The Awakening

Do the issues of gender and marriage brought up in The Awakening seem outdated to you, or do they remain just as relevant today? 

Compare the story of Edna’s awakening with some other female characters in terms of their transformation. How is Edna different from them? How does their social status influence their struggle for independence?

Edna’s awakening has multiple stages. Describe each.

To what extent does the narrative of The Awakening depend on its location? How might Edna’s story have been different if it had happened in another part of the world and/or in another time?

Do you think Chopin is trying to promote a particular social order through The Awakening? If so, and analyzing the social changes of the early 20th century, do you think she achieved her goal?

The Awakening questions the assumption that motherhood is necessarily fulfilling and self-actualizing. What new attitudes towards motherhood does it promote? 

What kind of agency does Edna gain throughout the novel? Is this agency an asset in her struggle to resist existing forms of power?

Can Edna’s resistance be considered an active transformation of silence into expression?