Literary Techniques Expressing The View Of Women In “The Awakening” And “Jane Eyre”
I was reading a play for Henrik Ibsen, known to as “A Doll’s House”. It was a very classic play back then during the Victorian Era, which had so many features, like the rule of men over woman, the gender differences basically, society level differences, and societal restrictions against females back then. Men’s life was centered around business, politics, and sociability, where on the other hand, women were seen as nothing more than housewives, making home for her husband and children, nothing else, and they were, according to the opposite gender, their tool to the pleasures they want, such as in “A Doll’s House”, for instance, where the male protagonist enforces anything he wishes on his wife, tells her how to dress, how to act, and she didn’t have the right or power to retaliate against her husband. Despite this, she defies the societal restrictions set upon her and fights for her freedom, which is a sign of the women’s revolution that occurred back then.
The Victorian Era, how it was, and what impact it had on the world, captured my interest, as well as Victorian literature, so I decided to read another two classics, in Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening”, and Charlotte Bronte’s “Jane Eyre”, and discover more about the view of women in society in the old days, which leads me to my research question: “What are literary techniques used by Kate Chopin in “The Awakening”, and Charlotte Bronte in “Jane Eyre”, expressing the view of women in previous centuries?”
“The Awakening”, written by Kate Chopin in 1899, was one of Chopin’s classics that discusses gender roles, in general, the society of Chênière Caminada across the bay from Grand Isle has been ignoring. For instance, motherhood is a role women are seen to forget in “The Awakening”, Edna Pontellier, the main female protagonist, ignores her role as a mother to pursue being a mistress, as she is seen with Adele Ratignolle more than with her children. Chopin writing “The Awakening” and women reading it has influenced them to view society in other ways, other than the societal norms that were present in the 19th century, such as men being in control of everything, like having a job and owning finances, and they are the only ones with the ability of decision making in politics and economics. The women of the 19th century are seen to be intellectually weak, and are expected to marry, have children, to be confined in their households, nothing but faithful wives for their husbands, and food providers for their families.
“Jane Eyre”, written by Charlotte Bronte in 1847, talks about women in the Victorian Era. It revolves around a young, and orphaned Jane Eyre, who has been tormented her whole life, and as she progresses, she starts standing up for herself, setting an example for women. The novel is said to have a feminist tone to it, and it raises certain gender and feminist issues. Jane Eyre, as an orphan, is surrounded by many men who were her “family”, and she is being tormented by them. Charlotte Bronte’s classic is considered to be one of the first novels, standing against gender roles/inequalities.
“The Awakening” starts off by the mentioning of “a green and yellow parrot, hanging in a cage” that could “speak a language that nobody understood, unless it was the mockingbird that hung on the other side of the door, whistling his fluty notes out upon the breeze with maddening persistence. ” (Chopin, 1). This start to the story is significant, as Chopin uses symbolism, using the birds Madame Lebrun owns, to show us as readers how women were back then. She is referring to Edna Pontellier, the main female protagonist, as the green yellow parrot, for her attractive appearance, that she is in the cage of society and its restrictions, and the not understandable language as the things Edna says, however, no one listens to her or tries to but misunderstands her. Mademoiselle Reisz can be seen through Chopin’s bird symbolism here as the mockingbird, as she is the only one that understands the “language” Edna is using which no one seems to understand.
Another idea is Edna’s husband, Leonce Pontellier, accusing his wife of not caring about the children, that day when he assured her that Raoul, one of their kids, had a fever. He “reproached his wife with her inattention, her habitual neglect of the children. If it was not a mother’s place to look after children, whose on Earth was it? He could not be in two places at once, making a living for his family in the street, and staying at home to see that no harm befell them”. Mr. Pontellier believes that his wife Edna is neglecting her duties as a mother, and a faithful household wife which was what a woman had to be back then. His “monotonous insistent way” of speaking to his wife at that instant, is an “indescribable oppression”. He hasn’t ever spoken to his wife like that, which is why it is “indescribable”, as described by Chopin. Edna goes to the porch, where she was all alone, with no voices, except the “voice of the sea”, which is significant as the sea can resemble freedom, and the voice is kind of an indication for Edna to start seeking it as a woman. Using the sea as an imagery for freedom, and it having a “voice” is a pathetic fallacy used by Chopin, to show us how much Edna wants her freedom. The sea is used later on in the story, when Edna goes and learns how to swim. That day, “a feeling of exultation overtook her, as if some power of significant import had given her to control the working of her body and soul. She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before”. This is the most significant part of the symbolism using the sea, as Edna swimming farther than any woman ever refers to her seeking her awakening and independence, defying her marital and motherly roles and being herself, by breaking the cage of society restricting her.
Money can also be a factor that makes a woman interested in a man back then. The ladies used to “select with dainty and discriminating fingers, and a little greedily men who were rich, Mr. Pontellier is no exception. “All declared he was the best husband in the world, and Mrs. Pontellier was forced to admit she knew of none better”. This shows that women cared about the money, and were affected by it, despite their inability to have a job like a man, which is shown when Mr. Pontellier “gave his wife half the money which he had brought from last evening, and Mrs. Pontellier liked money, just like most women, accepting it with no little satisfaction”. Chopin uses the money factor again later on, as an indirect characterization of Edna, as “she would give her money, her children, but not herself”. Money control and taking care of children are a woman’s duties in Victorian society, however, Edna here is saying that she would give up all “unessential” things in her life for achieving her freedom, hence defying societal norms and achieving her individuality.
