The Awakening LRB 2

An analysis of the work’s symbolism

In Kate Chopin’s literary masterpiece, The Awakening, symbolism is a crucial component to the novel’s overall meaning. Such symbols include the sea and the birds. First off the sea is a symbol for liberation in Edna. Edna learns to swim in the sea and in a sense acquires self-control, which in turn guides her whole life from that point on.  By finally “taking control” over her own body, Edna is more independent in her nature; for example, she is less obedient to her husband, whom is fairly good to her. The sea also can be seen as love - "The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace." -  which is ironic considering Edna drowns in the sea. I believe Chopin is trying to convey this ironic image and symbolism to show how love can be poison and lead to treachery.  

            Another symbol in Chopin’s eye-opening novel is the birds. There are several different types of birds which show up in crucial points in the story. In the beginning, there was a parrot and a mockingbird which represented Edna’s unspoken feelings toward her husband and her friend Mademoiselle Reisz. The parrot is like Edna in the sense that the bird isn’t fond of Leonce, her husband. The mockingbird represents Edna’s and Reisz’s relationship, where Reisz understand Edna and her feelings, just like the Mockingbird can understand the parrot.

             The other bird which makes its way into the story is the one with the broken wing. As Edna is about to traverse into the ocean, she sees a bird with a broken wing struggling to stay aloft, fluttering its crippled wing in an effort to stay upright, disabled, falling, plunging down into the water. I believe this bird represents Edna’s failure to find liberation, in Mademoiselle Reisz’s words, “the bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings”.  The bird indeed does not have strong wings, which is similar to Edna who definitely lacks these strong wings as she plunges into  the sea like the disabled bird.