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1、A Thematic Analysis and Artistic Techniques of Kate Chopins The Awakening ContentsAcknowledgements.iAbstract & Key Words.ii1. Introduction1 1.1 Kate Chopin and Her Major Literary Achievements.1 1.2 A Brief Introduction to The Awakening.2 1.3 Literature Review.22. Thematic Analysis.32.1 Feminism in T
2、he Awakening.32.2 Feminism in Kate Chopins Time.53. The Artistic Techniques of The Awakening.93.1 The Imagery of The Awakening.93.2 The Symbolic Significance of The Awakening.114. Conclusion.15References.1615Abstract & Key WordsAbstract: In the second half of the 19th century, the American female wr
3、iters female awareness broke out unprecedentedly. Kate Chopin was the most prominent representative figure in literature achievements among American female writers. Chopins writing materials originated from the lives of the Creoles in the state of Louisiana. The dual awakening of sentiment and flesh
4、 was the theme of Chopins representative workThe Awakening. The heroine Edna had a happy family and lived a stable life within the vision of outsiders. She gradually realized that she had a life having no sense of self so she resolutely left her family which had imprisoned her. She attempted to be i
5、ndependent, and fell in love with a Creole youth. However, her rebellious conduct was not accepted by the society. Even her lover could not understand her continually. Finally, she chose suicide and vanished in the boundless sea. The Awakening had attacked the male power society boldly. It had affir
6、med the female pursuit for dual freedom in flesh and soul. It also caused a great unrest in American male power society in19th century. Kate Chopin was the same as Edna who was abandoned completely by the society. This thesis discusses the theme and the artistic techniques of The Awakening. The firs
7、t part of the thesis introduces the author and her literary achievements. The second part has a thematic analysis. The analysis is carried on from the several aspects of self-awareness, the feminine principle as well as the 19th century American womens movement. The third part explores the artistic
8、expression, such as the imagery and symbolism in the novel.Key Words: Kate Chopin, The Awakening, Edna Pontellier, self-awareness, feminist, imagery and symbolism摘要： 十九世纪下半叶，美国女性作家的女性意识空前高涨，而凯特肖邦则是美国女性作家当中表现最突出、文学成就最大的代表人物。凯特肖邦的写作素材主要来源于路易斯安那州克里奥尔人的生活。感情与肉体的双重觉醒正是凯特肖邦的代表作觉醒的主题。女主人公埃德娜有着安定的生活和在外人看来幸福
9、的家庭，她却渐渐意识到自己的生活毫无自我可言，毅然离开了禁锢她的家庭，试图独立并与一位青年相爱，然而她的叛逆行为不能被社会所容，连她的爱人也不能理解她。她最终选择了自尽，消失在茫茫大海中。觉醒大胆抨击了男权社会，肯定了女性对肉体和灵魂的双重自由的追求，在十九世纪末男权至上的美国社会引起轩然大波。肖邦也因此同埃德娜一样，完全被社会所抛弃。本文主要论述了小说觉醒的主题和艺术表现手法。论文的第一部分介绍了作者和作品。第二部分从自我意识的觉醒、女性主义以及十九世纪美国妇女运动的兴起几个方面分析了小说的主题。论文的第三部分分别从意象和象征主义探索小说中的艺术表现手法。关键词：凯特肖邦，觉醒，埃德娜庞特里
10、耶，自我意识，女性主义， 意象和象征主义A Thematic Analysis and Artistic Techniques of Kate Chopins The Awakening1. Introduction 1.1 Kate Chopin and Her Major Literary AchievementsKate Chopin was born in a rich merchant family in 1851 in St. Louis, middle of America. When she was four years old, her father died. So she
11、 was fostered by her mother, her grandmother and her great-grandmother and lived in this kind of astute strong, open and bright talkative, independent female environment until married to her husband. Those females were very different from those delicate women at that time. So their characters influe
12、nced Kate Chopin in many ways. Chopin loved literatures and music from her childhood. She had sensitive and careful ability of observation and this was a base of her future writing. Chopins great-grandmother was a true Creole. She taught Chopin the language, the manner and the rules of the Creoles.
