Blog Option 3

Upon reading Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, I found myself wondering whether or not women’s societal roles within the 1800’s act as parallels to women’s roles in society today. Edna, the major character of the novel, depicts a woman who progressively not only defies her husband’s desires but also defies the social norm of a wealthy southern belle living in New Orleans in the late 1800’s. After spending a summer with an array of well-to-do women such as Madame Ratignolle, Edna decides to rebel against her motherly and wifely duties for the time period.

 Not only when reading the text did I feel significantly bothered, I couldn’t help but think of a news article my mother sent me in March about Facebook’s Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg, who in 2011 was named “Forbes Magazine’s fifth most powerful woman in the world” (NPR Staff 1).  Recently, Sandberg published a novel called Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead in which she brings about a variety of points in regard to the image women have of themselves present day. After being congratulated for being named the fifth most powerful women in the world, Sandberg actually stated she felt “embarrassed.” After reading a direct quote of Sandberg being embarrassed for being successful, not only was I angry (I actually scrunched my face up and shook my head in disbelief), I suddenly began to fully digest the reason Edna felt when she describes “ that outward existence which conforms, [while] the inward life questions” (Chopin 14). Similar to Edna conforming to societies expectations of living in the home to serve husband and children, Sandberg conformed to the idea that she really was not THAT accomplished because of the way society views women today. In The Awakening, the stereotype that women should receive callers, tend to their husband’s every wish, and nurture the children as a full time job led to women actually believing that this was their permanent societal role. Hands down, no questions asked. In present day terms, Sandberg describes the stereotype that “girls are not good at math” (NPR Staff 1).  With this stereotype hanging over female’s heads, it is no wonder they make up less than a fifth of computer science majors.

The correlation between Sandberg’s dealing with success as a woman because of overhead stereotypes could not more perfectly match Edna’s initial outward conformity to her expected role as a woman. Both women fell victims to societies expectations placed on them solely because of gender, but both made significant statements in regards to breaking societal stereotypes and being successful in the process.