The Awakening Chapters 1-10

Kate Chopin’s

“Moon-Landing”

One link between the popular

Modern Family and Chopin’s

novel is the theme of marriage

and motherhood.

Claire, a homemaker, compares

her life as a mom to that of a

previous co-worker, now a Paris

executive.

Keep track of what each

woman has gained as a

result of her lifestyle choice,

and what each has “lost.”

Feminism

Chopin's feminism certainly is a major theme, but be careful not to overstate it.

Chopin seems to have believed that men and women alike have great difficulty

reconciling their need to live as discrete individuals with their need to live in close

relationship with a mate; these conflicting needs lie at the center of her work.

Evelyn de Morgan,

Gilded Cage (1919)

Evelyn de Morgan,

Gilded Cage (1919)

What is the most dominant image?

Why does the painter choose to make certain images

dominant and others marginal?

What might be the significance of the two birds?

Does the painting evoke a certain mood or theme? How?

Why?

How might the title of the painting affect the analysis?

Gilded Cage and The Awakening

Portrays a woman who lives in luxury yet yearns for

freedom from her older husband and her restrictive society

Essentially an allegory for the captivity of women, the

painting’s depiction of birds, children, and sky echoes much

of the symbolism in The Awakening while presenting an

alternative picture of motherhood

The mood and themes evoked by the painting are the same

elements in The Awakening

… characterization of nature as a freeing force, emphasis on

human individuality, and the advocacy of free thought

Harry Von Tilzer,

A Bird in a Gilded Cage (1900)

She’s only a bird In a gilded cage, A beautiful sight to see, You may think she’s happy And free from care, She’s not Tho’ she seems to be, ‘Tis sad when you think Of her wasted life, For youth cannot mate with age, And her beauty was sold For an old man’s gold, She’s a bird in a gilded cage.

Harry Von Tilzer,

A Bird in a Gilded Cage (1900)

She’s only a bird In a gilded cage, A beautiful sight to see, You may think she’s happy And free from care, She’s not Tho’ she seems to be, ‘Tis sad when you think Of her wasted life, For youth cannot mate with age, And her beauty was sold For an old man’s gold, She’s a bird in a gilded cage.

1) Highlight the line from the

song that is most

significant

2) Highlight the phrase

3) Highlight the word that

best portrays the theme

Why is it significant that Chopin’s novel,

Morgan’s painting, and Von Tilzer’s song

were all created in the same era? What does

this imply about the role of artists?

Review

Grand Isle, Louisiana

What is the setting (time and place)?

How does it factor into the interactions of the characters?

What does the introductory

paragraph/page introduce?

Why?

A green and yellow parrot, which hung in a

cage outside the door, kept repeating over

and over:

“Allez vous-en! Allez vous-en! Sapristi! *

That’s all right!”

He could speak a little Spanish, and also a

language which nobody understood, unless

it was a mockingbird that hung on the other

side of the door, whistling his fluty notes out

upon the breeze with maddening persistence.

*[“Go away! Go away! For heaven’s sake!”

Chapter VI (p. 13)

How does the Chapter 6 relate to the title?

What is the significance of the sea?

What is Chapter 6 saying about Edna’s emotional state?