13、The word “Creole” was first used to describe the descendants of the Spanish or the French who were born in the New Continent of America. In Kate Chopins time, the word “Creole” has a strong meaning of aristocrat. In 1870, Kate Chopin married to a handsome CreoleOscar Chopin and followed him to the l
14、ife center of the CreolesNew Orleans. Kate Chopin lived with Oscar about twelve years and bore him six children. When Oscar died in 1882, Kate Chopin began her widow life. In 1884, Kate Chopin went back to St. Louis and joined in literary arena in four years (李公昭, 2002:124). Kate Chopins life was a
15、special story in American literary history. She began to write when she was thirty-nine years old. Soon afterwards, Chopin was budding and successful. In the short ten years, she played an outstanding role in the literary world. Kate Chopin published two short story collections, two novels and grew
16、into a regional literature writer who had great achievements. In June 1889, Kate Chopin wrote her first story, Wiser than a God and by the end of 1889 she had written three other short stories and made good progress on At Fault, a promising novel which was published in 1890 at her own expense. In 18
17、97, the short story collection A Night in Acadie was published. And the third short story collection A Vocation and a Voice was published in summer in 1898 (龙毛忠, 颜静兰, 王慧. 2004:413).Except her novels and short stories, Chopin also published some poems, translation works and critic articles. But Kate
18、Chopins major achievements were in her literary works.1.2 A Brief Introduction to The AwakeningEdna Pontellier, the protagonist of The Awakening, was twenty-eight years old and married to a New Orleans businessman twelve years her senior. During a summer holiday at Grand Isle, she had a sensuous awa
19、kening. The sea, sand, and sky provided a seductive background. The mother-woman Adele Ratignolle, made her to consider her own place in the universe. She had an awakening as she fell in love with Robert Lebrun, a young Creole. Having concerned for their honor and frightened that his dalliance was t
20、aken seriously, Robert left Edna immediately for Mexico. Soon afterwards the Pontelliers returned to New Orleans. Edna continued to question her purpose in life. She became friendly with the disagreeable pianist, Mademoiselle Reisz, who was an independent old virgin and was close to Robert and showe
21、d his letters to Edna. Edna changed her life in accordance with her summer discoveries, moving toward a free and independent existence. To her husbands great astonishment, she gave up their reception day for receiving guests, neglected housekeeping activities and her children, refused to share her h
22、usbands bed, resumed her painting, and, finally, moved out of her husbands house into a small cottage around the block. Her awakened sensuality led her to begin an affair with a playboy, Alcee Arobin. She felt no shame, no remorse: only a greater intensity of passionate desire than she had ever felt
23、 before. Although Robert tried to avoid seeing Edna, he returned from Mexico to meet Edna twice by chance. He confessed his love for her, but seemed shocked at her independent behavior. Her sensual responsiveness seemed to surprise him: she touched and kissed him before he made any move toward her.
24、And when she said that she was not her husbands property, she was just herself as she chose, Robert seemed frightened. At that moment, Edna was suddenly called away to assist Adele Rotignolle, who was about to give birth to her fourth child.When Edna returned, she found only a parting note from Robe
25、rt: “I love you. Good byebecause I love you.” (Chopin, 1899:172) Edna grew faint and she did not sleep that night. Confronting her destiny, she refused to sacrifice her “self”. Edna realized that Arobin and Robert were both meaningless to her, and the children were antagonists she must elude, to avo
26、id “the souls slavery”.She returned to Grand Isle, the site of her mental and physical awakening. Edna striped off her clothing, and swam out to sea to drown.1.3 Literary Review The profound theme of The Awakening made people comparing it with the French writer Flauberts famous novel Madam Bovary. I
27、t is true that the two novels have some similarities: the heroines left their families and children and paid their prices of life for love. However, Emma in Madam Bovary was a superficial woman who pursued of fond illusion romanticism and didnt awake until death. But Edna in The Awakening left her f
28、amily for getting rid of the fetter of male power society and left the upper class to pursue true love (李公昭, 2003:125). But women could not own complete freedom in the society dominated by men, and therefore Edna chose suicide. This activity was not a coward expression but a strong condemnation to m
29、ale power society. The heroine defended her awakening and freedom at her life cost. So we can say, Edna is deserved a new woman representative. The cost of the awakening is painful. This remark not only describes the difficult position of Edna, but also describes the destiny of the author, Kate Chop
