It is essential to first define femininity, before we can identify whether literary works present it as a performance and not as a natural way of being. The definition of femininity changes over the decades. In the 1920s the feminine look was considered a flat chest and an understated figure, while the following decade promoted the curvier, hourglass body. While the idea of ​​femininity runs deeper than appearance, these physical components demonstrate women's ever-evolving expectations. Kate Chopin taps into these ever-evolving pressures, presenting gender as a collective that is expected to be malleable to the desires of men and the desires that current society impresses upon them. Her works were composed in the late Victorian era, when society's perception of the "perfect woman" was shaped by motherhood and being the ideal wife. Femininity is certainly presented as an unnatural performance in Chopin's final work, The Awakening (1899) to demonstrate the change in gender roles that society was choosing to ignore. Literature has always been used to give voice to those who are repressed, and Chopin does this for the women of the time. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Chopin certainly presents femininity as an ideal shaped by men, thus suggesting that it is a performance to appeal to the opposite sex, and not a natural way of being. Mr Pontellier is said to regard his wife as "a valuable personal asset which has suffered some damage". The abstract noun “property” explicitly demonstrates that he sees his wife as an asset, that she must fit a mold of femininity to maintain an amiable outward appearance to the judgmental Victorian world. Nicholas Royle and Andrew Bennett reference Mr. Pontellier's need to dominate in their work, stating that where two binary oppositions exist, there must be a hierarchical force. Mr. Pontellier's sense of belonging can be highlighted by his statement that his wife Edna has begun to behave in a "peculiar" way, stating that she "sadly stays in the carriages of the street, coming in after dark." The preposition of time "after sunset" alludes to the curfew, showing that Edna is firmly under her husband's hand, as a child would be. Chopin could certainly use this to illustrate the subordinate position of women in society. Mr. Pontellier begins to worry when his wife rebels against this control and therefore against the feminine ideals she should align herself with, highlighting femininity as unnatural and restrictive. Through the presentation of Edna's confined existence, Chopin could certainly eliminate his own frustrations with the treatment of women in where he lived, the American South. There, the female sex belonged to a subset of each class, and men held both legal and social authority. Even white women did not have suffrage in the United States at the time Chopin was writing. However, it is important to analyze all the female characters that Chopin writes in his novel, to fully evaluate his representation of femininity. This is due to the fact that some women are portrayed to naturally follow the feminine ideals expected of them. After Mrs. Pontellier receives a box from her husband, the women of his company exclaim that he is "the best husband in the world." From the reader's point of view, it is evident that Mr. Pontellier is certainly not a perfect spouse. Through this description of effortless corruption,Chopin presents the idea that women who align themselves with ideas surrounding femininity and therefore obey and worship their husbands are blind and superficial, consequently placing them in a negative light and highlighting his disgust at such behavior. F. Scott Fitzgerald refers to this as "blindness", in which a character written Daisy declares "that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool." Chopin certainly disagrees with this statement, encouraging female rebellion against female constructs and criticizing those who choose to fall in line without revolt. Chopin describes this feminine alignment by threading a series of short scenes throughout the text, in the form of biblical images describing motherhood. These serve as reminders of how far Edna has departed from her assigned social duties as both a wife and mother, or, from a broader perspective, from the general conventions of Victorian society. Perhaps unexpectedly, Chopin herself fulfilled the social responsibilities expected of her as a woman, giving birth to six children in the first ten years of her marriage to her husband Oscar. However, he presented a certain rebelliousness by enjoying a wide range of unconventional freedoms, such as running away to smoke cigarettes or take solitary walks around New Orleans. Madame Ratignolle is not depicted to take part in anything of the sort, as she symbolizes the ideal Victorian wife. She is an example of a “mother-woman” that Chopin reinforces, while the character of Edna is certainly not. In one of the paintings, she is said to "walk...with...grace and majesty...two of them [her children] clung to her white skirts." The color symbolism provided by the attributive modifier “white” creates allusions to an angelic and almost supernatural being. Here Chopin may simply be creating an image of purity, yet the celestial imagery somehow stifles the idea that Madame Ratignolle is human. This