Wollstonecraft and Chopin: Two Models of Feminist Thought

Introduction

One of the most fundamental and profound developments in literature and literary criticism over the past century or two is the emergence of the feminist perspective — or, more correctly, an abundance of feminist perspectives. The plural is the proper form because there is no true cohesion among the many ideals, frameworks, and conclusions that feminist authors and critics have brought to the creation and interpretation of literature from the dawn of the nineteenth century to the modern era. To be fair, certain strains of feminism can be found in earlier works as well, and it was not until the late nineteenth century that the word "feminism" was even coined; therefore, even establishing a timeline of feminist thought and perspectives is problematic. It was, however, at the beginning of the nineteenth century — or even the tail end of the eighteenth century — that some of the explicit platforms and arguments contributing to the beginnings of feminism were first put forth in a clear and codified manner. The historical development of feminist thought and the different trajectories it has taken provide interesting and deeply insightful commentaries on the feminist theories and frameworks that followed.

This paper does not attempt to define feminism, which would be an impossible task given its constantly morphing and developing nature, in addition to the conflicting premises and conclusions among different feminist frameworks. Instead, a deeper understanding of the multifaceted nature of feminism is presented through a critical reading of two feminist texts, each read using the framework developed in the other. Specifically, a reading of Mary Wollstonecraft's 1792 treatise A Vindication of the Rights of Woman from the feminist perspective as described in Kate Chopin's 1899 novel The Awakening will provide a critique of this early example of feminist thought. Conversely, a reading of The Awakening from the perspective detailed in Vindication will demonstrate some of the key problems in the development of feminist theory within a patriarchal society. Through an understanding of these perspectives and the ways in which they inform, explain, and ultimately diverge from each other, a deeper and more comprehensive appreciation of feminist ideals — and the conflicting perspectives that go by the moniker of "feminism" — will be attained, along with a keener appreciation for the issues in feminist criticism.

Textual Overview

Before critical readings of the two texts — and from the perspectives of these texts — can be undertaken, a brief overview of each is necessary. Mary Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is one of the earliest texts that can be considered explicitly feminist in nature, though it appeared a century before the term "feminist" was coined, and was thus seen as revolutionary and extreme by the standards of the day (Janes, 293–4; Hammer, 2). Comparing the treatment of women to that of slaves and concluding that women are effectively conditioned by patriarchal society — sometimes through explicit effort — to become the highly emotional and essentially irrational individuals that the patriarchy presupposes them to be, Wollstonecraft's call for greater individual respect and acknowledgement of not only the rights but the capabilities of women is decidedly forthright and substantively different from the prevailing assumptions regarding women during that period (Wollstonecraft; Hammer, 2–3). At the same time, Wollstonecraft does not clearly insist on true equality between men and women; she still holds the position of motherhood — which necessarily comes with wifehood — as the highest level of achievement for women in society. The education and respect she calls for are meant to help women better fulfill these roles, according to Wollstonecraft. There are, therefore, significant differences between her feminism and more modern versions.

Kate Chopin's The Awakening articulates more modern feminist sentiments, at least insofar as the characters and situations in the novel are concerned. Chopin clearly outlines the problems faced by wives and mothers of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but she does not suggest that there is any real hope for women in terms of achieving the independence and equality she sees as their natural right (Worton, 106; Heilmann, 88). In this, though many have identified her work as modernist before the time of the modernist movement, Chopin too presents a vision of feminism constrained by the era in which she lived — one incapable of imagining forms of feminism in which women are not only deserving but capable of forming identities without husbands or children (Horner, 132–3). The story Chopin tells of a wife in New Orleans' Creole society who "awakens" to her own feelings, passions, and capabilities, only to find herself thwarted at every turn, is at once empowering and embittering. The ambiguous ending of the novel and its heroine can alternately be seen as depicting the liberation and the destruction of the independent female (Chopin, 301–4). Taking this basic view of The Awakening as a lens through which to conduct a critical reading of A Vindication of the Rights of Woman — and vice versa — clearly demonstrates the development of feminist thinking and the different forms that contribute to feminism as a whole.

