Symbolism of the Sea in Chopin’s The Awakening :: Chopin Awakening Essays

Symbolism of the Sea in Chopins The awakeningThe parting of the ocean is seductive never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the person to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation. The voice of the ocean speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, approximate embrace. This short quotation from the end of chapter 6 of Kate Chopins the Awakening is entirely-important(a) to understanding the text as a whole and is also a vital example of foreshadowing. In this part in the novel, Edna, the protagonist, has just refused to go for a swim with Robert. However, the very sight and sound of the sea entices her. The sea here is depicted as an invigorating object that gives Edna life. At the season of this novel, women were not viewed highly by their husbands. They were expected to conform to societal norms and quell subservient. They were not to question their husbands and were alwa ys expected to do as they were told. Thus, women of this prison term were not at large(p). In this novel, it is the sea that makes Edna free. In the sea she loses all restraints and all reservations when she finally goes for a swim later in the novel. Being free in the sea and going for a swim is liberating to her, just same seeking out another man since she isnt happy in her current marriage. In her marriage she cant be the cleaning woman that all women want to be. While her husband is a good man, she palliate has to conform to his wishes. Thus she cannot be the person she truly wants to be. In rate to be this person, Edna seeks out the company of Robert. By giving the sea these invigorating qualities, Chopin shows the sea as an emancipating force in Ednas life. It sustains her and seduces her with the offers of freedom. The sea speaks to the soul because of what it offers and enfolds the body in its soft embrace for these same reasons. The use of the sea is also a great job of foreshadowing and a worthy contrast.