therefore suggests that Chopin views the maintenance of such purity as unnatural and an ideal that should not be held by a human being. In addition to this description, the reader is informed that the character was told not to “raise a pin” at the doctor's request. Despite her otherworldly appearance and sufficient strength to bear children, Madame Ratignolle is still very much under the control of men and their instructions, thus contributing to the idea that femininity is a male ideology that women are forced to follow. This idea, it could be argued that Chopin presents women as a set of two species: the “mother-women” and those who are not. The former are described as "fluttering with extended and protective wings". A careful analysis of the concrete noun “wings” raises questions about what Chopin is attempting to achieve in this section. It is difficult to understand whether the writer is simply referring to the protective nature of these women as mothers, or comparing them to house birds who can only carry out their assigned tasks in an enclosed space. This space could be seen as a cage, created by social ideals and trapping the woman it contains. Society at the time viewed these mothers as living the life that was meant for them, but Chopin alludes to the fact that their existence was restrictive and deeply influenced by external social ideologies. In contrast to this in-depth description, we are not offered images of Edna and her children, but rather let us imagine what these moments would be like based on the fact that the character is fond of her children in an “erratic and impulsive way”. Edna's role as a mother is not idealized and her actions towards her children are often done out of necessity. Through this lack of informationregarding Edna's raising of her children, Chopin may be suggesting that motherhood should be a private affair, and not something that everyone should be able to see and express their opinions about. This idea is compounded when we consider that Chopin certainly does not praise this sort of “mother-woman” who allows the audience to see how she approaches motherhood. Instead, she integrates different representations of women to emphasize that they do not have to fit into a feminine ideal, which she presumably considers unnatural. Her inclusion of Mademoiselle Reisz's character is crucial in this regard, as she is the perfect example of a single woman chasing her dreams, highlighting that not everyone fits the mold of the perfect mother that Victorian society wishes them to be. Indeed, Ms. Reisz's talent for music gives her a kind of power; his piano playing "shakes a man!" The exclamatory mood of the phrase highlights his ability to entertain and almost overwhelm the audience he plays for. It is also said that “no one could play Chopin like Mademoiselle Reisz!” In a Victorian world dominated by the male sex, this declarative phrase is certainly encouraging. However, a more feminist reading might suggest that the character is still aligning with female performance. Women were expected to have "achievements", one of which was musical talent, which suggests that Mademoiselle Reisz is still confined by social conventions. Despite this, the character is still pursuing her main passion as a career, which escapes the feminine ideal of a passive woman, thus mostly escaping this conformism. Edna is portrayed as a character who is aware of the situation her gender places her in. Unlike many other female characters played by Chopin, she does not align herself with the masculine ideal and declares: "I am no longer the property of Mr. Pontellier." This actually contradicts Louisiana laws of the time, a contextual consideration that highlights the fact that women were forced to fulfill a feminine ideal both legally and socially. The idea that women were not property was certainly a foreign idea. This is evidenced by Robert's face going “a little white” and asking “What do you mean?” The character does not understand the concept that Edna has the power to give herself to someone of her own accord, rather than out of duty. The character's reactions to changing perceptions highlight the radical nature of Edna's actions in a world where most women are more than happy to perform their feminine duty. However, it can be argued that despite Edna's actions, she always remains dependent on a male and therefore unconsciously aligns herself with expectations surrounding femininity. Once Robert leaves for Mexico, she describes the world without him as "very boring." The intensifier “very” highlights that she depends very much on him for her happiness. It seems that whatever independence she has awakened to, it seems insignificant and almost eradicated once Robert is not with her. It could certainly be argued that this is due to her love for him, rather than a lack of independence. However, her constant need for a male presence in her life suggests that society's view of femininity has had a profound effect on Edna, creating a life in which she naturally feels she must depend on a male for true happiness. This is somewhat compounded by Edna's Thoughts as the novel begins to draw to a close. Her true wish is that no one depends on her and that she does not depend on anyone. However, this is because he wants his life to be free to carry his story forward.