Themes are the fundamental and often universal ideas
explored in a literary work.
Solitude as the Consequence of Independence
For Edna Pontellier, the protagonist of The Awakening, independence
and solitude are almost inseparable. The expectations of tradition
coupled with the limitations of law gave women of the late 1800s
very few opportunities for individual expression, not to mention
independence. Expected to perform their domestic duties and care
for the health and happiness of their families, Victorian women were
prevented from seeking the satisfaction of their own wants and needs.
During her gradual awakening, Edna discovers her own identity and
acknowledges her emotional and sexual desires.
Initially, Edna experiences her independence as no more
than an emotion. When she swims for the first time, she discovers
her own strength, and through her pursuit of her painting she is
reminded of the pleasure of individual creation. Yet when Edna begins
to verbalize her feelings of independence, she soon meets resistance
from the constraints—most notably, her husband—that weigh on her
active life. And when she makes the decision to abandon
her former lifestyle, Edna realizes that independent ideas cannot
always translate into a simultaneously self-sufficient and socially
acceptable existence.
Ultimately, the passion that Robert feels for Edna is
not strong enough to join the lovers in a true union of minds, since
although Robert’s passion is strong enough to make him feel torn
between his love and his sense of moral rectitude, it is not strong
enough to make him decide in favor of his love. The note Robert
leaves for Edna makes clear to Edna the fact that she is ultimately
alone in her awakening. Once Robert refuses to trespass the boundaries
of societal convention, Edna acknowledges the profundity of her
solitude.
The Implications of Self-Expression
Edna’s discovery of ways to express herself leads to the
revelation of her long-repressed emotions. During her awakening,
Edna learns at least three new “languages.” First, she learns the
mode of expression of the Creole women on Grand Isle. Despite their
chastity, these women speak freely and share their emotions openly.
Their frankness initially shocks Edna, but she soon finds it liberating.
Edna learns that she can face her emotions and sexuality directly,
without fear. Once her Creole friends show her that it is okay to
speak and think about one’s own feelings, Edna begins to acknowledge,
name, define, and articulate her emotions.
Edna also learns to express herself through art. This
lesson occurs in Chapter IX, when Edna hears Mademoiselle Reisz
perform on the piano. Whereas previously music had called up images to
her mind, the mademoiselle’s piano playing stirs her in a deeper way:
“she saw no pictures of solitude, of hope, of longing, or of despair.
But the very passions themselves were aroused within her soul, swaying
it, lashing it, as the waves daily beat upon her splendid body.”
As the music ceases to conjure up images in Edna’s mind, it becomes
for Edna a sort of call to something within herself. Additionally,
Mademoiselle Reisz has felt that she and Edna have been communicating
through the music: noting Edna’s “agitation,” she says that Edna
is “the only one” at the party who is “worth playing for.” Once
Edna is aware of music’s power to express emotion, she begins to
paint as she has never painted before. Painting ceases to be a diversion
and becomes instead a form of true expression.
From Robert and Alcée, Edna learns how to express the
love and passion she has kept secret for so long. As with her other
processes of language-learning, Edna finds that once she learns
the “vocabulary” with which to express her needs and desires, she
is better able to define them for herself. A pattern emerges—Edna
can learn a language from a person but then surpass her teacher’s
use of her newfound form of expression. For example, while Adèle
teaches her that they can be open with one another, Edna soon wants
to apply this frankness to all areas of her life. And although Robert
helps to teach her the language of sexuality, she wants to speak
this language loudly, as it were, while Robert still feels social
pressure to whisper.
