The House Of Mirth And The Awakening Essay - 2166 Words

While feminist ideologies in both The House of Mirth and The Awakening are quite controversial and maybe to some nonexistent, it is quite evident that there are these two women who want to fight against their societal norms and patriarchal society. Lily Bart from House of Mirth tries to manipulate societal norms in order to achieve success, and Edna Pontellier from The Awakening actively tries to become and independent woman. In the end, I think they both succeed in becoming independent women and ideal feminists because of how they fight against their societies. Even though both Edna and Lily are suppressed by their society, they not only use their knowledge of society to fight against it, but they prove in the end of both novels that they are truly independent women and can be just as free-willed as the men. Both Edna Pontellier and Lily Bart understand what society expects of them, and they use that knowledge later to manipulate conventional societal norms to try to become individu als. Albeit, it does not end ideally for them, but throughout both The Awakening and The House of Mirth Edna and Lily fight the suppressive nature of their societies. Edna is different from Lily in this sense, however, because Edna eventually actively rejects the ideal mother-woman. When the novel first begins, we get a glimpse of what Edna was like when she was younger, which continues during her marriage to Mr. Pontellier. Knowing what she was like earlier on in her life shows how sheShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Immortal Villain of Washington Square2192 Words   |  9 Pagesimplicitly invites the hope that wars may end. In The Awakening, it is social prejudice that chafes at the heroine. 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