The Awakening Comparison Of Main Characters Biblical Women

The Awakening: Comparison Of Main Characters Verses Biblical Women Throughout history, there have been certain gender roles established for both males and females. For ages, many held the belief that women must fit a certain mold— good wife, housekeeper, caretaker, etc.,— solely based on the notion that that s what women are supposed to do. These societal standards that women are held to are prevalent in all kinds of literature, ranging from works from biblical times to the late nineteenth century. Through her novel, The Awakening, Kate Chopin shows a contrast between the characters of Mademoiselle Reisz and Adà ¨le Ratignolle versus that of Mary Magdalene and Mary the Mother of God as seen in the bible. This contrast pits the image of†¦show more content†¦Motherhood is her main priority and she exhibits saintly qualities which enhance the idea that she is a stereotypical woman during this time period. She stood watching the fair woman walk down the long line of galleries with the grace and majesty which queens are sometimes supposed to possess. Her little ones ran to meet her. Two of them clung about her white skirts, the third she took from its nurse and with a thousand endearments bore it along in her own fond, encircling arms. Though, as everybody well knew, the doctor had forbidden her to lift so much as a pin!(Chopin 12) This description of Adele by Edna Pontellier gives a deeper meaning to Adele s characterization as the perfect mother. Other women were aware of her perfection and her immense love of her children and they envied how easily it was for her to love her life and be content with just being a homemaker. Both Mademoiselle Reisz and Adà ¨le Ratignolle are extremely contrasting characters with completely different outlooks on life in the late nineteenth century. Mary Magdalene and Mary the Mother of God are both biblical women who were faced with similar societal standards even thought these time periods are hundreds of years apart. Mary Magdalene was always seen as the â€Å"rebellious† women in the bible when it turns out she really wasn t doing anything wrong. Similarly David Van Biema wrote about this topic in Time Magazine saying that Mary was first seen in the Gospel of Luke asShow MoreRelatedFigurative Language and the Canterbury Tales13472 Words   |  54 Pagesforever fled from the childless land. -Dylan Thomas, â€Å"Fern Hill† 3. allusion: A casual reference in literature to a person, place, event, or another passage of literature, often without explicit identification. Allusions can originate in mythology, biblical references, historical events, legends, geography, or earlier literary works. Authors often use allusion to establish a tone, create an implied association, contrast two objects or people, make an unusual juxtaposition of references, or bring the