The Nature of Solitude in Chopins Novel, The Awakening

The Nature of Solitude in Chopins Novel, The Awakening The name of the piece was something else, but she called it ‘Solitude. When she heard it there came before her imagination the figure of a man standing beside a desolate rock on the seashore. He was naked. His attitude was one of hopeless resignation as he looked toward a distant bird winging its flight away from him.(47) All along the white beach, up and down, there was no living thing in sight. A bird with a broken wing was beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water...when she was there beside the sea, absolutely alone, she cast the unpleasant, pricking garments from her, and for the first time in her life she stood naked in†¦show more content†¦The word desolate is used to describe the rock, offering up connotations of a barren, dismal lifelessness. The figure of the man is naked, or exposed and defenseless. His demeanor reflects hopeless resignation as he views a distant bird winging away from him. Here resignation can be taken to mean an unresisting acceptance of something as inescapable and as a surrender. Looking at this passage in this light, I cannot help but connect it with Robert. After finally vocalizing his love for Edna, Robert is in a way naked, free of the pretenses of socially conscious manners. Following this admission, however, Rob ert leaves off waiting for Edna, gives up on fulfilling his love, due, I think, in many ways to the social consequences that this would surely bring. Thus Robert too is hopelessly resigned to social moires which influence him to let his forbidden love wing away from him. This passage then foreshadows both Roberts resignation and Ednas own experience at the end of the novel. The second passage repeats several of the same images. On the beach there is no living thing in sight and Edna is absolutely alone. Thus the desolation and solitude from the first passage reappear. The figure of the bird is also depicted again, only in this instance the bird has a broken wing and reel[s] down, disabled towards the water, closer to the figure of EdnaShow MoreRelatedPersonal Demoralization In The Awakening1561 Words   |  7 PagesPersonal Demoralization in The Awakening To demoralize someone is to dishearten or discourage them and cause them to lose hope. Kate Chopin uses words like â€Å"depressed† (56), â€Å"hopeless† (56) and â€Å"despondency† (p115) to describe Edna Pontellier, the heroine, in The Awakening. 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