The Awakening

4 Pages 1011 Words

The Awakening by Kate Chopin

In her novel The Awakening, Kate Chopin is an artist who paints a picture for readers with every word for example:"The sun was low in the west, and the breeze was soft and languorous that came up from the south, charged with the seductive odor of the sea." (Page 12) The inclusion of such alluring and dramatic images allows readers to see, hear, feel, smell, and live in the scene which she creates. Chopin writes to awaken senses, and her style is beautiful and unique. As if stroking a paint brush across a canvas, or playing a note on the piano, Chopin’s use of expressive, descriptive, and poignant writing is evident throughout this novel, thus adding to its overall effect.
Chopin incorporates a number of images and emotional phrases which reflect the beauty of her writing. A recurring image throughout this novel is that of the sea: "The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude, to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation. The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace." ( Page 13) Chopin gives us the ability to feel the sentiments of her characters as they wander along the shore. We can hear the soft crashes of the waves and smell the sweet, cool odor of the sea. Chopin allows us to feel the warmth and serenity that Edna feels towards the ocean. The sea is a place of comfort and contentment for Edna. Chopin uses adjectives such as "seductive" and "whispering" to illustrate this. Compelling lines such as the aforementioned are not lacking within the work. In each chapter Chopin writes with a flowing, descriptive style that allows a reader to be affected by her words:"It was the first kiss of her life to which her nature had really responded. It was a flaming torch that kindled desire." (Page 83) Chopin does not simply wri...