摘 要：19世纪美国女作家凯特·肖邦在《觉醒》中塑造了全新的女性形象 - 埃德娜。她不满传统的女性角色和平庸的家庭生活而勇敢的追求自我。在多种因素的影响下她的女性自我意识逐渐觉醒,从而走上一条离经叛道之路。本文主要从自然，社会和个人三个方面的因素对埃德娜的觉醒进行分析，从中我们可以看出女主人公作为一个自然人和社会人的冲突。最终埃德娜以牺牲生命的代价换取了她精神的胜利，实现了她的心路历程－觉醒。

关键词：觉醒；女性主义；自我意识

Abstract：In the 19th century, American female writer Kate Chopin shaped a new female image - Edna in The Awakening. She was dissatisfied with the traditional female roles and mediocre family life, so she was courageous to seek herself. Under the influence of various factors, her female consciousness was gradually awakening, thus she took a departure from the way of social norms. This paper mainly analyzes from three aspects ― the natural, social and personal factors for Edna's awakening, from the novel, we can see the conflict of the heroine as a natural person and social person. Finally Edna got her spiritual victory at the expense of her life, and she achieved her awakening.

Key words: The Awakening; feminism; self-consciousness

Contents

摘要.i

Abstract...........................................ii

I. Introduction.................................1

II. Natural Factors in Edna’s Awakening..................2

2.1 The Natural Environment of the Grand Isle.....................2

2.2 The Natural Environment of the New Orleans....................3

III. Social Factors in Edna’s Awakening............................3

3.1 The Social Context.3

3.2 Edna’s Marriage...5

3.3 Edna’s Social Circle....6

IV. Personal Factors in Edna’s Awakening................11

4.1 Edna’s Solitude and Contemplation..11

4.2 Sexual Consciousness in Edna...13

V. Conclusion.............14

Bibliography............16

Acknowledgements.17

The Analysis of the Causes for the Heroine’s Awakening in The Awakening

I. Introduction

 The industrial revolution created the pision of human. Men went out to work to support their families, while women stayed at home to assist husband and bring up children. However, men took advantage of the natural pision of labor to restrict women from the economic, physical, and even sexual aspects. The outside world was gradually dominated by men, women could only stay at home, be absorbed in the housework. Finally, the man created a male centered society. The heroine of The Awakening ― Edna lived at this kind of society, women were deprived of all the rights and freedoms that people took for granted today. They depended on men, they were just part of her husband's property, they had no right to choose life, had no independent personality, and can't own property. Edna was oppressed in such a social environment, influenced by different effects around people, and her self – consciousness awakened, she eventually took a departure from the way of social norms.

 The main parts of this paper analyzes from three aspects for the reasons of Edna's awakening. Chapter two analyzes the influence of natural factors. This part respectively analyzes from the Grand Island’s natural environment and New Orleans’s natural environment. Chapter three analyzes the influence of social factors. This part analyzes from social context and her social circle for the cause of her awakening. Chapter four analyzes the impact of personal factors. Edna is a woman who is good at independent thinking, and with her sexual consciousness gradually awakening, all of these are the intrinsic power of promoting her thoughts on awakening. This paper analyses the reasons for the Edna awakening from a variety of angles, thus reveals the complex mental journey of the heroine and the cause of her death.