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"'To-day it is Arobin; to-morow it will be some one else. It makes no difference to me, it doesn’t matter about Léonce Pontellier—but Raoul and Etienne!'”

In this quote, Edna is realizing how she is truly trapped under the patriarchy in her society, and believes that the only way out is through suicide to set herself free. She comes to the conclusion that no matter what, she will always be attached to a man at any moment, even though she longs for independence. This correlates to modern-day struggles as many people find themselves trapped in their own mind or lives, and believe that the only way out is through taking their own life. Suicide rates among certain groups such as men have increased exponentially, as there is still a lack of funding and seriousness towards mental health. The struggle of self-preservation is deadly, even if society largely refuses to acknowledge it.

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"Robert spoke to her incessantly; he no longer noticed Mariequita."

In this quote, the narrator was pointing out how Robert was talking with Edna, instead of Mariequita, a Mexican woman on the boat they were on. Despite that there are not many quotes displaying this, it is self-evident that women of color are only really meant to boost the white protagonist's development and story. In The Awakening, the presence of characters such as Mariequita were only truly used as a plot device to not only help drive Edna's "awakening", but to also show how the suitors in her life prioritized her attention above all other women. In popular culture today, this is mainly portrayed through the "colored best friend" trope in coming-of-age stories, often reducing colored characters as an extension of the white protagonist. This continuous misrepresentation of people of color has validated the belief that they would never be able to experience the stories that they read about, as someone who looks like them was reduced so much.

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"She looked Mariequita up and down, from her ugly brown toes to her pretty black eyes, and back again."

This quote in The Awakening was taken in the context of when Edna and Robert went on a boat with fellow guests at the resort. A Mexican woman by the name of Mariequita was there, somewhat symbolizing innocent sensuality to Edna. However, the description of her was kept very contrary. While her face is described very intricately, commenting on her eyes and facial structure, she is still said to be dirty and disgusting. This relates to the rooted issue of racial fetishization and dehumanization in the world. Due to colonization, women of color were often viewed as not human, yet still sexualized with the combination of feminine oppression during this time as well. This relates back to the novel as these ideals clearly stuck with Edna, as she is both envious and disgusted by Mariequita's appearance

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"Edna had had an occasional girl friend, but whether accidentally or not, they seemed to have been all of one type—the self-contained. She never realized that the reserve of her own character had much, perhaps everything, to do with this."

In this quote, Edna is uncomfortable with her life back in New Orleans. She is realizing that her life before was merely a shell of herself, and that her new self doesn't align with the activities of her old life. Oftentimes in the modern world, realizing true individuality late in life comes with many consequences, especially if one has built an extensive life on the person they thought they were. Despite the fact that this sub-issue is not often talked about, it is still an ongoing topic of how this contributes to the wellbeing of those affected. Integrating into a society one thought they had already fit into will always be a difficult transition, especially with the growing complexity of the human brain and growing autonomy.

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"The children appeared before her like little antagonists who had overcome her; who had overpowered and sought to drag her into soul’s slavery for the rest of her days. But she knew a way to elude them."

In this quote, Edna realized the impact that the kids had on her and how she impacts them. This directly relates to her role as the traditional housewife, of which was forced upon her by the societal norms at the time. These roles are still forced upon both men and women, just not to the same extreme degree. Nuclear families are often depicted in sitcoms and children's shows, often not depicted with nontraditional families (i.e. a stay-at-home husband).

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(Getty Images)

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed nearly every aspect of American life, including how people work, get an education, connect with their family and friend networks and fill their social calendars. Despite quarantine orders that forced many people to stay home and spend more time with their families, a new Pew Research Center analysis of October 2020 survey data finds that many of the dynamics between couples haven't changed much during this turbulent time.

At the same time, there has been a change in how some parents feel about the amount of time they spend with their children. Specifically, fathers are now more likely to say they spend the right amount of time with their children than they were before the pandemic, when a majority said they spent too little time.

Among all married or cohabiting adults, 53% say things in their marriage or relationship currently are going very well, while an additional 37% say things are going fairly well. Roughly one-in-ten (9%) say their relationship is going not too or not at all well. These shares are virtually unchanged from a Pew Research Center survey conducted in 2019, well before the coronavirus outbreak started. Men remain somewhat more likely than women to rate their relationship positively.

While assessments of overall relationship satisfaction haven't changed among either men or women, men are more likely than they were before the pandemic to say they are satisfied with at least one aspect of their relationship with their spouse or partner: how household chores are divided.

In 2019, married and cohabiting men (49%) were more likely than their female counterparts (39%) to say they were very satisfied with the way household chores are divided between them and their spouse or partner. That gap has grown in 2020: As of October, 55% of men say they are very satisfied with this aspect of their relationship, compared with 38% of women.

