The Awakening

9 Pages 2280 Words

parrot, which hung in a cage outside the door, kept repeating over and over, “Allez vous-en! Allez vous-en! Sapristi! That’s all right! He could speak a little Spanish, and also a language which nobody understood, unless it was the mockingbird that hung on the other side of the door, whistling his fluty notes out upon the breeze with maddening persistence” (Beaty 41).
The caged parrot will come to symbolize the expectations that society has for Edna. As a woman and mother, she is caged in those roles and never expected to think for herself. The carefree mockingbird symbolizes those women who are satisfied with their limited roles in society. Both of these captive birds symbolize the restriction experienced in life and the thwarted attempt at escape. These birds are unable to fly and are able to experience only the life to which others are willing to subject them.
In contrast to caged birds, Chopin also uses wild birds as a symbol of strength and freedom. For example, when Mademoiselle Reisz encourages Edna to pursue her artistic talents, she inspects Edna’s shoulder blades to make sure they are strong: “The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings” (Beaty 94). Edna’s new house that she affectionately refers to as the “pigeon house” also serves as a representation of her escape.
Another important symbol in The Awakening is the juxtaposition of the lady in black and the lovers. The lady in black represents the conventional Victorian ideal of the widowed woman. She does not embark on a life of independence after fulfilling her duties as a wife; instead, she devotes herself to the memory of her husband and, through religion, to his departed soul. If Léonce were to die, a widowed Edna would be expected to lead her life in such a socially acceptable manner. Edna longs for independence from her husband, but the lady in black embodies the only such indepe...