The Awakening

       Hello, blog. It's been a while. I really loved all the hidden symbolism behind The Awakening, by Kate Chopin. I never realized that the unnoticeable things, like the birds or the ocean, could represent such big, complex themes. I really enjoyed the things we've done with this book because if we didn't go over the symbols (water, birds, clothing, music, etc.), I would've missed out and never would've knew what the book was truly about. Chopin is a genius!
      I'm glad I was assigned  the "birds"group because everything pertaining to them made sense to me. I noticed that the first line of the book was about a green and yellow parrot, speaking "a little Spanish, and also a language which no one understood..." (1). Whenever I read small, meaningless-seeming details, I don't really analyze; I just keep reading. But that's not good! Anyway, I also loved what the clothing stood for: constriction in a society Edna feels doesn't suit her. Women of the era wore tight corsets (like cages, which connects to birds!), representing the constriction they feel in society. They were expected to be "mother-women" who obeyed their husbands and would give themselves up for their children; Edna wasn't like that, though. She wasn't a mother-woman and she didn't really love Mr. Pontellier. Therefore, she felt misplaced, like she didn't belong in the Creole South. At the end, Edna stood naked on the beach, before she "died" in the gulf---she felt free and stripped of society. She gazed at the Cavalry officer, reminded of the times in Kentucky when she was free, unmarried and could have a crush. So much symbolism!
      The day before the quiz, I was so nervous. I didn't know how detailed the questions were going to be or how easy they were to remember. I read it all, but it's easy to forget stuff. When we got the quiz, I panicked but  after a while, it started coming to me. I got 100! yay!!!!