Adele Ratignolle: Kate Chopin's Feminist at Home in The Awakening was written by Kathleen M. Streater. The peer-reviewed magazine appears to be the only publication of Streater's writings. Edna's close companion Adele is the exact opposite of Edna in personality. Adele served as an illustration of a "mother-woman" who embodied the standards Edna is expected to uphold. Adele spends a lot of her time caring for her kids while still managing to keep her marriage happy. Adele enjoys playing music as a pastime because it makes her house look beautiful. Edna, on the other hand, cannot reconcile the contrasts between parenting and the search for casual love. Edna Pontellier was a radical feminist who started an awakening journey to reach beyond the boundaries of masculine subjugation. Streater uniquely made a convincing argument throughout the article. There are expert quotes that bolster the position she took in addressing Edna’s radical feminism thus explore feminism at a greater length. Edna fought against natural and societal structures of motherhood forcing her to be referred to as the wife of Leonce Pontellier instead being her/ self-defined individual. Streater's analysis of Adele as a mother-woman summed up that Chopin did not intend to be a mother-woman. Ethos
Kate Chopin's novel, The Awakening had symbolic meaning than earlier thought. The book received many criticism and analysis trying to come up with the meaning. Apparently, Chopin intended to portray feminism and dictates of the society. Kathleen Streater is one of the analysts who took an interest in the novel and wanted the reader to acknowledge that working with a single radical feminist without a realist feminist can lead to shambles or dead end. According to Streater, the realist feminist complements the ideas of radical feminist to give an impressive work. Unfortunately, Streater analysed Kate Chopin's work and did feature in any other literary work. There is no available bibliography about the author.
Logos
Many of the critics dismissed Adele as feminist, but Streaker precisely persuades scholars to examine Adele Ratiognolle’s revolution. Streater elicits sympathy to the readers. Critics overlook Adele’s feminism simply because she lived to tell the story. Chopin affirmed that there are feminist possibilities through Adele. Streater indicates that Adele’s ‘mother-woman’ description should be approached with great skepticism. Adele was untrustworthy thus suggesting an ironic stance existing behind admiration from the narrator (Streater 407). The exaggerated description makes readers view Adele as a saint in the idealized patriarchal position. Even though Adele is an embodiment of mother-woman, Streater indicates that she used it for self-interests. The author notes the several instances where Adele within the patriarchal role in the society becomes Kate Chopin’s feminist at home (Streater 406). Streator illustrated two cases where Adele trickly used weakness feeling like a means to an end.
Pathos
Streater believes that Chopin described two different types of women symbolizing feminism through Edna and Adele. Throughout the novel, Streater indicates that the actions by Adele support the assigned gender roles. Adele is contented with her life while Edna always wanted more. Edna looked up to Mademoiselle Reisz as the role model who according to Streater did not have such qualities. Edna is too blinded by the dire need of perceived freedom, but this was authentic feminist potential (Streater 412). However, the author requires the reader to interrogate the popular and suppressive societal demands (Streater 410). Adeptly, Streater gets the core of the matter by trying to make the reader identify with Adele instead of Edna. She wanted her audience to see that Chopin’s followers or readers would resemble domestic situation as experienced by Adele and not Edna’s rejection path.
Streater personalized struggle of Adele is a successful standpoint as her actions and attitudes seemed reassuring, affirming and realistic. These arguments manage to elicit emotions among the readers or pull them to logical thinking. Streater sought to establish Adele’s rejection of Edna as feminist role model assuming that some issue with Edna steamed out of her mother’s absenteeism. The author scrutinizes the arguments that Edna was not capable of accepting the societal role of women as appropriate as her ideals leaned more on masculine storylines (Streater412).
The author appealed to the audience not recognizes the influence of a mother in a person’s life. People should never be blinded like Edna and authentic feminism possessed by addle. According to Streater, Chopin alluded to ‘potential powers of Adele a mother and a woman’ (Streater 412). However, Edna failed to claim feminine powers under patriarchy and went on to reject her life as a female in the society (414). Streater poignant conclusion compares Adele’s victory at childbirth to escape by Edna from the maternal sea.
Conclusion
Adele Ratignolle: Kate Chopin's Feminist at Home in The Awakening succeeded in casting a liveable alternative to radical feminism expressed by Edna. Kathleen Streater thoroughly explains her pint through logical examination of Chopin’s literal nuisance. Additionally, she can appeal to the audiences’ emotion and empathy. The article has a persuasive style and measured tone. Streater uses skills carefully to pull the understated feminism of Adele thus allow Chopin’s work to explain itself freely.
Work Cited
Streater M Kathllen Adele Ratignolle: Kate Chopin's Feminist at Home in The Awakening.
