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Open Questions for The Awakening
PLOT
/ CONFLICT:
Kate Chopin's
The
Awakening speaks to our time as much as it disturbed readers in 1899.
After reading this novella carefully, write an essay that identifies
the
resolutions, reassessments, or reconciliations evident in the ending
and explain its significance to the work as a whole.
Read The Awakening by Kate Chopin carefully. Then write an essay that analyzes the conflict that occurs when Edna Pontellier clashes with the standards of society, discussing the moral and ethical implications for both Edna and society. Do not summarize the plot or action of the work.
Read The Awakening by Kate Chopin carefully. Then write an essay that analyzes how Edna Pontellier experiences the dilemma of being caught in the contradictions between the way others see her and the way she sees herself. Identify several moments in which this becomes apparent, and show how Edna's growing awareness of the contradiction is related to the meaning of the work as a whole.
In some novels, certain parallel events prove to be important. If this occurs in your novel, describe the major similarities and differences in this sequence of parallel or recurring events. Do not merely summarize the plot.
CHARACTERIZATION:
Writers often highlight the values of a culture by using characters who are alienated from that culture or society because of gender, race, class, or creed. Read The Awakening by Kate Chopin carefully. Then write an essay that analyzes how Edna Pontellier, an alienated character, plays a significant role in the story and show how Edna's alienation reveals the surrounding society's assumptions and moral values.
Choose a character who experiences some kind of dilemma. Identify the two conflicting forces that have created the dilemma and explain how this conflict is related to the meaning of the work as a whole.
Sometimes a novel will depict a conflict between a parent (or parental figure) and a son or daughter. Analyze the sources of this conflict and explain how it contributes to the overall meaning of the work. Avoid plot summary.
SETTING:
Novels often include scenes of social occasions. Identify a scene like this in your novel and discuss how such scenes contribute to the meaning of the work as a whole.
THEME:
Identify any mystery evident in your work.
Then track how the investigation illuminates the meaning of the work as
a whole. Do not merely summarize the plot.
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