How Kate Chopin's Treatment of Nature in "The Awakening" identifies oit as a romantic novel.
...limitless, unrestricted American frontier are themes of much literature of the period. Chopin also presents Edna’s awakening in the novel as her increased awareness of her own natural intuition and instincts. Edna first becomes aware of this when she learns to swim during the summer at the Grand Isle. Many of the others had tried pointlessly to teach her to swim, including Robert who had “pursued a system of lessons almost daily” (10). However, when the group swam in the gulf by night a “feeling of exultation overtook” Edna and took “control [of] the working of her body and soul” (10). In this way Edna learnt to swim naturally through the intuitive connection of her body to the sea. Just as romanticism defies the rationality of science, Robert’s systematic approach is not successful. Similarly Edna’s intuition comes forth when she allows Mademoiselle Reisz’s music to arouse “the very passions themselves within her soul”, connecting with her emotions rather than forming” material pictures” in her mind (9). Edna’s natural connection between her body and her emotions is developed fully in the novel as she becomes more aware of her sexuality, self and soul. These examples identify The Awakening as a romantic novel by portraying a sense of non-rational intuition present in literature of this period. Romantic authors, including Chopin tended to write in a spontaneous, intuitive manner. The natural motif of the sea is used during the novel to highlight Edna’s awakening to her romantic sense of self. The sea, a part of nature and separate from society, is a place where Edna is free of social restrictions. Chopin describes the sea as inviting “the soul to wander in abysses of solitude to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation” (6). As suggested by critic Donald A. Ringe: “as in much romantic art … the sea serves here a double purpose for the individual” (583). In the expanse of the sea Edna is completely alone and is able to awaken to her place in society. She sees how she is an object of Mr Pontellier, rather than her own self. However the sea also allows Edna to look inside herself and the fear for life she experiences starts a self awareness that grows during the novel. The sea motif parallels a reference made to a “blue-green” field Edna ran through in her childhood escaping her father’s rules and prayer (7). Later in her life the sea is an escape from society’s rules to nature where she can be herself. At the end of the novel the sea provides the solitude for Edna’s suicide, Edna “cast[s] aside the prickling garment” from her body and walks naked into the sea (39). In this way, the sea portrays the strongly romantic idea that becoming one with nature allows people to truly know themselves. Nothing separates Edna from nature and her true self. In the sea she escapes society’s restrictions and finds her individualism. The sea is both the initiation and culmination of Edna’s growing self awareness. Her death is also portrayed romantically. Flashbacks to her family and childhood give it a sense that Edna has, idealistically, achieved her self-awakening and is not actually dying but heroically leaving society. Although Chopin presents Edna’s attempt to liberate herself in a romantic style, from certain perspectives Edna does not achieve this. In some respects Chopin’s treatment of nature opposes a romantic view and underlying Naturalism can be seen in the novel. Edna’s sexual awakening can be viewed in this way. In her relationship with Arobin, Edna becomes aware of her “nature’s requirements”. (35) However this realisation is not a hopeful one as Arobin exploits these requirements (35). Chopin’s Darwinian influences lead to the naturalist idea in the novel that even romance is a method nature uses to secure offspring. Dr Mandelet accentuates this when he states “youth is given up to illusions … a decoy to secure mothers for the race” (38). He suggests that Edna’s romantic and sexual feelings for Robert and Alcée Arobin are simply nature forcing her towards a predetermined motherhood. Another side of Edna’s awakening can be seen as her realisation of her fixed place in the natural world, enslaved by nature to bear children. This is demonstrated through a sub-plot of pregnancy, which follows the pregnancy of Adčle Ratignole. Adčle accepts her place in nature and is concerned with her “condition”, as though to guard her childbearing properties. Edna leaves Robert to attend Adčle’s labour. In watching Adčle’s pain and suffering she is reminded of the birth of her own children and awakens to the reality that she already a part of the natural order and has no escape to freedom. In infidelity to her husband Edna has broken the natural social organisation and her death is the only end to the chain of events. Edna’s suicide seen in a naturalist light is very real and predetermined by her attempt to break with nature. This complicates the romantic ending to the novel where her death keeps alive a myth-like idea of escape to freedom. Chopin’s novel also challenges romanticism’s idea of what is natural from a feminist perspective and complicates a romantic view the novel with hints of feminism. Edna Pontellier undergoes an awakening of self identity and sensuality. However she awakens into a society that is unable to accept this as she is female. In the novel na...