At some point, she nearly chokes as a result of these sentiments. She is overwhelmed by these feelings and realizes that it is almost impossible to stop the tears from coming out of her. This is especially visible when Edna listens to music, which controls her and takes over her mind. In the novel, it is common to find that the protagonist is always struggling with issues of solitude, longing, and passion, which are all characteristic features of naturalism.

Suicidal ends are among typical characteristics of naturalism because they were aimed at striking a chord with readers who needed to identify with the helplessness of the characters in pieces. She goes through so much, and when she cannot take it anymore, this lady ends her life. To some extent, Edna can be viewed as the tragic heroine in a naturalist novel. Hence, she needs to be left alone in the process of resolving this matter (Chopin, 171). Even her efforts to question this way of life bear no fruit as the novel ends with no firm resolution of the matter.Īs is clear from the analysis essay on naturalism, in the book, she wonders why no one seems to enjoy any rights except for children. In naturalism, man is controlled by forces beyond him, and this is exactly what is being suggested in “The Awakening”. This kind of helplessness that she possesses against her environment or her society is quite typical of naturalist literature. Even after leaving her husband for Robert, Edna soon realizes that his perceptions of her are just the same as her husband. To the male species, she is nothing more than a piece of property that can be handed down from one man to the next. In the novel, the protagonist is well aware that society disregards her and her kind. It was only after a couple of decades that everyone remembered the writing and saw the beauty inherent in it. In fact, the reactions against this book were so strong that they caused the author to be ostracized from her society. The author of this novel was more of a naturalist than of a realist, and she was very bold in writing this book because, during her time, it was unthinkable for a woman to be sexually expressive or even for her to leave her family to pursue her passions as depicted in the novel. In the book “The Awakening” by Kate Chopin, a number of issues will be identified that demonstrate the naturalist movement. To its adherents, the man was a slave to his instincts, so his actions were affected mainly by them.

However, naturalism was regarded as a more pessimistic movement that stressed the helplessness of man over nature, and it’s surrounded. In literature, the naturalism movement grew as an offshoot of realism, which focused on the real over and above the incredible.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin