feminaw Portrayal of Men in Kate Chopins The Awakening Essay

The Portrayal of Men in The Awakening            When Kate Chopin develops the male characters in her novel, The Awakening, she portrays workforce in a very objectionable light. For the most part, her men be possessive, cowardly and self-serving. She seems a trifle unfair and biased in her passage of men, yet this view is necessary for Chopin to get her point across. She uses the characters of Mr. Pontellier, Robert, Alcee and a fewer other men to demonstrate her observations of the middle class man in the society of her day. Firstly, Mr. Pontellier represents Kate Chopins supposition that in society men objectify women. A wife is a mans property, he looks at his wife as mavin looks at a valuable piece of property which has suffered some ravish(44) and his possession, he greatly valued his possessions, chiefly because they were his(99). Mr. Pontellier treats Edna like a child, unequivocal and demeaning her,Send him about his business w hen he bores you, instructed her husband(45) dapple also scolding her he reproached his wife with her inattention, her habitual neglect of the children(48). At the same time, he requires that she play the role of his wife,Tuesday being Mrs. Pontelliers reception day..attired in a handsome gown, she remained in the drawing-room the entire afternoon receiving her visitors(100). Chopin also uses Pontellier to refer that she conceives men as dominating, for example, on page 77 and 78, when Edna refuses to go inside, Mr. Pontellier joins her impertinent and waits until she decides to go in. Chopin also shows Pontellier taking out his anger at Edna for passing play out on Tuesday afternoon, by complaining about the cook(108). Next,Alcee Arobin symbo... ... confidence to me, mayhap I might help you. I know I would understand, and I tell you there are not many who would--not many, my dear(171), I dont need you to blame yourself, whatever comes(172). Unfortunately, it is already to lat e, for when Edna returns and finds Roberts note, her grief can not be contained. After she swims out , she looks back and thinks perhaps Doctor Mandelet would have unsounded if she had seen him--but it was too late(176). Put simply, Kate Chopin uses The Awakening to exercise her observations of men in her society. In the present, it is hard to see her accusations as accurate since society has changed considerably. notwithstanding regarding the time and setting of her story, Chopins views are quite accurate and fair, although unappealing to the men who read her book, which eventually made her and The Awakening so unpopular.