Critical Views on the AwakeningThe Awakening, written by Kate Chopin, is full of ideas and understanding about human nature. In Chopin's time, writing a story with such close attention to the sensual details of both men and women aroused skepticism among readers and critics. However, many critics have different opinions regarding the deeper thought that went into The Awakening. The symbolism, the interpretation of Edna's suicide and the awakening play an important role in the analysis of all critics. The symbolism in The Awakening is interpreted in many ways. It is important to understand the meaning of each critic's explanation of symbolism to fully appreciate the novel. Art, for example, becomes a symbol of both freedom and failure (Wyatt). It is through the process of trying to become an artist that Edna reaches the highest point of her awakening (Wyatt). Clothes are also important to discover symbolism. When Edna is first introduced she is fully clothed. Little by little she undresses until finally she enters the water to die, completely naked. Her undressing symbolizes the abandonment of social rules in her life, her growing awakening, and emphasizes her physical and external self (Wyatt). Two modern critics, Neal Wyatt and Harold Bloom, agree that Edna is symbolized for her "quest for self-discovery or the self." Edna feels caged, which makes her search very difficult. The use of birds in the story helps the reader understand Edna's feeling of entrapment and inability to communicate (Wyatt). Just like the loss of clothes, birds symbolize freedom and escape from the cage. The ability to spread one's wings and fly is a symbolic theme that recurs often in the novel (Wyatt). Many readers don't like the ending... middle of the page... which many people found unladylike or even perverted at the time. However, as time passes and readers and critics find it easier to talk about sensual emotions, Chopin is now known as one of the most respected and brilliant writers who ever lived. Women had the feelings she wrote about and life was as discriminating as she described it, but only Kate Chopin had the courage to tell them. Critics have thought deeply about The Awakening and with every analysis you read, comes a new and unique awakening. Works Cited Gilbert, Sandra J. "The Novel of Awakening." Bloom, Harold, ed. Modern Critical Opinions: The Awakening, Kate Chopin, Rosowski, Sandra M. “The Second Coming of Aphrodite.” Bloom, Harold, ed. Modern critical opinions: Kate Chopin; Chelsea House: New York, 1987. Wyatt, Neal. "Suicide". http://www.vcu.edu/engweb/eng384