Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening” (1899): Reflections On Midlife Or Resolving The

Bildung?

    The life span then was only about age fifty—so the fact

that Edna—the heroine--was about age thirty does not

prevent The Awakening from serving as a “midlife” novel.

Hollywood moguls later made Chopin’s work into a film,

“The End of August.”

Many people regard Edna Pontellier in Kate Chopin’s

literary masterpiece, The Awakening (1899) as the

epitome of the midlife woman, using self-assertion

and the power of “awakening” to move into another

stage of life. Kate Chopin lived from 1850 to 1904.

Another popular novel/film, Robert Waller’s “Bridges of Madison County” (1992) with Robert Kincaid as Francesca’s “awakener” also presents itself as building on the legacy of Kate Chopin. But one could maintain that Chopin’s Edna’s is not the forerunner of lusty Francesca, but rather a timid ingénue struggling to master the bildung (identity-building period).

• She could better be compared to the heroine in Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre (1847) who comes into her own only when she settles down with Edward Rochester—marriage or no marriage. Edna’s suicide, the denouement in The End of August, is not caused by a failed love affair, which but her inability to become a Bronte-like figure.

“I love you…only you, no one but you. It was you who awoke

me last summer out of a life-long stupid dream.” Edna talking to

her awakener, Robert LeBrun in Grand Isle, a beach resort

frequented by New Orleans gentry in fin-de-siecle Louisiana.

OF ROBERT LEBRUNOF ROBERT LEBRUN““He had a sense of the tragic, He had a sense of the tragic, combined with intense physical combined with intense physical and intellectual power, even as and intellectual power, even as a young boy growing up in a a young boy growing up in a small Ohio town. When other kids small Ohio town. When other kids were singing ‘Row, row, row your were singing ‘Row, row, row your boat,’ he was learning the boat,’ he was learning the melody and lyrics to a French melody and lyrics to a French cabaret song,” Chopin writes.cabaret song,” Chopin writes.

““Like two solitary birds flying Like two solitary birds flying the great prairies by celestial the great prairies by celestial reckoning, all of these years reckoning, all of these years and lifetimes we have been and lifetimes we have been moving towards one another.”moving towards one another.”““The road is a strange place,” The road is a strange place,” Waller writes in 1992, a century Waller writes in 1992, a century later. Is later. Is BridgesBridges based on based on The The AwakeningAwakening? ?

Walking away from her Walking away from her love-Edwin Rochester, Jane love-Edwin Rochester, Jane

Eyre, 1847Eyre, 1847““I should not have left him thus….I should I should not have left him thus….I should have told him my intention. I should have have told him my intention. I should have confided in him; he would never have confided in him; he would never have forced me to be his mistress. Violent as forced me to be his mistress. Violent as he had seemed in his despair, he, in he had seemed in his despair, he, in truth, loved me far too well and too truth, loved me far too well and too tenderly to constitute himself my tyrant; tenderly to constitute himself my tyrant; he would have given me half his fortune, he would have given me half his fortune, without demanding so much as a kiss in without demanding so much as a kiss in return, rather than I should have flung return, rather than I should have flung myself friendless on the wide world”myself friendless on the wide world”

Jane says (p517): “All my heart Jane says (p517): “All my heart is yours sir; it belongs to you is yours sir; it belongs to you and with you it would remain, and with you it would remain, were fate to exile the rest of were fate to exile the rest of me from your presence forever”me from your presence forever”

It is only then that Rochester It is only then that Rochester tells her, “I want a wife.” tells her, “I want a wife.” (p518). By then, his estranged (p518). By then, his estranged legal wife has died in a fire.legal wife has died in a fire.

What What BildungsromanBildungsroman is—not a is—not a midlife novel—usually 20s midlife novel—usually 20s

materialmaterialBy all literary standards, Charlotte By all literary standards, Charlotte Bronte’s Bronte’s Jane Eyre Jane Eyre is accepted as the is accepted as the prototypical prototypical bildungsromanbildungsroman, sharing the , sharing the genre with such giants as Goethe’s genre with such giants as Goethe’s Wilhelm Wilhelm Meister. Meister. When Jane Eyre returns to an When Jane Eyre returns to an estranged Edward Rochester as a grown estranged Edward Rochester as a grown woman, putting an unconventional woman, putting an unconventional relationship above a heartless marriage, relationship above a heartless marriage, she is considered to have resolved the she is considered to have resolved the bildungbildung (Steedman, 1995). She abandons (Steedman, 1995). She abandons the illusions of a stary-eyed ingénue for the illusions of a stary-eyed ingénue for the satisfactions of mature womanhood the satisfactions of mature womanhood