One of the best techniques Chopin has used in “The Awakening”, was using her own voice during the story, when she was describing mother-women back then. They were “women who idolized their children, worshipped their husbands”. The significance of her using her own voice in the story, is to illustrate further on how women were actually treated or seen as. Chopin’s use of her perspective of society through the story hence was a good way of showing readers a clearer image of how women were viewed by the opposite gender. Kate Chopin then makes use of the 3rd person criticizing society by doing so when she expresses her view on quadroon nurses, who were looked upon as “a huge encumbrance, only good to button up waists and panties and to brush and part hair, as this is a law of society for hair to be parted and brushed”. Chopin is trying to make a point that the women are following the laws of society by the book, and they do not seem to grasp the concept of trying to achieve their personal freedom, owning themselves, and having their own lives, and that they should stand up for themselves and their rights. Chopin’s use of foils was another technique she uses, in order to shows us women during that time, and their types.
Two main foils in “The Awakening” were Edna Pontellier, and Adele Ratignolle, with each described by Chopin, hence portraying different types of women at that time, as those two characters are used by Chopin to portray the whole women society on Grand Isle. Adele had “the spun-gold hair, the blue sapphire eyes, and red cherry lips”. This is a direct characterization of Adele’s beauty and physique, and the use of certain diction describing her body features also helps in portraying the character of Madame Ratignolle. Both Edna and Madame Ratignolle, being two of the main females in the story, can be a total reflection of the women society back then. The hair description is significant, not only here in “The Awakening”, but in other Victorian novels as well. Hair is an emblem of a woman’s feminine character, and a symbol of her sexuality. Even hair, back then, was believed to be an indication of a woman’s moralities. A woman with tied hair, or covered is said to be a perfect example of pure womanhood, while on the other hand, a woman with loose hair is said to be a “morally depraved” woman.
As mentioned earlier, Chopin’s description of “mother-woman” is basically the character of Madam Ratignolle. Music is one aspect which shows how Adele is a person who accepts social norms and is a “by the book” woman. Music and playing instruments is one aspect which shows the submissive character of Adele to social norms, as “she was keeping up her music on account of her children” and that “she and her husband both considered it a means of brightening the home and making it attractive”.
The “attractive” atmosphere of the home can be related to the men asking their women to give them their pleasures, and music was in fact one way of doing so. Adele’s husband accepting this situation reflects what men think about women, which is that they are their sole source of pleasure, whereas Adele herself accepting this proves that she accepts what society enforces on women and does not get “intimidated” or affected by it, and just goes with the flow. Music also is an important part of Edna’s “awakening”. One day she was listening to music, and “it turned strange and fantastic, it filled the room, floated out upon the night. Edna was sobbing, just as she had wept one midnight at Grand Isle when new voices awoke her”. Chopin makes use of the word “voices”, some sort of message to Edna Pontellier, telling her to seek her individuality. Also, the music is made so strong, as the music “floated out upon the night, over the housetops, the crescent of the river, losing itself in the silence of the upper air”, in a way that Edna starts to “let go” and experience freedom herself. Chopin’s use of music is significant, as the music depicts the importance of imagination and art appreciation when it comes to discovering one’s self.
Music was also a significant part of the Victorian Era, as “A woman must have a thorough knowledge of music, singing, drawing, dancing, and the modern languages…. ; and besides all this, she must possess a certain something in her air and manner of walking, the tone of her voice, her address and expressions”. Women were also separated by their origins back then. Robert Lebrun, a man who has this “thing” for married women, used to be always by Edna’s side, and actually confessed his love for her. However, this is when Leonce comes into play, telling Robert to “let Mrs. Pontellier alone”, as “She is not one of us, nor like us, and might take the unfortunate blunder of taking you seriously”. Leonce is basically saying that due to the fact Edna is not a Creole like him, it would result in her falling head over heels for a man other than her husband. This is an indirect characterization used by Chopin, to represent Mr. Pontellier’s “jealousy”, and can also reflect on his thoughts of Non-Creole people, women in this case.
Gender inequality and oppression is present in Jane Eyre, for Charlotte Bronte. Jane Eyre, an orphan living at Gateshead Hall with her maternal uncle’s family, The Reeds, goes to Lowood School, and there the oppression begins. Mr. Brocklehurst, her teacher at school, asks her if she knows her Psalms (Jewish verses), “And the Psalms? I hope you like them?” She replied by No, then he belittles her by saying that “he has a little boy younger than her who knows six psalms by heart” and insults Jane, by telling her that she has a “wicked heart”, and a “heart of stone” for not knowing her Psalm verses. In this conversation between Jane and Brocklehurst, Bronte makes sure of using “boy” in this case, as an indirect way of telling readers that boys, or men, are educationally better than girls, or women. Furthermore, Bronte uses harsh language against Jane, as a way to bolster Brocklehurst’s point of his own boy being better at verses than her. The main point behind this conversation, is trying to convey readers a message, that men are better than women at education, which seemed to be the case at that time.
Conclusion
Kate Chopin’s choice of techniques has helped her in her cause, of showing us that women are capable of trying to seek their individualities, via Edna who fights very hard for it, however, she drowns in the process, but this is considered to be a riddance of societal restrictions either way.
