The Awakening, And Selected Short Stories

by Kate Chopin

This short book was released in 1899. Because of the scandal it created, it was outlawed for many years. Kate Chopin was so outraged by the backlash to this work that she decided to stop writing entirely. The protagonist of the tale is Mrs. Edna Pontellier, a Kentucky native wed to Leonce, a Creole from New Orleans. When she reaches twenty-eight, she has a change internally one summer. Although she is not entirely conscious of what is occurring, she is aware that she feels different. She gradually stops adhering to societal norms and starts acting and saying whatever she wants. Everyone brushes it off since she's a woman and says, "Leave her alone; she'll get over it." She does not, though. She gradually gets more independent and obstinate, refusing to continue playing the game. Although this narrative was published in the Victorian era, it's difficult to imagine what may be controversial about it from a contemporary perspective. At the end of the book, there is a modest selection of top-notch short stories.