The Importance Of Birds In The Awakening

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Edna Pontellier is existing in a world, but not living, floating through the universe simply looking for a soul to connect. In “The Awakening,” Kate Chopin, depicts the life of a woman who one the outside has a perfect live, but is isolated and misunderstood beneath the surface level. Mrs.Pontellier is not maternal, living amongst a different culture, and is married to absentee husband, but no one takes notice to her unhappiness throughout the novel. The emotions of Edna Pontellier throughout the novel are depicted by birds. The birds are symbol of freedom in the wild, but caged and enslaved when domesticated; much like marriage is Edna’s cage. Throughout the novella, birds parallel the desires and emotions of Edna, but only the bird have the power to achieve freedom.…show more content…
“The voice of a parrot-a bird known for its ability to mimic rather than 'speak' for itself” (Caldwell 6), this represents Mrs.Pontellier, who is not comfortable in her community living with Creoles. She is able to blend in only by mimic what she hears, but no one understands her language, or her soul. Much like being misunderstood the parrot only speaks Spanish and French, understood by all, but one the mockingbird, “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. . .” (Chopin 1). The mockingbird is the one who understands the parrot, and their chattering is a parallel connection to Robert and Edna’s relationship. Robert is a young handsome boy, who listens and enjoys the company of Edna, and is her light in an isolated world. Her husband is seen in his novella detesting the noise of the birds, just as he detest the way Robert accompanies his

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