Abstract: Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening not only has a clear anti-traditional tendency, but also has the characteristics of feminist literature. The novel calls on people to pay more attention to the women’s inner world and self-worth. As we all know, despite now we are in 21th century, feminism is still a heated topic which discussed by many scholars form both home and abroad. The present paper studies from the perspective of feminism. By studying heroine Edna’s awakening to explore the feminist ideas on her and Kate Chopin, only by so we can infer that at that time, women began to yearn for and pursue freedom and independence. So by studying of this novel, we can not only explore the development of feminism but also give some impact on the values of modern women. This is essential for the development of modern women.

Key words: The Awakening; feminism; value

Contents

Abstract

中文摘要

Introduction-1

I.-Creation Background-3

A Historical and Cultural Background of The Awakening-3

B. The Development of Feminism-4

II.-Feminist Consciousness in Edna-6

A.-Awareness of Independence-6

B.-The Pursuit of Equality between Men and Women-7

C.-Achieving of Self – Value-8

III.-The Similarity between Kate Chopin and Edna-9

A.-Kate Chopin’s Feminist Ideas-9

B.-The Embodiment of Kate Chopin’s feminist Consciousness in Edna-10

Conclusion-13

Bibliography-14

Acknowledgements-15