The Role of Emancipation in Kate Chopin's 'The Awakening'

Seminar paper from the year 2019 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, grade: 1, University of Salzburg, language: English, abstract: Over many years, women were less privileged than men and therefore had to fight for their rights. Emancipation is not something that was achieved within days, weeks or months: women had a long way to go to set themselves free, but what led them actually to that point? Was it the desire to equality or the wish to fulfil their dreams? Was it even out of suppression? Kate Chopin's famous novel The Awakening deals exactly with that topic and tells the story of Mrs. Pontellier who managed to emancipate herself from the society she was living in. The following text is going to focus on the influences and circumstances that reinforced her decision to become an independent and confident woman and tries to find answers on what leads to emancipation in general. I would like to show that emancipation is a process and no knee-jerk reaction. In fact, it is a complex decision, influenced by various factors. At first, I am going to describe the initial situation of Mrs. Pontellier and try to find out the main reasons for her wish to leave her old life behind. Afterwards, I am going to illustrate her new life and finally, I am going to compare it in contrast to her old one, as I would like to present how much she has changed throughout the novel and if she succeeded in her plans.