Thus, Greenblatt is right with his thesis that culture is “a repertoire of models to which individuals must conform” (Greenblatt 225). In the long term, Edna`s behaviour will lead to the reduction of the Pontelliers` economic and social status. Since Edna doesn`t conform to this custom, she causes her husband`s business success to be threatened. Consequently, the Reception Day has not only an entertaining function, but especially an economic one as the invited guests are important for Mr. Belthrop because “Belthrop could buy and sell ten times over” (Culley 49). However, Leonce mainly worries about the financial consequence of Edna`s behaviour as he tells her not to ignore Mrs. By abandoning the Reception Day, Edna dishonors Leonce because her duty as a middle-class wife is to show her husband`s wealth and status to her visitors (Martin 19).

He informs Edna that they have to keep to certain social conventions “if ever expect to get on and keep up with the procession” (the same page). As Leonce learns this from his wife he becomes very angry with her. Ednas rediscovery of feelings that she has long repressed underlie her search for freedom, self-expression, and love. Despite this tradition, Edna goes out on Reception Day without having a proper excuse, but “simply felt like going out” (Culley 49). Furthermore, it is regarded as very rude to be out when guests call (Culley 123). At this particular day, the wife has to be prepared for callers and visitors permanently. Abandoning the Reception DayĪccording to “An Etiquette/Advice Book Sampler” the Reception Days are among the most important duties of a wife at the time of the turn to the twentieth century. By means of two specific examples from the text, I will show that Greenblatt`s thesis corresponds to the function of culture at the time in which the novel takes place.

In the following essay I will prove that cultural boundaries and social conventions play a very important role in “The Awakening”. This controlling function of culture is a central issue in Kate Chopin`s novel “The Awakening”. In his essay “Culture”, Steven Greenblatt makes the assertion that culture functions “as a pervasive technology of control, a set of limits within which social behaviour must be contained” (Greenblatt 225). Vogue was clearly aware that Chopin's themes were often daring, and its editors gave her her most consistently tolerant forum. Edna is fighting against the societal and. This later then led to many other women writers of the. The controlling function of culture as an important theme in Kate Chopin`s novel “The Awakening” Kate Chopin displays this rejection gradually, but the concept of motherhood is major theme throughout the novel. When the book was reevaluated years later it was then recognized as canonical due to the feminist theme.

The awakening themes