Introduction to Philosophy: The Awakening

Philosophy Student Name: Professor: Course Title: Date: Philosophy Section I: The Awakening The novel The Awakening by Kate Chopin is a feminist text written in the late 19th century. The connection between the concepts of desire and the oceanic impulse in this feminist novel could be seen from two perspectives: firstly, Edna becomes more and more aware of her sexual desires the more she goes swimming in the ocean. Secondly, Edna desires a womb-like world which is represented by the ocean. Edna’s awakening is related to the Freudian terms of Thanatoes/death wishes or death drives, and Eros/sex drives (Gudmundsson, 2014). Her repeated dives into the ocean are important for her awakening as they are connected to what Sigmund Freud called oceanic feeling, a notion that is related to the Freudian term the unconscious and Freud’s notions of Thanatos and Eros. Thanatos and Eros are hidden in Edna’s unconscious and they are activated by her bathing in the ocean. The ocean symbolizes her unconsciousness. By swimming in it, Edna slowly comes to know her unconsciousness which is filled with forbidden desires. The first time that she goes swimming in the ocean, Edna begins defying her husband. This is the start of her awakening, and she becomes more rebellious the more she continues to go swimming. The next time she goes there to swim, Edna does not see any fault to being in love with Robert or having a sexual relationship with Arobin; she is married to Pontellier but has illicit affairs with these two men. Going swimming in the ocean, which represents Edna going into her unconsciousness, makes her become aware of her sexual desires/Eros as well as her suppressed emotions. It is her bathing in the ocean that brings about the steady steps toward her awakening; that is, becoming partially aware of what is suppressed on her unconscious (Gudmundsson, 2014). Secondly, Edna’s motherlessness causes her to feel empty. She instinctively desires to go back to the unbroken bond with her mother, representing a regression to her unconsciousness. She desires a womb-like world. In a symbolic return to the ocean, Edna Pontellier gives herself up to the ocean. She commits suicide by diving into the ocean. In so doing, she returns to a womb-like world that she desired so much. She gives herself up to the ocean, symbolizing a return to the womb. According to Genovese (2013), the seductive ocean can be compared with the attractiveness of a mother’s embrace and the eroticism of Edna Pontellier is most likely anchored in her childhood. In addition, her motherlessness can be attributed to the preoedipal theory which is largely focused on the relationship with mother. This theory gives emphasis to the relationship between mother and baby; the baby fantasizes the mother as an unconditional loving maternal presence who satisfies every need (Franklin, 2013). The fact that Edna lost her mother, and she has a feeling of emptiness because of being motherless, means that the loss must have been a very significant one. Her mother passed away when Edna was a very young child, and her emotionless sister raised her. As such, she is still a baby emotionally, and she is continuously looking for a motherly influence. She longs for a mother and a mother figure in her lif...