MEANINGFUL?

A beautiful woman, fulfilled by everything a woman would dream of called Edna Pontellier is quickly introduced to readers by Kate Chopin in The Awakening. Since the first few chapters, female readers start to think, what is Chopin trying to tell us, when giving us a character like Edna in a 19^th century based novel? A female protagonist in the early 1800’s is like writing about a gay African American president in the United States during that same period. Because women were extremely underestimated during that time, and only until perhaps the late 1900’s have a handful of women been considered worth admiring.

So as a reader, I ask myself why is it that Chopin decided to compose a novel about a woman during the 1800’s, and why wasn’t she successful in her awakening? And I realize that the reason is because Chopin did not want a Jane Austen novel; where the main character got exactly what she wanted. Chopin wanted a historically accurate story where the character failed, because she was ignorant to what she should have done in the eyes of a XXI century reader.  That is why, in the discussions of the novel, all I could think about to describe Edna’s immature behavior was saying that she acted like a teenage girl, thinking only of herself, ignoring society’s boundaries, and failing because she did not manage to change anyone else beside herself during her awakening.

People often look for the meaning of what they read. In this case, readers were in search of something bigger- the meaning of the author’s intention. After hours of thorough discussion, I find it simple to state that what Chopin did with Edna Pontellier’s death was no other than a message saying that change must come slowly, and it must come with the mere purpose to change more than one subject. Or else that change will be unaccredited, and death will come soon and it will change nobody. Or else, one becomes Edna. 

IN SEARCH OF THE PERKS.

She’s a beautiful, indescribable perfection, a true beauty from head to toe. all precise and exact descriptions of the rose sitting quietly on the corner of the room. Some call her a mother, others call her a trophy, and others believe she is truly a fortunate character in society- but I feel obligated to call her by her true name, Edna Pontellier. Our perfect white rose has a few purposes in her lifespan: to be silent, to radiate her beauty, to take care of the space around her, and to reach a level of beauty that resembles a goddess’s. 

At birth, a rose is closely corrected night and day- how to behave, how to dress, how to speak, how to stand, how to be silent above all things. But as I look to my right, I can’t help but notice a silent plea for help; an unmistakable vibe that contrasts with the fake smile she upholds. And that is when I notice that the rose is no other than Edna Pontellier going through her awakening. Just like a rose, Edna is slowly unfolding from within. Her thoughts, her feelings and her situation made her slowly realize what she was capable of doing; and that she was not meant for the silly mother life that had been chosen for her by the people in her society.

But as time passes and the book progresses, the simple flower blooming slowly had to die. Edna was not taken seriously, and the way she bloomed was not at all a concern or interest to her society, since she was such a beauty, and that is all that mattered. Edna slowly after blooming and completely rebelling against all of society’s boundaries was overwhelmed by the pressure she bestowed upon herself and simply swan far into the ocean and progressively into her death.

A Fatal Struggle

In The Awakening by Kate Chopin, readers are constantly reminded of womanhood disadvantage throughout history. Edna Pontellier's constant use of both inward struggle and outward conformity portrays the sad reality of Edna's life and every woman ever to be born before or after her. 

Every person lives in struggle from within. contrasting thoughts, makes one think twice before acting, contrasting points of views make one love a person for many reasons but hate them just as much for other reasons. But the level of struggle that Edna suffered from within was more than just feelings; it turned into her entire Awakening. And it is even more fascinating to look at how this mental struggle, this internal crisscross Edna goes through was quickly turned into rebellious actions like stomping on her wedding ring but then putting it back on.

These actions are soon turned into a dead end highway for the simple fact that Edna did not handle the whole situation very well. Chopin’s intent to make Edna’s awakening a rebellious one, soon turned to dust for the simple fact that the awakening mirrored a teenage rebellious act, pinpointed against a part of society that did not care how she changed mentally or emotionally, only how well she performed as a mother, a wife, and a beautiful porcelain silent statue. Which is why, only until about half of the novel, Edna did nothing but think about all that she could be and all that she was missing out of because she was tied to her children and husband- she did not even imagine to act upon her feelings and thoughts until Robert left and she felt truly desperate to do something other than sit around all day at home.

And in some way, the sequence of radical rebellious acts she does when Robert leaves do not give her an independent image; it just adds to the painting of her outward conformity. because it tells readers that the conformity inside her had been building up so much that she couldn’t think of another way to express her emotions to the cube- minded society she lived with.

A wife through history has always been seen as a trophy. A living certainty that two families will join kingdoms or the oldest daughter of the richest merchant in the land, or simply living proof that whoever marries her will have the most beautiful children in the city. And in this case, the 1800’s, the idea of a wife was not at all different from this one. That is why these two things happen to Edna at once: she has always been trained to be silent and to follow her husband’s orders, which makes her conform outwardly. But at the same time, her mental struggles have been strengthened so long by the lack of outward communication that become too large to keep within and that is why she acts upon them. Yet it is visible how that controversy is fatal to the character, as Edna swims to her death out in the ocean. 

