Ocean Symbolism In Brave New World

During the period between 1865 and 1920, the status of women in the United States experienced remarkable changes, setting the stage for the modern-day American woman. In my essay, I focus on the transformative impact of the suffrage battle and the crucial roles of education and industrialization in shaping women's lives. Throughout this era, women's lives underwent an unprecedented transition, evident in their united efforts in the suffrage campaign, increased participation in the labor force, and improved access to education. The suffrage campaign, spearheaded by influential figures like Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, served as a primary driver for change, advocating for women's right to vote.

The Antebellum Period that lasted roughly from 1825–1850 is an era known for its many reform movements and major transformations in American society. Prior to the popularity of reform movements in American society was the 1828 election in which Andrew Jackson became the seventh president. Jackson professed himself the “champion of the common man,” where the “common man” meant white men. Nevertheless, his presidency caused the development of a more popular mass democracy, or Jacksonian Democracy as it is commonly referred to. The westward expansion that occurred during Jackson’s presidency lead to a shift in America’s economical makeup from a mercantile/market economy to capitalism.

Within the painting “Ophelia” by Sir John Everett Millais, the inherent tranquility of Ophelia in the water accurately parallels Edna’s own feelings towards the motif of the sea, and the detailed elements of nature in the image exhibits the concept of a women’s inherent relationship with nature that is further perceived in “The Awakening.” Consequently, this painting best accompanies Chopin’s message in her novel, which conveys that the significant relationship between women and nature intrinsically restrains women from truly ever having freedom and independence, and therefore pushes women to continuously search for a place to have individuality. Throughout the entire novel, the sea was a representation of individuality and freedom. It was

Professor Abassi wrote in “The Masculine Sea and the Impossibility of Awakening in Chopin's The Awakening” that contrary to popular belief the sea represents male society and not freedom. However when she says that “I would give my life to my children, but I wouldn't give myself.” (64) makes me believe the sea is not representing men as she would rather die than give up who she is. If Edna was not willing to give up who she was for her children I don't think she would have given up who she is because of defeat but rather because she would rather not live as who she is than continue living as someone she doesn't know. By killing herself in the water I don't think she achieved liberation from her struggles, dying for her was just a last option.

Before the 1900s, women were portrayed as fragile individuals incapable of taking part in any hard work or making any decisions for themselves. Their dreams of taking part in the economy, politics, and society were denied simply due to their gender. It wasn’t until suffragists such as Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton decided to take a stand in 1848 and hold a meeting known as the Seneca Falls Convention. This was the first step towards a change for women’s rights that had lasting effects on American society. This suffrage movement grew influence throughout the Civil War and even post-war to the point where women all over the United States joined the suffragists in fighting for thier rights.

“Intoxicated with her newly conquered power, she swam out alone. She turned her face seaward to gather an impression of space and solitude,” (Page 31). This quote supports the theme of Edna’s personal freedom by showing Edna’s happiness and willingness to swim out on her own

Adele has her sewing and Madame Reisz has her piano playing. One day, Edna agrees to go swimming with Robert. This experience awakens something inside her. She realizes swimming in the sea is some kind of escape for her. She can forget about all her responsibilities as a wife and a mother for a little while and just focus on herself.

Adding on to other limitations, women almost had no freedom in their marriage. Before the women’s rights movement, when a woman is married the “husband and wife are one person” but “that person is the husband” (Doc 7). Once a woman is married, her rights and property were governed by the husband. Married women could not make wills or dispose of any property without their husband’s consent to do so.

Edna fully understands that society would brand her as a terrible woman, but she does not view herself as a bad person. There is an external and internal difference that Edna hopes to one day reconcile. Chopin, instead of creating tension within Edna, created tension within the society and Edna with her newfound independence does not mind how society classifies her. Decisively, it can be concluded that the tension between outward conformity and inward questioning builds the meaning of the novel by examining Edna’s role as a wife, mother, and as nontraditional woman in the traditional Victorian period.

In Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening”, the main character, Edna Pontellier, becomes awakened to herself, her need for nonconformity, and her strength through water and the sea. The water and sea serves a multitude of everyday purposes such as swimming, bathing, and drinking. However, Edna’s experiences with water are extremely symbolic, “awakening” her as a woman(48). In her first experience of swimming- in which she had “attempted all summer to learn”-she grew “overconfident” and “wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before” (47).

As Edna becomes more comfortable in the water, she also becomes more in touch with her own emotions. One particular night, Edna is able to swim farther into the ocean than she ever had before - the same night when she realizes her own distaste with her marriage and her role in society. Chopin writes that while Edna was in the water, “a feeling of exultation overtook her, as if some power of significant import had been given her to control the working of her body and her soul (Chopin 27)”. This

Kate Chopin created a very complex character named Edna Pontellier in her novel The Awakening. Mrs. Pontellier is peculiar because her thoughts are consistently drury and she is insatiable. Chopin uses many different strategies to develop Mrs. Pontellier’s character such as imagery but the most prominent strategy is symbolism. Symbols featured in the story include birds, two lovers, a widow, and water. Whenever water appears in a story or novel it can often represent baptism, rebirth, and/or death.

In addition, the search for self-identity is viewed as important in today’s society. Thus, these confliction attributes lead the reader to identify Edna as morally ambiguous. Categorizing complex characters as purely good or purely evil is not one of the easiest of tasks. As a result, it is best to characterize them as morally ambiguous. In Edna’s case, she is morally ambiguous due to her romantic affiliations and role-defying actions, but both are immensely vital to Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening” as a complete whole.

Edna experiences the hardships of striving to break as a “ [feeling] like one who awakens gradually out of a dream, a delicious, grotesque, impossible dream, to feel again the realities pressing into her soul … the exuberance which had sustained and exalted her spirit left her helpless and yielding to the conditions which crowded her in … clutching feebly at the post before passing into the house.” (79). Through the imagery of a weight on her mind and feeble body, Chopin conveys her inability to find the strength to break the chains of the archetypal female identity. Extremely fleeting, her momentary empowerment clearly validates her circular growth rather than a building of personal development.

The other reason makes Edna realize her own self is swimming, as if a release to her. Refer to what she said in the novel, to beyond other women, it can express that her aspiration on being alternative and get rid of the constraint from the society. Also that is the first body contact with Robert, she find herself in the ocean, and there is the place she longing, also aware of the freedom. Robert, is a boy she falls in love with, yet she aware of that, if she marries to Robert, her future just same as now, she will lose her freedom.