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A review by namelessgab
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
5.0
I've been meaning to read this for years and I am so glad I finally got around to it. I feel like it can sometimes be missed from "Classics" lists, but it for sure should be included. It is hard to believe that it was written in 1899 because it feels so relevant and fresh. The prose is so detailed. The scene of Madame Ratignolle and Edna sitting at the beach made me feel the heat and the salt air whipping my hair. It was short, thoughtful, and entertaining.
*Spoiler Ahead* I rooted for Edna and it shocked me that modern readers still find her disagreeable. My only thought is that she herself said, "I am no longer Mr. Pontellier's possession to dispose of or not. I give myself where I choose." I wanted her to choose herself, to really live free. If Robert was still too entrenched in propriety to love her as she wished, then she should have gone on without him. I fully understand the devastation of losing him and considering the times, what more did it seem, at least, that she had to live for?
*Spoiler Ahead* I rooted for Edna and it shocked me that modern readers still find her disagreeable. My only thought is that she herself said, "I am no longer Mr. Pontellier's possession to dispose of or not. I give myself where I choose." I wanted her to choose herself, to really live free. If Robert was still too entrenched in propriety to love her as she wished, then she should have gone on without him. I fully understand the devastation of losing him and considering the times, what more did it seem, at least, that she had to live for?