THE HORROR OF A CRIPPLING INDECISION

Throughout the ages, procrastination has been the equivalent of poor work ethics, irresponsible habits, and a reflection of the student’s way of life. Nobody likes to live with a person that has to be constantly reminded that they have to turn this or that in or else they won’t do it. But interestingly so, in  the article called Viewpoint: why do we procrastinate so much?  the author says that the very reason why Hamlet is a novel people are so engaged to, is because that crippling indecision Prince Hamlet sticks with throughout the story is something we can all relate to.

  

Prince Hamlet is a character that carries indecision throughout the story, and that all the meaning towards the end of his life was to commit a murder. His eternal indecision, mixed with his determination are, according to the author of this article, the two elements that make a character as boring as Hamlet one of the most relatable characters in any of Shakespeare’s plays. Because readers from all over the world, no matter how old or young they are can relate to that crippling indecision between completing a complicated task and resting with the idea that ignorance is bliss. Of course the glam about not only this plot but any plot in any of Shakespeare’s stories is that the task to be completed will never be an AP Literature essay, it’s the murder of someone, of the murder of oneself for that matter.

“What are university libraries for, if not staring into space, gazing at sexy peers, logging on to iTunes and planning your evening’s drinking?” states the article when describing procrastination, or in other words the “Student’s curse”. It’s the irony of the place where students go to, and the things they do there that makes professors’ teeth go on edge. But when the author of this article claims that about 95% of the world’s population has procrastinated at least once in their lives, it’s when everything comes back to Hamlet. When Prince Hamlet’s purpose is looked at in a simple matter, it is soon realized that all Hamlet ever does in the play is procrastinate to an obligation he would have to do sooner or later. And, like the author claims, the reason why this character has been so famous throughout history is precisely because he procrastinates intensively when it comes to murdering his uncle. So because of this, the topic of procrastination is so important in the play. 

THIS AMERICAN LIFE

Understanding a chunk of literature as complex as Shakespearian language is something that takes talent. And the people form this podcast understand the characters and the depth of their personalities more than I did in class discussions with my classmates. I found it exceedingly interesting to hear how the prisoners discussed the prison scene in the novel and compare it to their situation, and the whole controversy of gay and not gay within the prison environment. This proves a very interesting point that is constantly mentioned within Shakespeare discussions; how relevant the characters’ personalities and lives are to the lives and personalities of people now a days.

I not only believe that the prisoners in the podcast understand this deeply, but also I see that they grasp those details and are able to analyze them as much or maybe more than we can as an AP literature class.  

PRUFROCK AND HAMLET

Poetry has multiple qualities that make it stand out as one of the most beautiful ways of writing out there. And a detail that truly captures readers are the monologues of the main characters, not only because they speak beautifully, but because they are the little pieces of the poems or plays where readers can see exactly what the character is saying. Shakespeare is no exception of this, and one of his most famous monologues is from his brilliant play, Hamlet. Hamlet goes through a lot, and it is extremely important for readers to read deep into his monologues to be able to truly understand what he is thinking. The other monologue worth discussing is “The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S Eliot. It’s a beautiful poem where Prufrock expresses his feelings and thoughts. Therefore it is completely worthwhile to compare these two masterpieces and identify what sets them apart.

The important thing to look at when comparing Shakespeare with any other literary work is that most of the monologues of these characters have some purpose behind it. For example when Hamlet is speaking to himself in the play, he considers things, he thinks ideas over and over again, and he feels as he speaks. On the other hand, Prufrock is speaking what he thinks just as the ideas appear in his mind. On the other hand, Prufrock does something very interesting that Shakespeare doesn’t which is talk about his surroundings. This main detail is probably the most accurate one that backs up the idea that the only thing Prufrock is expressing is his thoughts and the impact his surroundings have on him. Shakespeare does not express that on Hamlet. Hamlet is so lost within his own thought, that when it comes to speaking his mind, he doesn’t acknowledge that there is something else out there aside from his thoughts, feelings and experiences. This aspect clearly draws the line between the trains of thought of these two deeply intellectual men. 

STEREOTYPING

Living my whole life in a situation where Colombia was thought to be a country less important than others like the US, I can completely relate to what Chimamanda claims in her story. Of course in a lower degree to what happened to her, I can see how when other people think of Colombia, they look at Hollywood’s version of it; being bombed, drowned in poverty and a lot of drugs. And the thing that impacted me about Chimamanda´s story is when she says that stereotypes are not a fake image of a society, they´re just very incomplete stories of what that society is really like. And that the sad part of it all is that after a stereotype is introduced and repeated a couple of time, it becomes the identity of a society. Like for example the image of a society like Mexico seen as a dry country filled with rebels, bad insurance and a large border dividing it to the United States. But when someone like Chimamanda visits Mexico for the first time, she feels shame in what image she thought she would have to encounter, because the fact is Mexico is a very beautiful country with amazing people and experiences. It´s just that the stereotype has completely drowned it into being what it is in a large part of society’s minds.