The Awakening
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Chapter 1
1. What might be meant by the title, The Awakening?
2. Explain how the parrot and the mockingbird are used to introduce this chapter. Consider their location and what they say.
3. Describe Léonce Pontellier. How is he a typical husband of the time?
4. What does the following quotation tell you about Léonce’s attitude toward his wife? He looked “at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage.”
5. What indications are there that the Pontellier marriage is strained?
Chapter 2
1. Describe Edna Pontellier.
2. Describe Robert. What kind of person is he?
3. What do you learn about Robert and Edna from their conversation at the end of this chapter?
Sample Solution
Kate Chopin’s The Awakening is a classic example of early feminist fiction. It is a story about women’s personal and sexual liberation that was published in 1899. This book is a must-read for everyone who feels like an imposter, forced by society to hide their uniqueness. It’s especially important for women, because it’s still assumed that a young woman’s first focus must be marriage and producing children. Edna Pontellier, the heroine, is a well-to-do married woman. Her spouse is a cheery businessman who may be nasty to her on occasion. They are the parents of two children. She realizes her place in the universe as a human being one summer.
