Many great authors incorporate symbols throughout their pieces in order to give the reader a deeper meaning of what they are trying to convey. Before The Awakening Chopin wrote numerous amounts of shorts stories and was unable to master the literary art of symbolism. Her structure was unorganized which led to many problems with her writing. By the time she wrote The Awakening Kate Chopin was a master of literary symbolism and within almost every piece she writes the symbols play a large role in comprehending the “bigger picture.” According to Merriam- Webster Online Collegiate Dictionary, symbolism is: the art or practice of using symbols especially by investing things with a symbolic meaning or by expressing the invisible or intangible by means of visible or sensuous representations. Kenneth Eble’s essay from the Twentieth-Century Literary Criticism (TCLC) says, “[Chopin] seems to have grasped instinctively the use of the unifying symbol—here the sea, sand, and sky—and with it the power of individual images to bind the story together” (Eble 2). Throughout Kate Chopin’s novel about sexual passion and private emotions the use of symbolize helps impose her ideals about Edna’s struggle with society.

Chopin begins The Awakening with the description of birds locked in a cage; these birds are considered by most professors’ parallels to various characters in the novel. Besides the characters these animals represent a generalization of the Victorian women in their age (Ward 3-4). Throughout the novel an assortment of birds and images in relationship to each other emerge. According to an online reference, these avian symbols represent freedom from society, failure and even some of the decisions that Edna Pontellier is faced with (Woodlief 1). The novel opens with a parrot and a mockingbird locked in a cage screaming “Allez vous-en! Allez vous-en! Sapristi!” the translation of this text is “Get out! Get out! Damn it!” (Chopin 5). Stated in the Sparknote, these messages are symbolic to Edna in her post-awakening state of mind. It illustrates the illicit thoughts that she ponders while she awaits the forthcoming awakening. The cages that the parrots are in metaphorically represent societies’ confinement of women. These captivities do not let women have much room to move around and express themselves. As the trapped parrot struggles for freedom (trying to escape the cage), it knows that it is unachievable. Edna also begins to fight for freedom and realizes that society will never lower its standards to except her as equal whether she is a mother, wife or woman (Ward 4).

Besides Edna, another character that has a symbolic counter side is Alcee Arobin, the young charmer who seduces Edna during her awakening. Chopin was able to craft his name from the “the harbinger of spring”, which is a robin. Cambridge University notes that Robins are known for flying near humans and are not afraid of them alike Alcee who finds it easy to move from woman to woman and ignores the “cages” society places on them (Martin 2).

Another personality that adds to Edna’s awakening through the use of avian symbolism is Mademoiselle Reisz. In the beginning of the novel after the parrot has his escapade it says “he could speak a little Spanish, and also a language which nobody understood unless is was the mocking bird,” which refers to Mad. Reisz because she is a lost soul like Edna who are able to communicate since they are comparable in the eyes of humanity (Chopin 5). As Edna’s mentor, Mad. Reisz gives Edna advice having to relate to avian and Edna. Mad. Reisz told Edna, “The bird that would soar above the level of plain tradition and prejudice must have strong wings. It is a sad spectacle to see the weaklings bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth” (Chopin 85). This warning was telling Edna that in order to escape social convictions she must have the strength and energy to succeed (Martin 1).

At the end of Edna’s struggle she gives into suicide and the last image she sees is, “a bird with a broken wing was beating the air above, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water” (Chopin 116). This wounded bird falling to its death directly symbolizes Edna’s effort to free herself from society and her ultimate escape from reality.

“The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander,” this excerpt shows how Chopin structures the sea to symbolically call on Edna during her awakening (Chopin 25). The archetypal sea is a representation of rebirth, escape and freedom which directly relates to the protagonist of Chopin’s novel. Throughout the novel Chopin craftily made her language a dichotomy with the sea which sets the tone for most of the scenes (Woodlief 3). Being restricted to land resembles the limitations society puts on women and when Edna begins her awakening she starts to learn how to swim which is looked at as pushing society’s limitations “She grew darling and reckless, overestimating her strength. She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before” (Chopin 47). Immediately following her voyage into the sea she tells her husband and he shafts her back into her social confines by saying “You were not so very far, my dear” (Chopin 48).