A Comparison of Kate Chopins The Awakening and Grand...

A Comparison of Kate Chopins The Awakening and Grand Isle Grand Isle is the movie adaptation of Kate Chopins 1889 novel, The Awakening. Turner Network Television (TNT) made the movie in 1991, and it stars Kelly McGillis as Edna Pontellier and Adrian Pasdar as Robert Lebrun. To say that this movie is based, even loosely, on The Awakening is an insult to Kate Chopins colorful literary work. A reviewer from People Weekly calls it a tedious melodrama and sees it as Kelly McGilliss vanity project because she is star, producer, and narrator (Grand Isle 13). Grand Isle is an example of how Hollywoods ratings scramble can tear apart a striking piece of literature. This movie misses the novels subtle commentary on†¦show more content†¦In the movie, we are left wondering how this man came to be in Ednas world. The movie does not show the development of the relationship at all. It does not speak of the pain that both Edna and Robert have to endure. In the novel, Robert loves Edna deeply, but he tries to deny his love because she is a married woman. It is what drives him to Mexico and back again. He says, I couldnt help loving you if you were ten times his wife; but so long as I . . . kept away I could help telling you so. (Chopin 142) The movie does not address the pain and indecision that paralyze Robert and Edna. It treats their relationship as a lack of self-control based on lust and the heat of the moment. The movie leaves out a crucial part of the novel that is a peak of Ednas independence. This peak is Ednas dinner party, at which she invites ten friends to a celebratory final dinner in Leonces house before she moves into the pigeon house. The party is Ednas last grand gesture. It is visual, social proof, accompanied by approval and joy, that Edna is moving out, an artist on her own. (Skaggs 96) This party symbolizes Ednas freedom from her sheltered, unhappy life in her passive role. She is even dressed the part. Her gold satin gown and jewelry suggested the regal woman, the one who rules, who looks on, who stands alone. (Chopin 118) This vital scene in Ednas awakening isShow MoreRelatedResearch Paper on Kate Chopin and Her Works2380 Words   |  10 Pages Kate Chopin is best known for her novel, The Awakening, published in 1899. After its publication, The Awakening created such uproar that its author was alienated from certain social circles in St. Louis. The novel also contributed to rejections of Chopins later stories including, The Story of An Hour and The Storm. The heavy criticism that she endured for the novel hindered her writing. The male dominated world was simply not ready for such an honest exploration of female independence, a frankRead More Comparison between Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz Essay726 Words   |  3 Pages Comparison between Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz In order to help to get a point or idea across it is not uncommon to provide two stark contrasts to assist in conveying the point. Writers commonly use this technique in their writing especially when dealing with a story that concerns the evolution of a character. An example of such writing can be found in Kate Chopins The Awakening. The novel deals with Edna Pontelliers quot;awakeningquot; from the slumber of the stereotypical southernRead MoreThe Awakening by Edna Pontellier Essay1104 Words   |  5 Pageslove, the hunger of lips, we are always alone† (Chopin 581.7). In Kate Chopin’s story The Awakening, not only is this the quote that Edna Pontellier identifies with when Mrs. Ratignolle plays piano for her, but it is also the perfect description of the struggle in which Mrs. Pontellier faces. Though, The Awakening was considered sexually charged and risquà © for its time, when one analyzes this quote and the original title of Kate Chopin’s story, A Solitary S oul, they come to the realization that thereRead MorePsychoanalytical Perspective of the Awakening1738 Words   |  7 PagesPsychoanalytical Perspective of The Awakening: The True Desires of Edna Pontellier Stacey Berry South University Online The True Desires of Edna Pontellier In the novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, the emotional and sexual awakening is exemplified by a significant revelation in regards to the main character. The protagonist, Edna Pontellier, is a young woman caught in a loveless, but pampered marriage with husband, Là ©once. Stirrings of independence began one summer after obtaining a friend in