Symbolism in The Awakening by Kate Chopin
.... “Edna felt as if she were being borne away from some anchorage which had held her fast, whose chains had been loosening- had snapped the night before when the mystic spirit was abroad, leaving her free to drift whithersoever she chose to set her sails” (56). The familiar walls seemed to disappear and Edna experienced a new, romantic world. Significantly, the house was only a temporary stay. Therefore, Edna knew that she must return to the traditional ways of society. Edna’s stay in the “pigeon house” represented Edna’s independence. “Every step which she took toward relieving herself from obligations added to her strength and expansion as an individual” (117). She did not pay attention to the material objects that Leonce had purchased for her but rather, she began acting more like an independent woman. She did not care about what others thought about her. Also, the fact that her final house was a “pigeon house” foreshadows Edna’s fate at the end of the story. In the end, Edna felt as though she was a prisoner in society; therefore, she doesn’t feel at “home” anywhere. Only in death could she feel at home. Chopin used different houses to symbolize Edna’s changes within herself; however, Chopin used caged birds to symbolize how society controlled Edna. A green and yellow parrot, which hung in a cage outside the door, kept repeating over and over: “Allez vous-en! Allez-vous-en! Sapristi! That’s all right!” He could speak a little Spanish, and also a language which nobody understood, unless it was the mocking-bird that hung on the other side of the door, whistling his fluty notes out upon the breeze with maddening persistence. (22) The caged parrot symbolized women like Edna that are not happy being “mother-women.” The bird kept screaming “Go away! Go away! For God’s sake!” (22) Edna wanted isolation and independence. She didn’t want to be a “mother-women” and take care of her children night and day. However, at the beginning of the story, Edna seemed “caged” into that role. Also, the parrot spoke a language that nobody understood besides the mockingbird. The parrot symbolizes Edna perfectly. Edna thought differently than most women at the time. However, I believe that some women understood Edna’s longing for independence. At that time, women were under the control of their husbands and were expected to be “mother-women.” Most women were still happy in the “mother-women” role and did not try to overcome society’s expectations. Edna tried to break free and become independent; therefore, Edna also spoke a language that many didn’t understand. The carefree mockingbird would represent the women who were satisfied with their role of society. For example, Adele Ratignolle was “the embodiment of every womanly grace and charm” (29). Adele was the perfect example of a “mother-women.” She was happy with what she had to do, and she didn’t care about the rules the society placed on women. Both caged birds represent the restrictions of women and the frustrated attempt at escape. Chopin used caged birds to represent confinement; in contrast, she used wild birds to represent freedom and strength. Mademoiselle Reisz checked Edna’s shoulder blades to see if she had the strength to pursue her artistic talents: “The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth” (106). If Edna could break free from “tradition and prejudice,” she would achieve the independence that she has wanted. Also, at the end of the story: “A bird with a broken wing was beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water” (138). symbolized Edna’s failed attempt to break free from society. Throughout the story, Chopin used art as a symbol of escape and failure. At first, Edna used her artistic talents to feel free. Women at the time could not openly express themselves often; therefore, through the use of art they could express themselves covertly. Mademoiselle Reisz saw becoming an...