Societal Strains in The Awakening by Kate Chopin and The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway

Throughout history, gender has consistently played a role in society and the choices people make in their lives. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, gender roles were stretched and often defied entirely because of changes constantly occurring in daily life. The modernization of society has, over time, caused people to question their roles as either male or female. These societal strains are displayed clearly through the choices of the characters in Kate Chopin‘s The Awakening and Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises. At the turn of the nineteenth century, there was widespread discontent among women in the United States, but there remained a traditional View on the role of a man in the family. The women’s suffrage movement was gaining momentum and many women began to realize the limitations of their expected lifestyle, However, despite this growing disruption to the Victorian Era way of life, women remained as they were.

The “home life” for a woman was glorified. It was generally thought that a woman should remain at home and care for the children of the household. “It is the wife's responsibility to provide her husband ‘a happy home... the single spot of rest which a man has upon this earth for the cultivation of his noblest sensibilities (The Role of the Wife and Mother) The average housewife was expected to fulfill her husband‘s happiness in every way possible, and if she failed to do so, she failed as a wife, 0n the other hand, the man held an unswerving role in his family and in civilization as he was expected to be the provider and protector of his family. They typically tried to hold positions of power within their communities and needed to be prepared to step up to fight in the situation of war, Set during this transitional time period. The Awakening depicts women who are both affected and unaffected by the changes in society.

The protagonist and ultimate focus of the novel, Edna Pontellier is faced with her internal conflict of gender roles throughout the story. Although society deems that she stay at home and care for her children, she meets Robert Lebrun who brings out her rebellious spirits. Her newfound desires to defy traditional values and rebel against society reflect the growing dissatisfaction in American women during this time period. The characters Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz are used in order to display two opposing sides of feminism as examples for Edna‘s options in life. Adele is a perfect example of a proper woman. As Edna‘s friend Adele encourages her to live her life as she does herself. In contrast, Mademoiselle Reisz acts as Edna’s inspiration to go after her desires.

Order custom essay Societal Strains in The Awakening by Kate Chopin and The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway with free plagiarism report

450+ experts on 30 subjects Starting from 3 hours delivery

Get Essay Help

In the end, Edna is unable to withstand her craving to be an independent woman and disobeys the societal standards she is faced with (Chopin). On the other hand, the men of The Awakening offer differing angles of their stereotype of the 1800s. Edna’s husband Leonce is a man in every tradition sense of the role. He provides for his family but has little affiliation with them personally. As would be expected of him, he is conflicted by Edna‘s sudden tendency toward rebellion seeing as it was not customary of a woman to ignore her children or challenge her husband, Edna’s main love interest during the novel, Robert Lebrun displays traditional male values in that he refuses to consummate his love for Edna out of chivalry. Although, Robert stretches his gender role when he outwardly approves of Edna’s new found independence (Chopin). A few decades later, in the early 1900‘s, gender roles continued to be contorted, but in different ways and for different reasons.

The people in the time period covered in The Sun Also Rises are considered the “Lost Generation.” This was a term coined after World War I and was used in reference to the many societal changes in the ways people thought and acted as an effect of the war. One major change was the alteration of gender stereotypes (Smith). Because of the war, women were forced to hold the occupations of men, putting them in factories and other labor-ridden jobs. From this, women gained a sense of pride they did not have before and became much more independent, retaining this feeling even when their husbands had come home Men, as they filtered back into the United States, were shocked by this turning of roles and had difficulty readjusting to the changed women(Zabala).

This being said, The Sun Also Rises clearly follows the story of one woman who clearly exemplifies the qualities of women in this period. Brett Ashley is a seamless example of the post-World War 1 Woman. Brett‘s short hair and daring clothing choices were examples of how a woman came to express herself in the twenties. She was rather independent, exploring her sexuality without a need to remain attached to one man. These traits influence Brett‘s decision to deny Jake’s infatuation with her His disability would be too detrimental to her dedication to herself and her sexuality (Hemingway). Also following the stereotypes depicted are the men of the novel. Jake Barnes is incapable of fulfilling his role as a man because he during the war he suffered an injury resulting in the loss of his penis and thus, much of his masculinity.

His insistent desire for Brett displays the refusal of men to accept the changed role of women Where Barnes had little in the way of masculinity, Robert Cohn illustrated it through his actions, despite that he had not gone to war like most young men. Cohn boxed, and thus showed masculine qualities in his athleticism. However, his tendency toward romanticism of life was uncommon in men. He oversimplified things in a positive view, whereas most men during this time had a negative view of life because of the war(Hemingway). In conclusion, the stereotypical roles of men and women can plainly be seen in the novels The Sun Also Rises and The Awakening as the characters make decisions that correspond with their respective time periods.

Don't let plagiarism ruin your grade

Run a free check or have your essay done for you

Check my essay Hire Writer