In the aftermath of the Civil War, many artists and writers were inspired to reject the lofty ideals of Romanticism and focus on a new movement, which represented aspects of life daily. American realist authors such as Mark Twain and Charles Chestnutt are famous for their depictions of life in the Civil War South. These authors relied heavily on setting and historical context to shape their characters, unlike the Romantics, who isolated their protagonists from social context. In this way, realist authors sought to portray their lives as objectively as possible. Regionalism, a popular branch of realism, emphasized the realistic depiction of life in a particular region. Like Twain and Chestnutt, writer Kate Chopin believed that regional elements such as speech, social structure, and customs were crucial to understanding the plight of characters. Chopin's "The Awakening" uses four literary conventions of regional realism: 1) a protagonist rooted in a complex social environment, often involving oppressive conditions; 2) an emphasis on regional details such as dialect; 3) a psychologically complex protagonist; 4) an objective and amoral attitude towards the condition of the protagonists (this convention draws on the closely related school of naturalism). By calling attention to the impact that setting has on a character's life and creating a psychologically complex character, Chopin distances himself from the literary conventions of romance, which would have isolated the well-defined protagonist, hero or villain, from his social environment. . “The Awakening,” however, contains elements of Romantic-influenced transcendentalism, as demonstrated by the desire of the protagonist, Edna, to explore her spirituality and challenge society's expectations. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay To fully understand Edna's condition, Chopin recognizes the need to familiarize the reader with her world. “The Awakening” thus provides a vivid illustration of Creole life in the late 1800s. Chopin, while not an activist herself, was well aware of the various women's rights movements that arose beginning in the 1890s (Campbell 62). The ultra-conservative South was a prime location to explore the effects of sexism on a female protagonist. The Napoleonic codes in Louisiana created separate gender spheres: men existed in the public sphere, while women existed in the private sphere, or “cult of domesticity” (Schedler, lecture 9-28-04). Women were expected to be pure, loving wives and mothers, and were despised by society for failing to fulfill this role. Sexuality was linked to marriage and sex had value only for procreation. Women were objects of their husbands' property. Such rampant sexism is revealed in “The Awakening” when Edna’s husband, Leonce, looks at her as if she were “a valuable piece of property” (Seyersted 882). Edna is a product of society: her self-worth is determined by her performance in a role she has been assigned. It is only when Edna "awakens" to realize that she lacks a true sense of self that she rebels by ignoring society's expectations. By placing Edna in such an oppressive yet realistic condition, Chopin employs the first convention of regional realism. The second convention of regional realism used by Chopin in "The Awakening" is a generous helping of region-specific details such as dialect. Regional realists strove to familiarize readers with places and peoplethat they would hardly have encountered in their daily lives. Chopin brings an exotic flavor to the text with elaborate descriptions of New Orleans architecture (such as the description of the Pontellier house) and frequent use of French phrases. In fact, the first lines of the novel are spoken by a multilingual green and yellow parrot: "Allez vous-en! Allez vous en!Sapristi! It's all right" (Seyersted 881). The parrot exemplifies the French influence in Louisiana but, more importantly, serves as a symbol for Edna herself. Birds are key symbols in "The Awakening." The parrot at the beginning of the novel represents Edna: living in a cage and forced to spend her life repeating the words that society expects to hear from her, yet capable of speaking "a language that no one understood, unless they were there." 'mocking bird that hung on the other side of the door' (Seyersted 881). Here, the thrush serves as a symbol for Mademoiselle Reisz, Edna's deeply spiritual friend who serves as a model for an alternative lifestyle. Thrushes are commonly perceived as "annoying" birds Likewise, Madame Reisz is a nuisance to society. She is rude and rebels against the sexist environment through her outspoken nature. However, Madame Reisz is the only one who can understand Edna's condition. Listening to Madame Reisz's piano, "the same passions were awakened in her soul" (Seyersted). 906). It is Madame Reisz's music that awakens Edna's desire to explore her sexuality and develop her spirituality. Edna abdicates her role as wife and mother, ultimately abandoning her family home. He rebels against his father and misses his sister's wedding. She begins to exist on her own selfish whims and spends a lot of time lost in self-reflection or painting. The novel continues as Edna escapes from her cage only to sadly discover that her spirit is not strong enough to exist independently of her. maternal obligations. Mademoiselle Reisz wisely points out that "The bird that wants to fly above the plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad sight to see the bruised, exhausted weaklings fluttering back to earth" (Seyersted 966). Having spent her entire life caged in society, Edna's wings have become too weak to allow her to rise above the social obligations of motherhood, but they remain too strong to allow her to submit to her expected role. His death is foreshadowed when he sees a bird with a broken wing "beating the air above, staggering, fluttering, circling disabled down, to the water" (Seyersted 999). Here, Edna is portrayed as weak and strong at the same time, which brings to light the third convention of regional realism. Edna's psychological complexity stands in stark contrast to the Romantic literary convention of having a clear-cut hero or villain as the protagonist. The character of Edna, with her abundance of flaws and vices, embodies realism. She is not an idealized heroine, but rather a stark presentation of realism in its purest form. Edna doesn't seem to understand the impact of her actions on other people. His attitude that "conditions would somehow adjust themselves" (Seyersted) combined with his intense desire for independence certainly has a negative impact on his children. It is only at the end of the novel that Edna remembers her maternal obligations, and even then it is only in response to a plea from her friend, Madame Ratignolle, who urges her to "Think of the children, Edna. Oh, think of the children! Remember them! " (Seyersted 995). When Edna realizes that she can never be a fully independent woman in today's society, she selfishly decides to drown herself, never considering the impact of her suicide on her family. AND, 1969. 881-1000.