30、in. The Awakening attacks the male power society boldly and affirms womens pursuing of freedom in flesh and soul. It caused the great unrest in American society in the end of 19th. Owing to this novel, Kate Chopin was rejected by outside society as Edna in her writing. It is a great pity that Kate C
31、hopin lost her confidence in writing by the besieging of public opinion from then on. She stopped writing since then. We have no alternative but to say it is a great loss to American literature. But Kate Chopins bitter experience also explains the difficult position of the female writers in old time
32、 and why we cannot see female writers names very easily when we look over American literary history before 20th century (李公昭, 2003:124).2. Thematic Analysis2.1 Feminism in The AwakeningThe Awakening used exquisite words to describe the heroine Edna pursuing freedom, independence and love but being a
33、 tragic woman who suffered a lot. The work showed Ednas self-awareness from germination, enhancement and suffocation. The awakening of Ednas self-awareness was finished in the communication of two women and three men. From the idea of the novel, Chopin using the communication of Edna to be the maste
34、r line of the story development made Ednas awakening having the persuasive power.The process of Question, reference and Comparing with the mother-woman Adele Ratignolle and the independent pianist Mademoiselle Reisz was the process of Edna understanding herself. Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Rei
35、sz aimed at the two different directions: The former emphasized altruism but the latter pursued self. Madame Ratignolle was a sweet, docile, loyal and good wife and mother who was full of sacrificial spirit. She manifested the south upper class and the female moral excellence which Creoles advocated
36、. Madame Ratignolle worshiped husband and loved children. When the Ratignolles had dinner, Madame Ratignolle “was keenly interested in everything he said, laying down her fork the better to listen, chiming in, taking the words out of his mouth.”(Chopin, 1899:107) She was on behalf of the family angl
37、es. “They were women who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels.”(Chopin, 1899:51) But Mademoiselle Reisz was not beautiful and not married. In common people eyes, Mademoiselle Reisz
38、s spirit was not normal. In Ednas eyes, she had the keen sight and was a most intelligent person. She only loved herself and lived for art. Mademoiselle Reisz despised the tradition and therefore she was condemned by the public. She was an independent and free woman. But the price of independence an
39、d freedom was so high that she could not gain peoples understanding and true love.If we say Madame Ratignoolle helped Edna to awake, we also can say Mademoiselle Reisz helped Edna to grow up. Edna saw herself, the females unfortunate destiny and crisis in marriage through Madame Ratignoolle who lost
40、 herself in her marriage but still happy in it. Edna discontented the narrow, alone, stereotypical family life. She tried to be a good wife and good mother as Madame Ratignoole but she was sensitive and desired independent life. In the process of communication with Madame Ratignoolle, Edna found she
41、 had dual lives. “Edna often wondered at one propensity which sometimes had inwardly disturbed her without causing any outward show or manifestation on her part.”(Chopin, 1899:61) She was puzzled by her localization.In the process of Ednas awakening, three men showed three outlets under the social h
42、istory background for expressing females social position at that time. It also explained that Edna suffered the setback in the process of choosing unceasingly which indicated the narrowness of females outlets and the denial and constraining of society to women. Edna who grew up in an old traditional
43、 Presbyterian Kentucky stock was uncommunicative when she was a child. She married a Creole Leonce Pontellier who had a famous family and had been two childrens mother. Mr. Pontellier was a businessman whose brain was astute and got along with people decisively but petty and snobbish. He believed th
44、at Edna was his personal poverty. He didnt understand Ednas mood fluctuation and awakening. The differences of their ages and pursues could not make them a happy couple. She left him and lived on her own. The playboy Alcee Arobin made contact with Edna frequently after she left her family. And he aw
45、oke Ednas deep sleeping sexual consciousness. But Edna could not communicate with Arobin in spirit because he just regarded Edna as his desirable object, so she wouldnt be Arobins lover. Edna had the same interests in literature and music as Robert Lebrun. They admired each other mutually. Robert ta
46、ught Edna swimming skills in the sea and let her awakening to her potency from ignorance to enlightenment. The experience developed the field of Ednas vision and gave her the impulsion to get rid of every shackle. But Robert was lack of courage and received the traditional customs simultaneously. Edna told him without reservation: “I am no longer one of Mr. Pontelliers possessions to dispose of or not. I give myself where I choose. If he were to say, Here, Robert, take he