The Awakening

Kate Chopin uses the symbol of birds to draw on a long history of bird imagery that was used by women writers since the early 18th century to represent the limitations of their own domestic lives. Madame Lebrun’s parrot, mentioned in the opening of the novel, represents Edna, and her mockingbird represents Mademoiselle Reisz. Although their cage in invisible, these women are as entrapped as the birds: their movement is limited by society, and the world around them does not understand the language they speak. The parrot—much like Edna, after she begins her self-discovery—voices a desire for solitude, which is a necessary condition for creative work and self-expression. The mockingbird is the only one who understands the language that the parrot speaks, much like Mademoiselle Reisz is the only character who can understand Edna’s desire to be independent in every aspect of her life. At the same time, Mademoiselle faces her own limitations, because as a single woman with little money, she is marginalized in Victorian society.

The imagery of birds is further manifest in Mademoiselle Reisz’s warning that Edna must have strong wings to survive the obstacles she will have to overcome if she decides to become an autonomous woman: “The bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings.