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Bibliography

Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. New York: Harper Collins. Print.

Clark, Zoila. "The Bird That Came out of the Cage: A Foucauldian Feminist Approach to Kate Chopin's The Awakening." Journal for Cultural Research 12.4 (2008): 335-47. Taylor & Francis Online. Routledge. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

Elz, A. Elizabeth. "The Awakening and A Lost Lady: Flying with Broken Wings and Raked Feathers." The Southern Literary Journal 35.2 (2003): 13-27. JSTOR. The University of North Carolina Press. Web. 18 Nov. 2015.

Bird with a Broken Wing

Strong Wings

"A bird with a broken wing was beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water." (Chopin, 189)

"[Mademoiselle Reisz] said 'The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth.'" (Chopin, 189)

The bird symbolzes Edna's failure; the bird is broken like Edna's dreams of being understood

The fulfillment of Mademoiselle Reisz's earlier words

Uses birds to demonstrate that Edna needs to have the strength to become her own person

Foreshadowing the bird fluttering above the ocean when Edna dies

"The two most important people in [Edna's] life are Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz, who live very different lives and assist Edna as she explores which life, the True Woman or New Woman, she wants. She knows she is not a 'mother-woman' ... However, Edna has all the trappings of a True Woman - the husband, the children, the house, and the responsibilities." (Elz, 18)

Pigeon House

Pigeons are thought of as adapted to society, and nearly tame

Ironic that this is where Edna runs to escape society

Madame Lebrun's Parrot

"He could speak a little Spanish, and also a language which nobody understood, unless it was the mocking bird," (Chopin, 5)

Mother-Women of Grand Isle

The parrot symbolizes Edna's internal opinions, as we are introduced to the parrot (and the novel) with it yelling and swearing at Mr. Pontellier from its cage.

The Mocking Bird

"It was easy to know them, fluttering about with extended, protecting wings when any harm, real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood." (Chopin, 16)

Mademoiselle Reisz is what is symbolized by the mocking bird, as the only person to understand Edna's frustration

The symbolism of the "mother-women" having wings is important as it alligns them with the pure ideal of an angel

Instead of using their wings and flying away as a bird would, it is as if their wings are clipped and only to be used to protect their children and look pretty as a domestic pet.

"[Edna] begins by gaining awareness of being caged by patriarchal restraints, goes through the various stages of self-reinvention, and finally escapes from a society that sought to confine her." (Clark)

Thesis Statement

In The Awakening by Kate Chopin, birds are used symbolically to represent women's oppression.

Bird Symbolism in The Awakening by Kate Chopin

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