Another area where gender patterns have shifted is in views about how well spouses or partners are balancing work and personal life. Among married or cohabiting adults with a working spouse or partner, men (48%) are more likely than women (40%) to be very satisfied with this aspect of their relationship. In 2019, men's and women's views on this did not differ significantly.

As was the case in 2019, men are more likely than women to be satisfied with their spouse or partner's approach to parenting (57% of fathers vs. 41% of mothers are very satisfied) and with how well they and their partner communicate (47% of men say they are very satisfied compared with 40% of women).

Perhaps the most notable change in attitudes about family dynamics is in fathers' assessments of the amount of time they spend with their children. As of October 2020, 46% of fathers report spending the right amount of time with their kids - a 10 percentage point increase from 2017. A similar share of fathers (48%) say they spend too little time with their kids, down significantly from 63% in 2017. Only 5% of dads say they spend too much time with their children.

Women's views on this have not changed significantly. In the latest survey, 58% of mothers say they spend the right amount of time with their children, 28% say they spend too little time and 13% say they spend too much time with their children.

Long-standing gender disparities in the household division of labor - which have been well-documented - have persisted during the pandemic. The survey finds that, across a range of activities, married or cohabiting men and women in opposite-sex relationships have different perspectives on who shoulders more of the burden. A majority of women (59%) say they do more household chores than their spouse or partner, while 6% say their spouse or partner does more. Among men, a plurality (46%) say these responsibilities are shared about equally, while 20% say they do more and 34% say their spouse or partner does more.

The management of household finances is another area where perspectives differ significantly by gender. Some 47% of women say they do more of this than their spouse or partner, while 25% say their husband or partner does more. Men see things quite differently: 50% say they do more than their wife or partner in this area, while 23% say their spouse or partner does more than them. Gender differences in perceptions of how household chores and finances are divided were similar in 2019, suggesting these dynamics have changed little during the pandemic.

When it comes to child-rearing, women see themselves carrying a much heavier burden than their spouses or partners, while men are more likely than women to say responsibilities are evenly shared. About three-quarters (74%) of mothers say they do more to manage their children's schedules and activities than their spouse or partner; only 3% say their husband or partner does more of this. Roughly half (54%) of mothers say they do more than their spouse or partner to be an involved parent, while just 3% say their spouse or partner does more.

Most fathers (63%) say being an involved parent is shared about equally between them and their spouse or partner, compared with 43% of mothers who say the same. Similarly, fathers are more likely than mothers to say managing schedules and activities is evenly shared. Among women, perceptions about this haven't markedly changed over the past year.
Note: Here are the questions used for this report, along with responses, and its methodology.

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For American couples, gender gaps in sharing household responsibilities persist amid pandemic

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Among all married or cohabiting adults, 53% say things in their marriage or relationship currently are going very well.

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"Another time she would have gone in at his request. She would, through habit, have yielded to his desire; not with any sense of submission or obedience to his compelling wishes, but unthinkingly, as we walk, move, sit, stand, go through the daily treadmill of the life which has been portioned out to us."

In this quote, Edna is refusing to obey her husband, despite the countless amount of times she had done so before. This shows the ongoing theme in The Awakening of self-determination and freedom. In today's world, trying to find oneself is highly common, especially in young adults. Contrasting to the 1800's, finding your own individuality has become somewhat toxic in modern society, which resulted in terms such as "pick-me girl" and praising quirkiness in oneself. Even though this greatly contrasts what Edna dealt with in the novel, the emphasis on individuality in both the modern and old world are both toxic portrayals; one portrayal discouraging individuality while the other obsessively praising it.

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Obsession with individualism - The Aggie

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Apparently, being an intelligent species in a vast empty universe just doesn’t make people feel special anymore. On the other hand, nipple piercings and Bob Marley posters seem to do the trick. Marketers have been exploiting our desire to be “individuals” for decades. For all I know, the individualist movement, like Valentine’s Day, has been a marketing scheme for all these years. There is, however, a very good reason why everyone strives to be an individual, but many don’t realize the struggle requires more than a credit card.

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"It sometimes entered Mr. Pontellier’s mind to wonder if his wife were not growing a little unbalanced mentally. He could see plainly that she was not herself. That is, he could not see that she was becoming herself and daily casting aside that fictitious self which we assume like a garment with which to appear before the world."

