The Road to Liberty: Kate Chopin’s The Awakening

張貼日期：Oct 19, 2010 2:33:57 PM

The Road to Liberty: Kate Chopin’s The Awakening

Vanessa Yu-ting Lin 林玉婷

Advisor: Dr. Hsian-li Chou 周先俐老師

Dr. Ya-ling Chiang 江雅玲老師

Abstract

The Awakening, the masterpiece of Kate Chopin, records a great revolution which affects all the life of Edna, the female character.  Kate Chopin thinks women should refuse to be victims who are oppressed, controlled, and ordered in the male-dominated system.  In The Awakening, the power of self-awakening encourages Edna to pursue the real freedom and deserved rights.  Edna never fears the social value upon her decision, hesitates to accomplish her self-realization step by step, and regrets choosing a very different life.  The thesis focuses on four aspects: patriarchy, marriage, body autonomy and independence.  First, it explains how women endure suffering and oppress in the patriarchal society.  Second, it analyzes the tug between marriage and personal freedom.  Third, body autonomy is the key point in The Awakening.  Edna learns that the one who masters his/her own identity must be a free and independent individual.  Lastly, it explores the spiritual and economic independence of Edna.  The conclusion of my thesis, therefore, reveals the significant success in the history of Feminism in terms of raising women’s status and the promotion of women’s rights, such as suffrage.

Key Words: Kate Chopin, The Awakening, Feminism, oppression, marriage, liberation, and body autonomy.