Edna’s troubled Edna’s troubled relationship with her relationship with her

fatherfatherwho treats her like a who treats her like a

little girllittle girlEdna is not using the sensual satisfaction Edna is not using the sensual satisfaction brought about by lover Robert Lebrun’s brought about by lover Robert Lebrun’s role as “awakener” to reinvent herself role as “awakener” to reinvent herself and resolve the “midlife crisis”; rather and resolve the “midlife crisis”; rather she puts to rest the issues of delayed she puts to rest the issues of delayed bildungbildung. When one observes Edna’ . When one observes Edna’ relationship with her visiting father, it relationship with her visiting father, it is clear that she never made the requisite is clear that she never made the requisite break from her parents in the teenage break from her parents in the teenage years necessary for mature marriage. years necessary for mature marriage.

Why Edna is unhappy with Why Edna is unhappy with her husband and gets into her husband and gets into

this messthis messShe has never resolved the adolescent She has never resolved the adolescent relationship with her father, a relationship with her father, a widower, who came to represent both widower, who came to represent both mother and father to her since age mother and father to her since age six. When one observes that six. When one observes that relationship, it is clear that she relationship, it is clear that she never made the “break” with her never made the “break” with her parents and carried it over into the parents and carried it over into the husband-wife relationship with Leonce husband-wife relationship with Leonce Pontellier. In order to rebel against Pontellier. In order to rebel against that relationship, she takes a lover, that relationship, she takes a lover, LeBrunLeBrun

A tale of three novels—all A tale of three novels—all later filmslater films

But she’s never able to consummate But she’s never able to consummate that relationship either, as a that relationship either, as a mature adult, because in reality she mature adult, because in reality she is a little girl. is a little girl.

Little girl struggling to become an Little girl struggling to become an adult—adult—bildungbildung material—like Jane Eyre. material—like Jane Eyre.

Middle-age lust—try Francesca in Middle-age lust—try Francesca in BridgesBridges

Edna envies the “real Edna envies the “real mothers”mothers”

. Much mention is made of the real . Much mention is made of the real mothers of the community (p73):mothers of the community (p73):

Fluttering about with extended protecting Fluttering about with extended protecting wings when any harm, real or imaginary, wings when any harm, real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood. They threatened their precious brood. They were women who idolized their children, were women who idolized their children, worshipped their husbands, and esteemed worshipped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as as individuals and grow wings as ministering angelsministering angels

She can never become a She can never become a “real mother” because she “real mother” because she

never had a mothernever had a motherShe is basically a motherless girlShe is basically a motherless girl

She is very lost in her 20s, She is very lost in her 20s, although she has many helpful although she has many helpful friends such as Madame Ratignollefriends such as Madame Ratignolle

She tells her (p83): “In some She tells her (p83): “In some way you seem to me like a child, way you seem to me like a child, Edna. You seem to act without a Edna. You seem to act without a certain amount of reflection which certain amount of reflection which is necessary in this life”is necessary in this life”

Francesca is totally Francesca is totally different in a more different in a more classic midlife novelclassic midlife novel

Robert Waller’s Francesca comes to the Robert Waller’s Francesca comes to the novel “Bridges” as a mature woman, novel “Bridges” as a mature woman, with a sixteen-year-old child, an with a sixteen-year-old child, an Italian cosmopolite bored by Indiana Italian cosmopolite bored by Indiana farm life, the narrowness of her farm life, the narrowness of her husband and society, but is not husband and society, but is not revisiting post-adolescent material. revisiting post-adolescent material. She left her family behind in Italy to She left her family behind in Italy to move to America and marry, presumably move to America and marry, presumably as an independent adult. as an independent adult.

ConclusionConclusion In 1899, Kate Chopin thought she was In 1899, Kate Chopin thought she was writing a midlife novel. Life writing a midlife novel. Life expectancy tables show she was expectancy tables show she was accurate. Chopin herself died in 1904 accurate. Chopin herself died in 1904 at age 54.at age 54.

In reality, it was not a midlife novel. In reality, it was not a midlife novel. Given her arrested development and Given her arrested development and psychological stage, it was really a psychological stage, it was really a coming-of-age novel, a coming-of-age novel, a bildungsroman.bildungsroman.

Bridges, Bridges, with Francesa, is the true with Francesa, is the true midlife novel, notmidlife novel, not The Awakening. The Awakening.