Analyze on Edna, the heroine of the Awakening

孔晓红 刘杰

【Abstract】The Awakening is the representative work of Kate Chopin， which is magnum opus that reflects female consciousness in the 19th century. Kate Chopin is the forerunner of feminism. Facing the traditional reality of patriarchy in the 19th century， the heroine， Edna must be a tragedy for her advance awareness and resistance. This article systematically analyzed the psychological journey on Edna’s awakening from sex， spirit to life， even dying for defending traditional moral principles.

【Key words】Edna; sex awakening; spirit awakening; life awakening

【作者簡介】孔晓红，刘杰（通讯作者），佳木斯大学外国语学院。

Kate Chopin is a brave author， “The Awakening” highly analyzes taboo topic of that time from standpoint of human race’s life—female value， divorce and sexual desire， etc. the works exposes female life that is ruined and killed， making a new writing field in American literary history. The Awakening is the representative work of Kate Chopin， also classical topic through the heroine， Edna， female with sensitivity and intelligence.

1. The awakening on the sex consciousness

Edna was born in a presbytery family with luscious puritan consciousness; she was inborn with charming and amorous. When she was a young girl， she had a lot romantic pipe dreams. She even loved a young gentleman who had already been engaged with her sister’s good friend. The great reason why she married Pontellier was for being against dictatorial father right. But after her marriage， she couldn’t feel love and passion.

All the things predict Edna’s sex consciousness was gradually awakened. Then Edna loved Robert， after departing with him， she was concerned about everything on Robert like a girl of first awakening of love from Robert’s photo which made her exciting. She asked for the information on Robert even from her husband. So when she saw Robert again， she kissed him actively without restraint and loved him regardless till the end of the time.

2. The awakening on spirit

After Edna’s sex consciousness was regained， she began to rouse awakening on spirit， which means female’s subject consciousness gradually reached a new stage. When Edna fully understood her physiological function， she became more self-respecting and self –regarded than low-down. Above all， she initiated right consciousness and independent consciousness. She realized she had all the common characters that human beings had. So she should be active to plan her life. Then she began to work and made some success. That’s to say she began to pursue and tried to realize her value.

In Edna’s opinion， family prevented her from pursuing freedom and independence， so she moved out to a small room of her own， which was the beginning of her challenging man’s dominating everything. All that Edna had done fully proved her view of feminism.

3. The awakening on life

Robert’s leaving gave Edna great hit. So Edna realized she was only the tool and appendix of culture of man’s right， even if she loved Robert， who was opponent not comrade-in-arms， when protecting feminism. When she realized the reality was much crueler than imagination， Edna would be doomed to bend to sacrifice her life without selling her spirit. Edna announced her disdain on the world bravely.

Edna abandoned her husband， abandoned domination from money by man’s right， abandoned inamorato who only had love but no same ideas， even threw away the tie from her children. She made it true that she gained independent living， dignity and personhood.

The appearance of the image of Edna was at the time when female consciousness trend swelled up in American basic level society in the 19th century. Feminism movement was on the road， Edna is just the literary representative of the social image. So Edna’s death was a kind of necessity， because that was the tragedy fighting for the female right of the time.

In the 20th century， when it was time for feminism movement to reach upsurge， the Awakening was released after almost sixty-year’s rejection. The Awakening became a wonderful walk work in feminism movement culture of America， gaining glorious position in American literary history.

References：

[1]李宜燮.美國文学选读[M].南开大学出版社，1987.

[2]董衡巽等著.美国文学简史[M].人民文学出版社，2003.

[3]万雪梅.Reiss生死的永恒境界——解读凯特·肖邦的《觉醒》[J].名作欣赏，2006（24）.

[4]Kate Chopin， Bantam USA. The awakening[J]. Reissue edition （1 Oct，1992）.