Papa Dont Preach Essay -- Literary Analysis, Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte, tells the tale of a young orphan girl who is left under the jurisdiction of her dead uncle’s cruel wife and her family. Alone in the large estate and often subjugated to her aunt’s unjust punishments and her cousin’s fist, Jane becomes solitary and sensitive to the kindness of others. She awaits the liberation of adulthood to become self-sufficient and to find someone to love. Similarly, in The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Edna Pontellier grows up in a motherless household with her authoritative father and treacherous sisters. She is often considered the model of female oppression and empowerment in the late 1800s, but her â€Å"awakening† actually results from her experiences in a cold and distant family. Edna’s suppressive childhood leads to her desire for independence in adulthood and helps her come to the realization that mothers play an important role in their children’s lives. Misinterpreted as hidden desires, Edna’s emotions towards love and freedom stem from the lack of familial love. Her father’s flippant thoughts towards her are shown when he tells Leonce that â€Å"authority, coercion are what is needed†¦ [to] manage a wife† [94]. He regards his daughter as just another woman and approaches raising her in the same manner that he treated his wife. Edna’s distant relationship with her sisters is shown in her refusal to go to the wedding [94] and her distaste for the motherly tones in her elder sister’s affections [22]. Coming from an isolated plantation, her youth was lonely and in result she grew to lack proper social skills and became more sensitive to kindness. This is supported by Adele’s statement to Robert, â€Å"...she is not like us. She might make the unfortunate blunder of taking you seriously.† ... ... follow them. While she had these unselfish undertones, the ultimate reason for her suicide was the desire to not be possessed by anyone; she had considered the children but this final act was her defiance. Taking her mother’s lead, she decides to not run away and to face her separation through death. Edna’s family had a profound effect on what her views and desires leading up to her awakening. The distance between them, geographically and emotionally, would eventually lead to her want of intimacy and warmth once found. The absence of a proper family structure in Edna’s childhood home set the foundation for her indifference to the roles of a wife and a mother, also creating a feeling of irresponsibility. Not until after making the acquaintance of a maternal and sensible woman, Adele, does Edna truly learn the burden of a mother’s position in her children’s lives.