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A review by elerireads
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
This sort of crept up on me - took me a while to get into the writing and weirdly I think something about the setting was a bit off-putting for me, but then as the second half went on I had this creeping realisation that it was absolutely brilliant. I'm tempted to reread it immediately and pay more attention to some of the details, because I suspect the knowledge of what's to come would make for a substantially different reading experience.
Honestly it's a book that begs to be studied and I'm not sure how to do it justice without writing a full-on essay. The title is perfect - Edna is basically sleepwalking through her life but then awakens to her own personhood and agency and starts making decisions for herself. The incomprehension and confrontation that this change evokes is a beautiful illustration of just how narrow the constraints were on 'acceptable' womanhood. It's heartbreaking because for a very short period of time she starts to experience the pure joy of being properly 'awake' and then almost immediately has to come to terms with the fact that no one else understands, and if everyone else is still beholden to the societal rules (she now sees through) and tries to enforce them on her then her newfound freedom is just an illusion anyway. At least, that's my take on it. Pretty sure I need to read some other reviews of this and then re-read it.
Honestly it's a book that begs to be studied and I'm not sure how to do it justice without writing a full-on essay. The title is perfect - Edna is basically sleepwalking through her life but then awakens to her own personhood and agency and starts making decisions for herself. The incomprehension and confrontation that this change evokes is a beautiful illustration of just how narrow the constraints were on 'acceptable' womanhood. It's heartbreaking because for a very short period of time she starts to experience the pure joy of being properly 'awake' and then almost immediately has to come to terms with the fact that no one else understands, and if everyone else is still beholden to the societal rules (she now sees through) and tries to enforce them on her then her newfound freedom is just an illusion anyway. At least, that's my take on it. Pretty sure I need to read some other reviews of this and then re-read it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide
Moderate: Sexism