In this quote, Leonce is noticing the changes in Edna, but instead of realizing she is becoming her own person, he believes that she is growing mentally unstable. This is mainly due to the ongoing belief that women are only seen as objects, of which do not deserve autonomy or a sense of self. In The Awakening, Edna realizes her role in society as a woman, that be she has essentially no rights or freedom, which is one of the central themes of the story. Even though the world has evolved since then, this view of women is still held by underdeveloped countries. In countries with such beliefs, women often have no autonomy and are seen as property of their husbands and fathers, similar to the society Edna was placed in.

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If you defend human rights, you defend women’s’ rights.

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Across the globe, many women and girls still face discrimination because of their sex and gender.

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"She is not one of us; she is not like us. She might make the unfortunate blunder of taking you seriously."

In this quote, Madame Ratignolle is speaking to Robert about Edna, telling him to leave her alone. This is because she believes that Edna is not in the same societal group as them since they are extensively more wealthy than Edna's socioeconomic class. This contributes to Marxist criticism since one of the biggest ideals of Marxism is the belief that everyone should not be separated by social and economic class. This separation eventually led to Edna's downward spiral into suicide.

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The middle class, once the economic stratum of a clear majority of American adults, has steadily contracted in the past five decades. The share of adults who live in middle-class households fell from 61% in 1971 to 50% in 2021, according to a new Pew Research Center analysis of government data.
From 2020: Are you in the American middle class? Find out with our income calculator

The shrinking of the middle class has been accompanied by an increase in the share of adults in the upper-income tier - from 14% in 1971 to 21% in 2021 - as well as an increase in the share who are in the lower-income tier, from 25% to 29%. These changes have occurred gradually, as the share of adults in the middle class decreased in each decade from 1971 to 2011, but then held steady through 2021.

The analysis below presents seven facts about how the economic status of the U.S. middle class and that of America's major demographic groups have changed since 1971. A related analysis examines the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the financial well-being of households in the lower-, middle- and upper-income tiers, with comparisons to the Great Recession era. (In the source data for both analyses, demographic figures refer to the 1971-2021 period, while income figures refer to the 1970-2020 period. Thus, the shares of adults in an income tier are based on their household incomes in the previous year.)

This report analyzes data from the Annual Social and Economic Supplements (ASEC) of the Current Population Survey (CPS) to study how the economic status of the American middle class has changed since 1971. It also examines the movement of demographic groups in and out of the American middle class and across lower- and upper-income tiers from 1971 to 2021.

The CPS is the U.S. government's official source for monthly estimates of unemployment; the ASEC, conducted in March each year, is the official source for its estimates of income and poverty. The COVID-19 outbreak has affected data collection efforts by the U.S. government in its surveys, limiting in-person data collection and affecting the response rate. It is possible that some measures of economic outcomes and how they vary across demographic groups are affected by these changes in data collection. This report makes use of updated weights released by the Census Bureau to correct for nonresponse in 2019, 2020 and 2021.

In this analysis, "middle-income" adults in 2021 are those with an annual household income that was two-thirds to double the national median income in 2020, after incomes have been adjusted for household size, or about $52,000 to $156,000 annually in 2020 dollars for a household of three. "Lower-income" adults have household incomes less than $52,000 and "upper-income" adults have household incomes greater than $156,000.

The income it takes to be middle income varies by household size, with smaller households requiring less to support the same lifestyle as larger households. The boundaries of the income tiers also vary across years with changes in the national median income. Read the methodology for more details.

The terms "middle income" and "middle class" are used interchangeably in this analysis for the sake of exposition. But being middle class can refer to more than just income, be it the level of education, the type of profession, economic security, home ownership, or one's social and political values. Class also could simply be a matter of self-identification.

Household incomes have risen considerably since 1970, but those of middle-class households have not climbed nearly as much as those of upper-income households. The median income of middle-class households in 2020 was 50% greater than in 1970 ($90,131 vs. $59,934), as measured in 2020 dollars. These gains were realized slowly, but for the most part steadily, with the exception of the period from 2000 to 2010, the so-called " lost decade," when incomes fell across the board.

The median income for lower-income households grew more slowly than that of middle-class households, increasing from $20,604 in 1970 to $29,963 in 2020, or 45%.

The rise in income from 1970 to 2020 was steepest for upper-income households. Their median income increased 69% during that timespan, from $130,008 to $219,572.

As a result of these changes, the gap in the incomes of upper-income and other households also increased. In 2020, the median income of upper-income households was 7.3 times that of lower-income households, up from 6.3 in 1970. The median income of upper-income households was 2.4 times that of middle-income households in 2020, up from 2.2 in 1970.

The share of aggregate U.S. household income held by the middle class has fallen steadily since 1970. The widening of the income gap and the shrinking of the middle class has led to a steady decrease in the share of U.S. aggregate income held by middle-class households. In 1970, adults in middle-income households accounted for 62% of aggregate income, a share that fell to 42% in 2020.

