Naked and Free in The Awakening :: Chopin Awakening Essays

Naked and Free in The Awakening    The Awakening, by Kate Chopin seems to fit neatly into twentieth century rarefieds.  Chopin addresses psychological issues that must draw been difficult for people of the late nineteenth century to grasp.  Just as Edna died a premature death, Chopins book died too.  The rejection of this book, at the time, ironically demonstrates the pressure many an(prenominal) women must have felt to conform to society.  Chopin shows the reader, through Edna Pontellier, that society restricts women the chastise to individuality.  This restriction by society can be seen in the dress Victorian women wore during the time.     For example, we see clothe used as an important simile in the story.  Victorian womens clothing was extremely confining, much like their life.  The clothing can be seen as a type of cage which is likely when we see Edna and Adele walking to the beach in chapter seven.  Adele w ore a veil, doe hide gloves, unclouded gauntlets ... was dressed in pure white, with a fluffiness of ruffles that became her (478).  Adele was the ideal of beauty.  Edna, on the other hand, wore a cool muslin that morning ... a white linen collar and a big straw hat (478).  We construe that a casual and indiscriminating observer ... might non suck a second glance (478) towards Edna.  The fact that Edna was simply dressed showed her non unity towards societys standards.  When the two women get to the beach, Edna removes her collar and unbuttons her dress at the throat.  Her decision not to wear all the garments is a hint at the rebellion to come.   some other obvious example of the symbolism of clothing is seen at the end of the tonic when Edna removes all of her clothing before committing suicide.  Chopin writes that when Edna was there beside the sea, absolutely alone, she cast the unpleasant, tingle garments from her, and for th e first time in her life stood naked in the distribute air (558).  Edna seems to be removing her final restrictions before finding her freedom in death.  This last rebellion against society seems to give Edna her final waken.  This awakening can be seen when Chopin writes, She felt like some new natural creature opening its eyes in a familiar serviceman that it had never known (558).