Customer Reviews

The Awakening and Selected Stories

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The Awakening will enthrall any one who has ever given themselves serious thought. It profoundly examines the context under which people live their lives. It gives complete meaning to "awakening" and invites the reader to more closely scrutinize their own life. Excellent and hauntingly beautiful.

Ok, I think that every woman would like to consider herself a feminist in some sense of the word. This does not mean that we are all burning our bras or not shaving our pits but I think that we are all in agreement that we should appreciate books that helped spark the Women's Liberation Movement. I appreciated The Awakening but I did not like it. I have read this book twice, once in my English class and again to refresh my memory on the specifics for my English final. Maybe because I am nineteen years old I do not identify with Edna Pontellier. It appears to me that if there were some time capsule which could take Edna to 1960s suburbia she might resemble a housewife whose favorite pastime activity is sipping on wine coolers all day. I have read reviews of this book dating back to the time it was first published and I just want to clear up right now that my opinion of this book is not at all stemming from the controversy and narrow minded middle to upperclass white male views to which the book premiered. I feel that how Edna felt is simply how she felt there should not be some looming idea of the definition of motherhood or what makes up "a good wife" to prompt how you feel about her. However, while I can respect how Edna felt I do not feel that when she chose to defend herself or make an arguement it was stemming from anything with real substance. I hate writing this but I think that Edna took herself to seriously throughout that novel that by the end you might have felt some connection to her but it was only through Chopin's use of imagery.