An Existential Reading Of Edna In The Awakening

Kate Chopin, the American woman writer, is the forerunner in depicting the existence of women in the 19th century. Her works focus on the predicament of women by revealing their states of marriage and selfhood. The Awakening is her most influential and controversial one which centers on the protagonist Edna's self-awakening from her previous existing state. Due to its keen concern on women's existence, The Awakening has received more and more attention since 1960s after decades of being forgotten and criticized because of its frank depicting of Edna's sexual consciousness. What Chopin reveals about Edna's plight corresponds with the concerns of existentialists whose major concepts are absurdity, alienation and free choices. This thesis attempts to probe into Edna's existence and fate by employing three existential concepts.The thesis consists of six chapters.Chapter One briefly introduces Chopin's life experience and her literary achievements as well as The Awakening and its literature review.Chapter Two introduces the origin of existentialism, its representatives, and the key concepts:absurdity, alienation and free choice as well as the existential implications in Chopin's works.Chapter Three aims at analyzing the absurdity of Edna's social world and her world of love. First, the conflicts between Edna's innate personality as well as her awakening consciousness of selfhood and the moral standards for women in the oppressing patriarchal society generates absurdity. Second, her ceaseless but futile efforts of searching for love add to the absurdity of her life.Chapter Four concentrates on the alienation of Edna's interpersonal relations. Edna's alienated interpersonal relations can be demonstrated in three aspects: alienation between Edna and other women, alienation between Edna and the men of her life, and alienation between Edna and her relatives. The alienated interpersonal relations of Edna cause her loneliness and despair, which in return aggravate the absurdity of her world.Chapter Five deals with Edna's free choice.In order to revolt against the absurdity of her world and struggle from her alienated interpersonal relations, Edna makes a lot of choices to pursue her freedom. However, she fails and ends up with death.Chapter Six is the conclusion where the existential elements are summarized. It also points out the significance of Edna's death and gives some hints to the reading of Chopin's other works.