On Kate Chopin and The Culture At Large
Lyrics from the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s song “Y Control '' reverberate in my head - I wish I could buy back the woman you stole. Despite great political progress in feminist movements over the last century, women have yet to be truly liberated from structural patriarchy. Social oppression and public shaming continue to perpetuate themselves as an apparatus of our culture of sexism; the ‘court of public opinion’ is most cruel and judgmental to women, regardless of where fault lies. The wrongful public shaming of women has not lessened in time, but rather become more accessible to spectate. Patriarchal ideals are so strong, so deeply ingrained in American culture, that they proliferate the collective subconscious. We see sexism eternalized in the public and private discrimination of women, until it becomes something of second nature. To examine this point through American literature, I am revisiting Kate Chopin’s 1899 novel, The Awakening - specifically, the ostracization of its tragic heroine, Edna Pontellier.
A side effect of the deep pervasiveness of sexism into the collective subconscious has been the way in which it encourages women to turn against each other. Not only is this form of infighting a deterrent for social progress, but it is a very crucial aspect of the court of public opinion - it exponentially increases isolation for the woman scorned. The practice of rigorously criticizing women is one that has no real safe haven - women are publicly shamed by each other as well as men, with neither to fall back on for support. In The Awakening, Adele is Edna’s closest friend, and yet still she looks past Edna’s pain and instead reacts to Edna’s threatened reputation.
“‘Well, the reason–you know how evil-minded the world is– someone was talking of Alcée Arobin visiting you. Of course, it wouldn’t matter if Mr. Arobin had not such a dreadful reputation. Monsieur Ratignolle was telling me that his attentions alone are considered enough to ruin a woman’s name.’”
‘Does he boast of his successes?’ asked Edna, indifferently, squinting at her picture.
‘No, I think not. I believe he is a decent fellow as far as that goes. But his character is so well known among the men. I shan’t be able to come back and see you; it was very, very imprudent today.’” (Chopin, 97).
At this point in the novel, we have a chance to peer outside of Edna’s vantage point and see how her society is reacting to her pursuit of freedom. Although Adele’s comment may seem subtle, it gives context to Edna’s newfound place in society; as Edna moves towards independence, she becomes the topic of gossip and critique among her friends and neighbors. While we do not see the various scenes of judgment around the society, we do know that Adele has been loyal to Edna since the very start of the novel - so when she makes a point to distance herself, the gravity of this is felt. Adele knows Edna’s character better than anyone. She respects and cares for her, and values her as a friend. Yet as Edna’s reputation around town becomes tarnished, Adele backs away, forsaking empathy and friendship for her own status. Furthermore, Adele seems to understand the unfairness of these rumors surrounding Edna; she associates any moral fault with Arobin, not with Edna herself. But despite this discrepancy, despite no real wrongdoing on Edna’s part, it is her reputation that suffers, and she is the one who finds herself ostracized and isolated by her former society.
Edna offers a lens for the paradox of patriarchal standards. One on hand, women are seen as weaker than men, must be ‘taken care of’ (controlled) by men, and are limited in their rights because of an assumed inferiority. Yet on the other hand, when a woman begins taking control of her own life or has control over her own sexuality, she becomes a villain in the public eye. In the beginning of The Awakening, during the summer spent at Grand Isle, Adele warns Robert against his flirty acquaintance with Edna, telling him that Edna
“...is not one of (them),” and may “make the unfortunate blunder of taking (Robert) seriously.” (Chopin, 22)
Adele’s attitude towards Edna makes a clear shift from this early point of the novel, where she views Edna as naive and helpless, to the end of the novel, where she is scandalized by Edna’s proximity to Arobin. Even in the eyes of Adele, another woman and Edna’s close personal friend, a brief time in Edna’s life changes how her character is perceived. She is not permitted to oscillate between different, evolving versions of herself, but rather is yanked from the ‘madonna’ role to the ‘whore’ role and kept at a distance.
As Edna begins to gain independence and agency over herself, she is perceived as more unstable by those around her. We see this faulty connection of the feminine with sanity as Edna comes to represent the hysterical woman archetype. Mr. Pontellier even approaches the town’s doctor in search of a solution to Edna’s newfound independence. He describes her as “odd” and “not like herself” (Chopin, 67). Yet his pretense of concern for his wife is shattered when he notes that her “housekeeping has gone to the dickens” and that they “meet in the morning at the breakfast table.” (Chopin, 67). Whether or not Mr. Pontellier is even conscious of the real reason he is worried, the reader sees that his reasoning for believing Edna to be mentally unwell is based on his escaping sense of control over her. In reality, Edna is having emotional breakthroughs, she is choosing her own happiness over cultural expectations, and breaking out of an oppressive social code. Yet in the eyes of her friends, neighbors and husband, she is becoming erratic and unhinged, determined to walk a path of self-destruction.
When a woman’s every move is criticized, how does this affect her own moral code? The fear of isolation and public persecution is often so great that a woman goes without the opportunity to clearly evaluate her own sense of right and wrong and her own desires. The reality is that our desires will not always line up with what is socially acceptable, especially because these boundaries of the acceptable are molded to contain and repress women. In The Awakening, Edna reckons with these external forces, these impositions of morality onto every basic life choice:
“‘One of these days.’ she said, ‘I’m going to pull myself together for a while and think–try to determine what character of a woman I am; for, candidly, I don’t know. By all the codes which I am acquainted with, I am a devilishly wicked specimen of the sex. But some way I can’t convince myself that I am. I must think about it.’” (Chopin, 84).
This excerpt challenges us to consider the internal controversy that such unjust social codes create. The cultural norm was - and still is - for women to be judged before given the grace to make mistakes. In the court of public opinion, there is no room for a woman to step outside her restrictive boundaries. There is no room for self-discovery, exploration, or growth in character. There is no room for two sides of the same story.
As this frequent condemnation of women remains in practice today, we must look critically at why this happens. We must ask ourselves why we find the woman to be reprehensible and wrong, merely for being one part of a situation. Were the men involved in the situation treated with the same disrespect? Did the men also endure a social falling out, or did they have little to no consequences?
For some women, bouncing back is possible. But for many women, in the 19th century and today, life is never the same. After harsh criticism, after shaming, after the cruelty of public judgment, a piece of the woman is robbed. A piece of her comfort, her happiness, her confidence is ripped away.
I wish I could buy back the woman you stole.
