Have you ever thought about the difference between being true and not true to yourself? The novel The Awakening by Kate Chopin is a novel about a woman’s desire to find and live fully within her true self. Chopin uses a variety of rhetorical devices similar to strong diction, imagery, personification, parallel structure, and likewise tone to reveals the time that Edna begins to awake or live her true self.
First, in chapter six of the novel, Chopin clearly describes the awakening of the main character, Edna Pontellier, where Chopin reveals her actions and behaviors while she is changing herself so that she can be true to herself. For instance, Chopin opens the chapter by saying, “she should in the first place have declined, …show more content…
Not only that these words are mystical, but Chopin strong diction of “wander” and “spell” uncovers how the sea is like a witch where it uses spells to attract individuals like Edna. The word “spell” means a form of words held to have magic power, where it connotes mysterious. The present participle also highlights that she is forever in love with the sea, revealing the continuous relationship between Edna and the sea. In addition, the last sentence states, “the touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace.” The words “sensuous”, “enfolding”, and “embrace” underscores the strong relationship that Edna has with the sea as if it is her lover. Chopin depicts that Edna has felt in love with the sea, where she sees it as a place where she can seek freedom, and basically an escape from the social expectations as a mother and wife back in the 1900s. This whole chapter conveys a calm