"...Whose Voluptuous Sting Penetrated..."
For centuries there has always been a struggle for women to find equality and respect from men. In
novels, the mood is highly effective in illustrating the author's purpose and his ability to demonstrate
symbolism. In Kate Chopin's novel, The Awakening, the mood us full of sorrow as well as desire to connect with
Edna's discovery of her own identity and acknowledgement of her emotional and sexual desires by the pigeon
house, inspiring art, and the ocean. The pigeon house allows Edna to be at home and independent at the same
time. Soon after, She realizes that there is no home for her and that suicide is the answer to freedom. Edna is
capable of expressing herself through art. She is inspired to paint when listening to intense music. The ocean is
a symbol of freedom and escape. This form of nature has always made an unknown attraction to Edna.
Kate Chopin in 1894
Photoportrait of writer Kate Chopin
English: Underwater photograph of a woman plunging...This is
Edna's final destination of her discovery of human strength and independence. Water is a cleansing tool and
also aides in the process of rebirth. Kate Chopin uses mood to intise the reader of the gradual awakening of a
suffering woman in the nineteenth century with deep passion which proves independence can be gained by
determination.
Edna begins to develop a distance from her husband, her children, and society when she moves into the
pigeon house. She is anxious for her bid of freedom and she feels that she is an independent woman, utilizing
her sexual awakening. "I suppose this is what you would call unwomanly; but I have got into a habit of
expressing myself. It doesn't matter to me, and you may think me unwomanly if you like. (140)" Edna expresses
her unhanded love for Robert and explains that she does not...