In todays society, women and man compete on somewhat of the same level. Its hard to imagine not even one hundred years ago women lacked a voice not only in society but also in everyday life. Male dominance is consistently practiced throughout the world, some women choose to fight that which oppresses them while others are too timid to accept the challenge. With the dawn of a new century at hand, Kate Chopin proved to be an American author ahead of her time. In her short story entitled The Awakening, there is a strong theme of female rebellion against societal norms. While Adrienne Rich has developed a very serious poem through Aunt Jennifers Tigers. The protagonist in her poem lacks the strength that Edna Pontellier possesses to overcome her own oppression.The Awakening fell under heavy criticism by many analysts when the book was published in the late 1890s. Within the work itself, there are many examples of this rebellion from the main character Edna Pontellier: blatant disobedience to her husband, sexual promiscuity, and maternal neglect to her children. Ednas awakening transpires on many levels. The first, which was entirely unorthodox for the time, is her public disobedience to her husband, Leonce. Upon returning to New Orleans from the summer at Grand Isle, she becomes aware of the discontentment in her social and domestic associations. The affection she felt for her husband is gone and there is only bitterness left in its place. Because of these emerging feelings, Edna begins to cut her ties with the New Orleans Society. She discontinues her reception days at home and her connections with her husbands business retinue. She takes her insurrection further by moving out of her husbands house and living alone, thereby severing her sexual relations with him. Edna thinks nothing of disregarding her traditional duties toward her husband and of challenging the sacred concepts of matrimony (Seyersted 151).With the rejectio...
