| 摘要: | Since the date of publication of Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, the novel has raised a great deal of disturbances. The contemporary society held a negative view against the novel and severe attacks on it. The Awakening challenges the long-lasting patriarchal institution, family system, and motherhood as a vocation.
At first glance, Kate Chopin’s The Awakening indeed caused some dissatisfaction and offensiveness for the majority of people in that era. Being a mother, however, the protagonist abandoned her husband especially her children in order to seek her illusions for love and the pursuit of self. But once we read the text closely, we will discover that the heroine in fact is pursuing the basic freedom as a human being; nevertheless, under the historical context and social culture, a woman is denied having such rights.
Transforming from a traditional submissive woman into a woman pursuing independence and autonomy, Edna confronts not only the long-time male-dominated societal sovereignty but also the almost indissoluble cultural institution.
In this thesis, I will explore the contemporary societal environments and ambiences in which Edna lives; the stereotype and expectations toward women’s roles; furthermore, the unique cultural background where Edna visits and who she meets and later trigger her yearning for individuation.
凱特‧蕭邦的《覺醒》自從出版，就引起極大的關注。當時的社會對於這本書，抱持負面觀點，甚至大加抨擊；因為它對長久以來的父權社會，家庭制度，以及母職為天職的角色，提出了挑戰。
凱特‧蕭邦的《覺醒》乍看之下，的確會引起某些人的不滿與反感；因為作為一個母親，拋夫棄子，拋棄她的天職，只為滿足她個人對於愛情的幻想，以及追求自我。但細讀之後可發現，她追求的其實是，做為一個人基本的自由，但限於當時的社會制度與文化，女人尚未擁有如此的權力。
《覺醒》中女主角艾得娜Edna，從一傳統與順從社會所設定的女人與母親的角色，轉變成要求自身獨立的女子，挑戰的不僅是男性長久以來所處的優勢地位，更是挑戰那牢不可破的文化認知。藉由探討當時社會環境變遷與氛圍，社會對於女性既定的角色期望，女主角艾得娜所拜訪之處與遇見的人物的獨特人文背景，之後引發她尋找自我的渴望。 |
