Abstract: Awakening is the representative work of Kate Chopin, a famous feminist writer in America. This novel mainly describes Edna’s growth from a housewife, who is traditional and lacks self-consciousness, to a new woman, who is good at thinking and eager for freedom and love. This thesis analyzes the three periods in Edna’s awakening process. They are the initial awakening, the gradual awakening and the thorough awakening. Each period of awakenings separately has its own certain timing as well, which indicates the turning points of Edna’s life.

Key words: Kate Chopin; Awakening; Edna; awakening; female consciousness

CONTENTS

Abstract

摘要

1. Introduction .1

1.1 A Brief Introduction to Kate Chopin and Awakening

1.2 Literature Review

2. The Process of Edna’s Awakening 3

2.1 The Vague and Ignorant Awakening of Edna 

2.2 The Conscious and Gradual Awakening of Edna 

2.3 The Complete Awakening of Edna

3. Conclusion 9

Bibliography 11

Acknowledgements .12