The Awakening 3 :: essays research papers

Make Your Choice…   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  What is the purpose of life? What are we all reaching for? Many have pondered on this subject and have come to one conclusion – happiness. However, it is our choice whether to reach this state or not. In Kate Chopin's work, 'The Awakening,'; the main character, Edna, made her choice. She chose to be a slave to the world. She chose to live in the shadow of her husband. She chose to give into her society. It was these choices that kept her from her true passions and dreams, which was to live for herself. As one can see, sacrificing oneself for the good of another inhibits one from attaining true happiness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Many philosophers have dealt with the question of whether to live a life of servitude or to pursue one's greater happiness. Immanuel Kant stipulates that the more people cultivate their reason, the less likely they are to find happiness. He states that 'everyone is/should be aware of his/her duty, or how one ought to act.'; Everyone has a goal within himself/herself, and it is his/her responsibility to reach for it and achieve it. In 'The Awakening,'; Edna does not take responsibility. She tries her entire life to fit in the prescribed mold that her husband set for her. She invests so much time into duty and responsibility that she loses any happiness that she hoped to achieve. She was not aware of her 'responsibility as a human being.'; She was not 'aware of one's rational powers in the exercise of moral duty.'; Edna knew she was not happy living as a puppet. She wanted a change. With time, Kant noted, the person who devotes their life to reason finds themselves needing a release, in the end despising reason, and eventually pursuing only their true happiness.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  In keeping with Kant's philosophy, Edna's life has been riddled with reason and duty, essentially giving herself away to the people around her. This devotion to those people causes her to break away from her normal life and moves her to focus on finding her inherent happiness. After being 'reasonable'; for the twenty-eight years of her life, Edna breaks down. She wants to pursue love and disregard her duty to her husband and children. She falls in what she considers girlish love with the character Robert. She proclaims to him, 'I love you…only you; no one but you.