The novel; Awakening depicts Creole culture and its strong representation in the society
Introduction
Everything that we do is influenced by the circumstances and the situations we face. The context shapes all the processes in our brains, from social interactions to visual perceptions. Emotions and social events depend on the context. The environment plays a vital role in shaping the personal growth of an individual. A healthy environment creates a perfect individual, while an unhealthy climate produces problematic individuals in society. A positive social environment enhances good behavior and motivation. The surrounding environment shapes human actions. The positive environment enables individuals to develop soft skills like making the decision, caring, sensitivity, equality, and justice. Problematic and harmful behaviors are the outcomes of a negative social environment. The novel; Awakening depicts Creole culture and its strong representation in the society. The central theme in the book revolves around women’s independence and individuality.
Women in the creole culture were to be domestic and docile. They were expected to caring mothers and wives to their kids and husbands. They were supposed to keep good reputations that were acceptable in the society. Their role was to take care of the children and submit to their husbands. In the Novel, Adele Ratignolle is the ideal woman. She is described as a mother type. Her devotion is being a submissive wife and lives a life fully serving society and her family.
Women in the Creole culture were encouraged to be polite and express etiquette through speech, hobbies, and dress code. Adele Ratignolle lives as per societal expectations. Her duties are mainly geared towards motherly and wifely roles. She plays music to make her children happy and entertained. She knows the place of the woman in society and her primary responsibility. The selfless act of love of Adele Ratignolle is acceptable in the community.
Male chauvinism was highly valued in Creole culture. Men were the dominant head of their families and were expected to provide financially for their families. Men treated their wives as their possessions. In the novel, “Mr. Pontellier was fond of walking about his house examining its various appointments and details, to see that nothing was a miss. He greatly valued his possessions”. He is concerned with having a successful marriage and a happy family as per the societal expectations. He makes up for everything to make her wife happy by regularly buying gifts. He was a devoted husband and father, and he expected her wife to act the same way. But he fails to cater for Edna’s emotional needs since he treats her just like any other business. He is upset when her wife fails to live as per the societal expectations of creole women. Leonce Pontellier behaves like a real Creole man. He treats her wife like possession and treats her like an employee rather than his intimate partner. He wants to keep up cosmetic and financial goals as per the societal expectations for every man in the Creole Culture.
Behavior and etiquette played a more significant part in Creole Culture. Creoles grew up rooted in religion. They believed in the catholic faith. The creole society raised their families of Catholicism teachings. Creoles were supposed to celebrate French culture with mannerisms. They were all required to be proper. Those who lacked manners were seen as offensive. Creoles were considered elite members of society.
Edna Pontellier underwent different changes in attitude, character, and behavior. She is different from other members of society. She is not a Catholic like her husband, and thus she does not follow the Catholic beliefs.
She fails to be submissive like other women in society. She developed a rebellious spirit and pursued her freedom. She defies societal conventions and claims ownership of her self.
The society does not appreciate people who are not rooted in societal morals and values. In the novel, Edna Pontellier, a young wife to Leonce Pontellier and a mother to two children, Etienne Pontellier, and Raoul Pontellier, face a lot of problems because she is an outcast in the society. She is detached from the kids and husband, which was unacceptable in the community since women were supposed to serve their families. She is isolated from society, and she has to learn the hard way of dealing with her problems. The situations in her life make her go through awakening, which helps her to realize herself. She fails to respect her husband, and this causes severe problems in her marriage. She begins to lose respect for her husband and the society that she lives in. Edna views motherhood as slavery and sees her children as an evil entity that deprives her of personal freedom.
In the Creole Culture, women were supposed to get married to one man and remain faithful to their husbands. The societal expectations are too hefty for Edna. She rejects pure idealization and explores her sexual pleasures and desires. She breaks up with her husband and falls in love with other men. She undergoes sexual awakening and decides to live her life, fulfilling her passions rather than societal expectations. She gets into a relationship with Alcee Arobin. She does not have romantic feelings towards him, but she feels physical attraction towards him. She engages in open adultery with Robert. Society prohibits their love with Robert, but she decides to live with him as an independent woman. She is married to Leonie but declares her love for Robert and kisses him. Robert is an unfaithful man who falls in love with married women, but he decides to betray his relationship with Edna because he was too weak to commit to a relationship with a married woman and defy social expectations.
In the Novel, Edna Pontellier is tormented by the strict morals and rules of Creole society. The roles were limited by the part of the mother and the role of Creole woman. The patriarchal society is too healthy for her. She is the protagonist of the novel. She is not satisfied with the societal requirements of women’s role and marriage set up. She decides to break up from societal expectations and becomes independent. All the things and the decisions that she makes it because of her selfish interests, she abandons her kids and husband. She is only interested in her desires and pleasures. She is not happy with her life afterward, and she decides to commit suicide to exclude societal expectations that she should be a wife and a mother first before becoming a human being.
Social interactions can influence people to change their behaviors and attitudes. In the novel, Edna’s interaction with Madame Reisz is the primary cause of her awakening. Edna listens to Madame Reisz’s piano that the excellent music from the instrument gave her the passion for pursuing her desires, and this led to her rebellious character. Madame Reisz’s nature of being an ill-tempered and independent woman motivates Edna to leave her mother’s roles to pursue her independence. She is awakened by the fact that Madame Reisz is a single woman with no kids who live in isolation, both socially and physically, so that she can find more time and space to practice her art. Madam Reisz’s decides to live on her own enduring societal and physical limitations of being a single woman. Madame Reisz influenced Edna to live beyond the upper-class creole society expectations.
Throughout the novel identifies her role as a woman in society and decides to fight against the societal norms. She explores her freedom and individuality by engaging in the business of selling her paintings. She works to make money for herself rather than waiting for a husband to provide as per the societal conventions. She refuses to stay at home to welcome and entertain visitors like other creole women. Edna learns to pursue her freedom of expression. Creole women were expected to be chaste. She discovers that she can face her sexuality and emotions without fear.
Conclusion
Societal conventions take hold of the characters in the novel and cause them to live under pretense. Leonce and Adele shaped their traits and behaviors as per societal expectations. They respected social norms that guided the behavior of women and men. Robert was afraid of his relationship with Edna because he never wanted to defy societal conventions. And Edna’s desire to pursue her freedom makes her reject family obligations and social agreements. Edna’s and Reisz’s decisions to live independent lives make them became alienated from society. Edna undergoes awakening as a way of changing the set social norms and customs. She experiences total awareness, which makes her discover her sexual desire and emotional needs. Edna represents the modern women in the society who is not rooted in the societal conventions of motherhood roles and submissive wife. Societal expectations shape how people behave in the community. Still, some people seek to be rebellious and pursue their desires, but failing to follow societal norms causes one to make decisions that can cost their lives and future.
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