife, mother, and woman in Louisiana.After taking a trip to a resort for a summer, she falls in love with the handsome Robert Lebrun, who in turn falls in love with her. Upon returning to her world, she determines that her life is not to be made up by societal roles, or by any sort of label, and one by one, she sheds the layers of her former self.Chopin's prose here wishes to free women from their labels, and let the world know that they are not property, or childbearers, or arm candy, but are in fact living, breathing people with the same rights as men.This book is recommended for readers of feminist literature (such as Charlotte Perkins Gillman).

[rainbowdarling · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I read this in high school as an English class assignment. On its own, it seemed like an okay book. The character, Edna, is a bit irritating in terms of characters who let things happen to them, but the way she takes control of her own destiny and the fallout from doing so is interesting, especially in the context of the time period. My own reaction to the book was colored by the fact that an English class has to tear it apart and find every ounce of symbolism that may or may not exist, but I think as a book on its own, it could be very enjoyable.

[tngolden_1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

SHUDDER! Egads, I had to read this again and again in my undergrad literature career. Each time I found the main character not only unsympathetic, but revolting. Gah! And no, I'm not handing in my feminist card just because I hate this book!

[tapestry100 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

A novel of growth, both personal and emotional, Kate Chopin's The Awakening follows the journey of Edna Pontellier, who after spending a summer vacationing with her husband and children, decides to give up the archetypical role of wife and mother and strikes out on her own, realizing there is more to life than what society deems appropriate for a woman. The principal reasoning for her "awakening" is the realization that she is in love with another man, and believes that he loves her in return. Feeling overpowered by her own life and obligations to family, she does what few women did in that time, and moved out of her home into another house, and begins a life that is her own.When The Awakening was first published, is was looked on as being "unwholesome," both in its independent attitude towards women and its rather frank attitude towards Edna Pontellier's sexual nature. In today's regard, the novel wouldn't be seen as being all that shocking, but it still speaks clearly for the need of independence and freedom in one's own life.To be frank, I had a hard time getting into the book. I think I found the flow of the writing to be distracting, and halfway through reading switched to an audio book, and was able to follow the story much more clearly this way. The story did prove to be powerful in its telling, and in how Edna finally moves forward with her life.

[jenjambon · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I have always loved this book. I am from Louisiana and we have a vacation home on Grand Isle (where I am sitting now and writing this). I know that many think of this as a feminist work and I do agree. However I have always had a problem with the ending. Chopin must let Edna die because that is what the readers of that time needed. Any other ending for Edna would have been even more scandalous. I would have loved to know what Chopin was thinking here. Was it to satisfy her readers moral expectations, or was there another meaning that was more personal? This is one I have read more than once and will read again I am sure.

[cassandrat-1 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

If only we might all be so irresponsible in the name of emancipation.

[aliceanna-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A well-written thought-provoking book, particularly given the fact that it was published first in 1899. It is very understandable why this book was later re-discovered as it still seems very fresh. The attitude of this woman seems to be ahead of her time, which adds to the intrigue of the book. Plus it was very evocative of New Orleans. I could almost smell that City and I could certainly almost see it in her descriptions. My main problem, actually my only problem, with this book was the ending. Not because it was a tragic ending, but rather because she exhibits a belated concern for her children which she immediately throws out the window by killing herself. It was her relationship with her children in conjunction with her other decisions and actions that somehow didn't ring true. But it was still a wonderful surprise.

[bookworm_naida · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Kate Chopin's The Awakening is one of my favorite pieces of literature and I thought it was finally time to re-read it. The New Orleans coastal setting during the nineteenth century is at the heart of this novella. Chopin sets the mood just right and as I read, I felt like I was in Louisiana by the coast. I could almost smell and hear the ocean. The story is about a woman named Edna Pontellier who is in her late twenties. Edna is a married mother of two small boys. Her husband Leonce gives her a seemingly satisfying lifestyle. Yet Edna is unhappy, often feeling restless and unfulfilled. As the story unfolds, Edna falls in love with a man named Robert Lebrun while on summer vacation at the Grand Isle resort in the Gulf of Mexico. She begins to awaken to feelings and thoughts within herself she never knew existed. In an attempt to resist temptation and heartache from an affair that can lead nowhere, Robert leaves abruptly for Mexico. When the summer is over, Edna and her family return to New Orleans. While Robert is gone, Edna misses him and finds herself beginning to feel even more dissatisfied. She begins to paint, considering herself an artist. Edna's husband leaves on a business trip and while he is away, she ends up moving out of their home and renting an apartment by herself. Edna meets a man named Alcée Arobin, who is known for his womanizing. She enjoys flirting with him and the two eventually have an affair. When Robert returns to New Orleans, he and Edna both confess their feelings for one another. At this point, Edna knows she no longer loves her husband and wants to be 'free'.I like how Kate Chopin broke convention and wrote stories that challenged the norm. Her stories dealt with issues that weren't openly accepted or spoken about when she was alive. In this story, a married woman decides she no longer wants to be tied down by her husband and even by her own children. She takes a lover and moves into her own apartment, all with no remorse. Although I didn't agree with Edna's behavior, I found myself almost mesmerized while reading Chopin's beautiful prose. "The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude; to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation. The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace."I admire how Chopin pushed the envelope. The ending is harsh and poignant and not something I would think the reader is expecting. The story that caused so much uproar in Chopin's day, is now considered a classic of feminist fiction. That counts for something.

[sharlene_w · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Written just before the turn of the century (1899), this book was a bold statement by Kate Chopin. It was on banned books lists for years because the author dared to give voice to the unspoken ideas that women have lives, minds, thoughts and desires that cannot be dictated by the men in their lives. Some have called it the original of the "romance" genre. As far as literature goes, I found it difficult in the beginning and it totally failed to stir any real emotion for the characters. As far as history goes and a look into the lives and minds of the women in our past, it is worthy of the time spent. Enlightening, but not terribly entertaining.

[lynnb_64 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this book because I'd heard it was an early example of feminist literature. In that aspect, I was not disappointed. Writing in the late 1800s, Kate Chopin describes a young woman's dissatisfaction with her roles as wife and mother and wanting something different from what society expected her to want.As a novel, I thought the book was beautifully written. Edna Pontellier, the main character, was portrayed with great depth and in many ways, I identified with her sense of longing and questioning the cultural "givens" of her times. Her husband, Leonce, wasn't as richly portrayed, but I had some sympathy for him as well. After all, he too was trying to conform to the normes of his culture. I found him, at worst, benign, and not oppressive.In the end, the story left me depressed. I wish something other than a man had awakened Edna's need to examine her marriage. And most of all, I wish Edna had been able to enrich her life rather than end it.

[cinesnail88 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was an English class assigned read, but really I think it might have been the nicest one all year. Despite how much I disliked the character of Edna, the book itself brought up excellent points and was written exceedingly well. Definitely worth the time spent on it.

[csweder · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When I first started reading this book, I thought I wouldn't like it. Indeed, I only picked it up because it is listed on the 1001 Books list that I am trying like mad to get through.

However, it became obvious to me early on that this woud be a great book. In the post-Confederate South, the roles of women, and especially society women are strict. There are things that women are expected to do--marry, entertain guests, have children, knit, sew, etc.

The Awaking is about a woman, Edna, who suddenly realizes--after falling in love with another man--that she is going to stop living her life for other people. As she gains her independence, she loses her closeness with her family, friends and husband.

It was a romance novel where the entire time I was just waiting for her to tell Robert (non husband) how much he meant to her...and waiting for the affair to begin.

Read for yourself to see how it turns out.