The Awakening Article Response

Many who have read The Awakening by Kate Chopin generally assume that Edna’s final action was one of suicide. Conversely, in the article “Surviving Edna: A Reading of the Ending of The Awakening” the author, Robert Treu attempts to dispute this claim. Treu argues that this general assumption is argumentative and insists that there are other ways to decipher the ending of novel.

                Treu states, “To insist there is only one acceptable inference to be taken from the ending of The Awakening is to deny much of the genre’s historical importance” (Treu, 258). The article states that Chopin never once wrote that Edna commits suicide; contrarily she was very obscure in the last chapter, leaving the ending very open to interpretation. The idea of Edna’s death is not necessarily the most likely outcome of the novel. Some may come to the plausible conclusion of Edna finding strength in the heat of the panic and racing back to shore. To those who infer that she did meet her eminent demise in the water, just because she drowned does not make it a suicide. “Most teachers will remember how frequently university students argue that Edna’s death is not consciously intended. They see it rather as something between an accident and a suicide.” (Treu, 258). Treu talks much about Chopin’s use of “heteroglossia” which is when there are two or more voices in a text. These voices are usually those of the narrator and a character. It seems as if Chopin uses the voices of a preponderant amount of her characters in her novel. Treu insisted that these voices are different ideas by Chopin. Treu then begins describing how the drowning was a positive choice and Edna is simply “giving” herself to the sea. Edna’s death was just the result of her stricken conscience because of her neglect of the children or it is Edna’s final act of rebellion toward society. Another point that Treu argues is that Edna’s actions are not necessarily suicidal, but conversely, Edna came into a state of “cold consciousness” and that she was reborn. “In the end, we have mistaken the author for her creation by assigning to her work inferences that provide a sense of closure she did not necessarily intend to give us.” (Treu 264).

                I am honestly not sure what kind of stand Robert Treu is actually taking. If I had not read the synopsis about the article beforehand I would not have known that the author was debating against the fact that Edna committed suicide. Treu consistently stated contrary statements and many times in the article he would say statements that closely resembled, Edna didn’t commit suicide, she just killed herself. If I had to state whether I agreed with Treu I would have to say that I do not because he did not make his stand clear.

"The Story of an Hour" reaction

The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin gave me a very different reaction from when I read The Yellow Wallpaper. When I first heard this story, I really enjoyed it. I love the language used in this story and the imagery that Chopin uses to describe situations. This is demonstrated in these sentences from the story; "Spring days, summer days, and all sorts of days that would be her own. She breathed a quick prayer that life might be long. It was only yesterday she had thought with a shudder that life might be long." (Chopin, 2). I understood the concept of this story, that Mrs. Mallard was not in grief that her husband has passed, but on the contrary, she was filled with relief and an inner joy began to burn in her and give her life. I was confused, if the previous statement is so, then why she was with her husband in the first place. I understand that this was another time and couples did not divorce even remotely to the amount that people do today, but if she was really that miserable, then I feel they would have divorced. I want to know Mr. Mallard and see what kind of man he is, to see whose fault it really was that the marriage turned out the way it did. The ending of the story was phenomenal. I loved the fact that Mr. Mallard comes home safe and Mrs. Mallard dies because she sees this. Then the doctors without any hesitation state that is must have been because she was so overjoyed, they are jokes. They look no more into the story. The sexism that is brought out in this book upsets me and makes my slightly angry. Honestly, they suppress Mrs. Mallard so much that they give her the name of a male duck and assume that she is completely and udderly in love with her husband when on the contraire, she can not wait for him to die. She needed the freedom given to her by his death and then he has to take that away and ultimately causes her death.

Ethan Frome

Marlene Springer published an essay entitled “Setting and Symbolism” about Ethan Frome in 1993. Springer scrutinizes and analyzes different aspects of the novella such as the setting and the commodities belonging to Ethan and Zeena as well as Mattie. In this article Springer attempts to prove that Wharton uses symbolism throughout the novella to present and further explain Ethan Frome as a character.

The first point that Springer uses to reinforce her thesis is the setting of the story. She talks of how Ethan is “struck by the contrast between the crispness of the climate and the deadness of the community” (pg 281). The setting of such a barren, frigid Iceland causes the character’s senses to cease and that attributed to their lack of good judgment; when Mattie and Ethan decided to end their lives. Springer argues that the setting imitates Ethan’s personalities and emotions. This can be supported when Ethan begins to take Mattie to the train station and the sky darkens from a comfortable red to a dark grey, which then blends into the rest of his monotone life. “Ethan’s protection from the snow has been given up, and the cold of the climate has come inside.” (pg 283) This quote describes perfectly how Ethan used to fight to keep out the cold, symbolically how he fought to keep going, but has since given up and let the cold go in and let his surroundings overcome him. The snow that has built up in Starkfield and continues to build up is said by Springer to symbolize the mental anguish that has overcome Ethan. The trees such as the spruces and the fateful elm are also prominent symbols in the novella.

Not only is the setting symbolic, but Springer also disputes that the possessions of Ethan and Zeena are significant. An obvious symbol is that of the pickle dish, but Springer takes it a step further to state that the pickle dish stood for life and vitality when held by Mattie, cut conversely repression and distance when held by Zeena. Zeena’s cat is a symbol of Zeena herself. Supporting evidence of this can be determined when Mattie and Ethan spend the night together and the cat keeps “becoming” Zeena.

The names chosen by Edith Wharton are also significant as argued by Springer. The name of Mattie is Hebrew for “gift of Jenovah”. This is how Ethan sees Mattie to be, a gift to him. Zenobia, on the other hand had “become a symbol of ruthless arrogance” (pg 288). The name of Ethan means “firmness and strength” in Hebrew and is what Ethan used to be. The last name of Frome is suggested to serve as a reminder. The word “from” is hidden within the name and is used to demonstrate how the Fromes should be from Starkfield instead of currently residing in it. The last name of Silver is obviously used because silver is sparkling and glistening; that is how Ethan sees Mattie.

Marlene Springer argues her thesis extremely well and her information is presented in a very organized manner. All of her arguments were backed up with information and evidence from the text. I strongly agree with Springer and believe that the novella of Ethan Frome contained many symbols to better illustrate Ethan Frome as a character.

The Yellow Wallpaper Reaction

The first reaction that I had to the short story, The Yellow Wallpaper, by Charlotte Perkins Gilman was simply; “What did I just read?” I was extremely confused because in all honesty, this woman seems so completely out of her mind and yet sane all at the same time. The way she wrote, she kept her composure the whole story, even till the final sentence when she exclaimed; “Now why should the man have fainted? But he did, and right across my path by the wall, so that I had to creep over him every time!” (Page 18). I felt pity toward this woman and tried to understand her a little better. I do not necessarily believe that she is crazy, but merely a prisoner in a room. I say prisoner figuratively because they obviously did not lock her in the room all day, they did allow her to move around the house and even venture outside; but because of her illness she became a prisoner of her mind. I reacted harshly to the illness that she claimed to have. I do not believe that she had a real illness, nor did her husband. I believe that after all the time of pretending to be sick finally broke into her mind and she began to believe that she actually was and made herself ill in the head. I am confused when it comes to the very end of this story, the last page. I understand that she is ripping down the paper because after weeks and weeks of staring at it, it has finally broken her, but I am confused as to what happened to the husband. It stated that he passed out, but I am confused as to if this is attributed to him retrieving the key, opening the door and seeing what she has done to the walls or not. In the end, I had multiple reactions toward this story, but the most prominent was pity toward the woman.