John Carlos Rowe’s “The Economics of the Body in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening” explores the role that Edna’s physical body plays in The Awakening. The author’s purpose for writing the essay is to establish that all of Edna’s awakenings in the novel are centered on her sense of her body. To accomplish this, the author explains the historical context of the novel and explores different theories of how physical labor relates to emotional health. The author argues that the males in Edna’s life dominate her body, beginning when she is only a child and her father will not allow her to work in the fields like she wants to. This patriarchal dominance continues in her marriage and with the men she is close with in her life. Edna’s awakening begins when she realizes that her body no longer belongs to her. When she is alone, her sense of her own body is indicated through touch. The novel frequently includes scenes of Edna physically touching her flesh, as if to remind herself that she is alive. Similarly, she swims in the ocean because she can sense of the wholeness of her body. Because she has never had an outlet for bodily expression, she attempts to reclaim her body through her painting and her romantic relationships. However, she is ultimately unsuccessful, because she never obtains the love that would be required to satisfy her desire. The author of the essay presents his argument very well. He provides direct quotes from the novel itself, followed by an explanation of how he interprets it and what he believes it demonstrates. He also incorporates outside ideas, such as the novel’s connections to Marxism and to the myth of Aphrodite. In doing so, the author gives a very unique interpretation of the novel. I agree with author of the essay that Edna’s body plays a critical role in her journey. She is very much a possession to her husband, and any lacks a physical outlet of expression. Even her painting is stiff and limited, as she paints nothing more than lifeless still lifes and portraits. However, the article was very different than I imagined it would be. When the first paragraph introduced the idea of Edna’s physical body, I imagined that the author would discuss the role of Edna’s body in her sexual awakening, and her discovery that she was sexual creature. Instead, the author centered his writing on the possession and dominance over Edna’s body. Also, although I respect the ideas that the author expressed, I was not fan of the way in which he presented them. I felt as though the article skipped around a lot between thoughts and was unnecessarily repetitive. I would not call it disorganized, because the author was always able to relate everything back to his main point, but I think it would have been easier to read had the author’s ideas been more concise and grouped differently. Lastly, I found it surprising how frequently the author referred to himself using the word ‘I’ because, as students, we have always been taught not to refer to ourselves in our writing. Although I believe he referred to himself in order to make the article more personal, instead it came off sounding unprofessional and weakened his overall argument. However, I do still feel that the article gave me insight into one interpretation of the novel. I am glad that I read it.