An Awoken Vindication: Reading Wollstonecraft Through Chopin

That Kate Chopin was aware of and probably familiar with Wollstonecraft's A Vindication of the Rights of Woman can be stated with a fair degree of certainty, given the direct influence that other European — though primarily French — feminist authors had on Chopin and her work (Worton, 105; Heilmann, 88). That she or her protagonist Edna Pontellier would have agreed with Wollstonecraft's ultimate conclusions is, on the other hand, incredibly doubtful. The feminist view presented in The Awakening is equal parts independence and despair, with women having a need to define themselves not through their roles in society or family, but as individuals who matter in and of themselves. This makes for a very interesting reading of Vindication, a text that still holds a woman's position in society and family as the highest attainment of female potential and that stops well short of asserting true equality or independence on the part of women. Wollstonecraft's call for a more equitable education of men and women would rightly have been applauded by Edna Pontellier; however, her insistence that "Men and women must be educated, in a great degree, by the opinions and manners of the society they live in" would likely have been a cause for further dismay on the part of Chopin's protagonist (Wollstonecraft, Chapter 2, par. 10).

The central argument of the early chapters of Vindication is that women have been turned into weaker and more artificial creatures than they truly are by a series of direct and indirect social and cultural pressures, expectations, and lessons (Wollstonecraft). Wollstonecraft especially attacks the writings of Rousseau regarding the nature of women and the manner in which they should be educated, and comments on many other specific authors and texts who have put forth patriarchal ideas regarding the state of women — both what it is and what it ought to be. There is a definite sense of reserve in the tone and arguments Wollstonecraft employs, such as frequent allowances that women may indeed be weaker than men (though always with the reminder that this has by no means been empirically demonstrated), while she simultaneously remains entirely steadfast in her insistence that the manner in which this view is imposed on women and on society as a whole makes women even weaker and less qualified for their feminine duties than they otherwise would be. One can sense that Wollstonecraft is very much a prisoner of her times, and is not free to say outright all that she believes — and that perhaps she is not truly free to think or imagine the full extent of her own capabilities.

Historical allowances for what might be perceived as an acceptance of and even an excuse for servitude would not have been foremost in Edna Pontellier's mind when reading A Vindication of the Rights of Woman. Instead, Wollstonecraft's conciliatory tone would have been read as evidence of the impossibility of escaping the social and familial demands placed on women. The fact that Wollstonecraft either cannot imagine or dares not express a desire for a life, personality, and identity completely undefined by familial expectations or social requirements demonstrates quite clearly the dilemma that Edna faces in The Awakening, where escape from the family is only entrance into a new hell of undefined and solitary existence (Chopin, 269). Wollstonecraft speaks out against the writings of men that relegate women to certain types of learning, expression, and capability, but she quite explicitly does not speak out against a system that relegates women to certain identities, dependencies, and actions — though she certainly enlarges the sphere of influence and action women ought to have. As such, she fails to address the central problem of feminism in the Pontellier perspective, namely the impossibility of female individuality and independence in a patriarchal world. It is only in isolation that Edna can find any happiness, and she must make this isolation ever more complete in order to sustain it, as the patriarchy encroaches on all populated areas — and Wollstonecraft's feminism offers no alternative to this need to escape.

A final snort of disgust might be distinctly heard from Edna Pontellier upon her reading of this line from Wollstonecraft, after which she might well have flung the text aside: "Pleasure is the business of woman's life, according to the present modification of society" (ch. 4, par. 10). What Wollstonecraft means is that women are thought to be so fragile, so emotional, and so otherwise incompetent that they are taught to seek pleasure as a means of protection — and Wollstonecraft objects to the fact that this turns women into weaker and less effective individuals than they were designed to be. The idea that the life of a woman was in any way dedicated to pleasure would be roundly rejected by Edna, both in terms of direct and tangible pleasures — sexual liberation, economic independence, the ability to paint or otherwise express passions without restraint — and in terms of the larger roles and identities that women were expected to fill as a means of creating their own identities. What Wollstonecraft fails to see — possibly because it is not explicitly raised by the male-authored arguments to which she is responding — but what Edna would absolutely perceive underlying the encouragement of pleasure-seeking in women, is that it leads to increased subservience. Wollstonecraft addresses only some of the surface issues important to feminism and fails entirely to probe as deeply as is warranted and necessary.

Conclusion

One of the central themes in both The Awakening and A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is that of motherhood. Wollstonecraft believes that all women are naturally disposed to the maternal role and that it is through the controls and unfairness of the patriarchy that they are made unsuitable for — or, in a case like Edna's, lacking a desire for — such a position. The centrality of competent motherhood to Wollstonecraft's feminism contrasts sharply with Edna's own beliefs, in which maternity represents only the most basic and perhaps even infantile expression of female capability. The lack of creativity or personal drive witnessed in Adele is evidence of this, as is Edna's increasing detachment from her children as she comes to know herself more fully. This issue of procreation and maternity continues to inform and create conflict in feminist thought to this day, and is possibly the quintessential problem that has plagued feminism from its very origins.