The Impossibility Of Motherhood In Chopin's The Awakenin

Marriage and sexuality brings the possibility of pregnancy and motherhood which the appearance of birth control took away. Motherhood was seen as a womans main purpose in life. It was believed that a mothers love and devotion to her children should be more than enough to fulfill her as a woman. The women who were not afraid speak up during the Victorian period questioned why it was expected of women to give up their dreams and future goals for motherhood, questioned why motherhood was an obligation to being a success as a woman. Questions such as these who be relevant to readers of Chopin’s The Awakenin.Thoughts of the children came only occasionally for Edna, being a mother was something that felt like a burden and unnatural to Edna. She felt like being a mother and a wife prevented her from discovering her individuality, which was the true self Edna felt had to be sacrificed for the needs of others. Edna explains to her friend Adelle who was married, that she would never sacrifice herself for her children, or anyone. ‘I would give up the unessential; I would give up my money, I would give up my life for my children; but I wouldn’t give myself” (Chopin introduction pg 22). Later in the book as Eda makes her final suicidal swim, her last thoughts were of her husband and children: “they need not have thought they could possess her body and soul” (chapter 39). When Chopin 's personal history is examined in connection with her writing a lot of things about her strong belief dealing with women injustice begin making sense. Chopin grew up around independent, strong, and successful women. Based on Chopin 's biographer, at the age of five, her father died. The loss her father caused Chopin 's mother to have the strength to acquire independence and freedom. Considering the fact that Chopin was constantly surrounded by forceful and strong women, most of Chopins female characters are portrayed as being weak and caged by outside forces that prevent them from reaching their dreams or goals. It can be concluded that her experience with strong women may have made her sensitive to women who are oppressed due to the fact that she knows that women are capable of surviving without a male influence. Writing give Chopin a way to express the injustice she felt towards women. Writing opened her eyes to the sexism nature in the world. Womem gained …show more content…
Modern readers gets to learn about how women fought to change the limits that were placed on their freedom, readers learn of how women broke free of the restrictions placed on class and race, and finally readers learn of how women fought against the stereotypes that they had to face and how they created a way to expression themselves. Chopin offered us a present day examination of the different layers of oppression and struggle that women in the nineteenth century had to face way ahead of her time. The role women play in today 's world has changed dratically compared to that time period. In this modern time women are able to reach their family goals and dreams without feeling oppressed and trapped. Women are now able to work in fields that were once male-dominated. This demonstrates the power of fighting for what one believes in no matter what society views the world is suppose to be