the awakening

Chopin’s Attitude towards Men In the 1800s, women were treated unfairly because of their gender. Men often felt that they were superior to females because they wanted to prove their dominance. The Awakening was written in 1899. Therefore, the book shows how it was normal for society to have men that felt superior to women’s. The author, Kate Chopin, uses Edna and her husband, Leonce, to demonstrate the expectations a man had for his wife. In The Awakening, Kate Chopin uses details, diction, and imagery to convey a condescension tone through men. One method Chopin uses to convey the tone is through details. During the time era where the book takes place, it was expected for a woman to please her husband by giving him her full attention. Edna, who is married, does not seem to follow society’s expectations. Edna’s behavior bothers her husband, also known as Mr. Pontellier. Whenever Edna does not give her full attention to him, Mr. Pontellier “thought it was very discouraging that his wife, who was the sole object of his existence, evinced so little interest in things which concerned him, and valued so little his conversation” (Chopin 5). Leonce is upset about his wife not being amused or interested with his life. A woman during this time era is supposed to be fascinated by her husband’s life, even if it does not involve her. If his news does not interest her, then she has to pretend that it does. These details from the book are to show the reader how men crave attention from women’s. Unlike Edna, Mr. Pontellier cares about his image and what others think of him. He will do anything in order to keep his status as a wealthy man, who has a loving family. When he receives a letter from Edna saying that she wants to move out of the house and live on her own, Leonce does not seem to care about her wanting to be independent, but her cares about what others are going to think. He immediately writes back to her and “begged her to consider first, foremost, and above all