Meanwhile, the share of aggregate income accounted for by upper-income households has increased steadily, from 29% in 1970 to 50% in 2020. Part of this increase reflects the rising share of adults who are in the upper-income tier.

The share of U.S. aggregate income held by lower-income households edged down from 10% to 8% over these five decades, even though the proportion of adults living in lower-income households increased over this period.

Older Americans and Black adults made the greatest progress up the income ladder from 1971 to 2021. Among adults overall, the share who were in the upper-income tier increased from 14% in 1971 to 21% in 2021, or by 7 percentage points. Meanwhile, the share in the lower-income tier increased from 25% to 29%, or by 4 points. On balance, this represented a net gain of 3 percentage points in income status for all adults.

Those ages 65 and older made the most notable progress up the income ladder from 1971 to 2021. They increased their share in the upper-income tier while reducing their share in the lower-income tier, resulting in a net gain of 25 points. Progress among adults 65 and older was likely driven by an increase in labor force participation, rising educational levels and by the role of Social Security payments in reducing poverty.

Black adults, as well as married men and women, were also among the biggest gainers from 1971 to 2021, with net increases ranging from 12 to 14 percentage points.

On the other hand, not having at least a bachelor's degree resulted in a notable degree of economic regression over this period. Adults with a high school diploma or less education, as well as those with some college experience but no degree, saw sizable increases in their shares in the lower-income tier in the past five decades. Although no single group of adults by education category moved up the income ladder from 1971 to 2021, adults overall realized gains by boosting their education levels. The share of adults 25 and older who had completed at least four years of college stood at 38% in 2021, compared with only 11% in 1971.

Progress up the income ladder for a demographic group does not necessarily signal its economic status in comparison with other groups at a given point in time. For example, in 2021, adults ages 65 and older and Black adults were still more likely than many other groups to be lower income, and less likely to be middle or upper income.

Married adults and those in multi-earner households made more progress up the income ladder from 1971 to 2021 than their immediate counterparts. Generally, partnered adults have better outcomes on a range of economic outcomes than the unpartnered. One reason is that marriage is increasingly linked to educational attainment, which bears fruit in terms of higher incomes.

Married men and women were distributed across the income tiers identically to each other in both 1971 and 2021. Both groups nearly doubled their shares in the upper-income tier in the past five decades, from 14% in 1971 to 27% in 2021. And neither group experienced an increase in the share in the lower-income tier.

Unmarried men and women were much more likely than their married counterparts to be in the lower-income tier in 2021. And unmarried men, in particular, experienced a sizable increase in their share in the lower-income tier from 1971 t0 2021 and a similarly large decrease in their share in the middle-income tier. Nonetheless, unmarried men are less likely than unmarried women to be lower income and more likely to be middle income.

Adults in households with more than one earner fare much better economically than adults in households with only one earner. In 2021, some 20% of adults in multi-earner households were in the lower-income tier, compared with 53% of adults in single-earner households. Also, adults in multi-earner households were more than twice as likely as adults in single-earner households to be in the upper-income tier in 2021. In the long haul, adults in single-earner households are among the groups who slid down the income ladder the most from 1971 to 2021.

Despite progress, Black and Hispanic adults trail behind other groups in their economic status. Although Black adults made some of the biggest strides up the income tiers from 1971 to 2021, they, along with Hispanic adults, are more likely to be in the lower-income tier than are White or Asian adults. About 40% of both Black and Hispanic adults were lower income in 2021, compared with 24% of White adults and 22% of Asian adults.

Black adults are the only major racial and ethnic group that did not experience a decrease in its middle-class share, which stood at 47% in 2021, about the same as in 1971. White adults are the only group in which more than half (52%) lived in middle-class households in 2021, albeit after declining from 63% in 1971. At the top end, only about one-in-ten Black and Hispanic adults were upper income in 2021, compared with one-in-four or more White and Asian adults.

The relative economic status of men and women has changed little from 1971 to 2021. Both experienced similar percentage point increases in the shares in the lower- and upper-income tiers, and both saw double-digit decreases in the shares who are middle class. Women remained more likely than men to live in lower-income households in 2021 (31% vs. 26%).

Adults 65 and older continue to lag economically, despite decades of progress. The share of adults ages 65 and older in the lower-income tier fell from 54% in 1971 to 37% in 2021. Their share in the middle class rose from 39% to 47% and their share in the upper-income tier increased from 7% to 16%. However, adults 65 and older are the only age group in which more than one-in-three adults are in lower-income households, and they are much less likely than adults ages 30 to 44 - as well as those ages 45 to 64 - to be in the upper-income tier.

All other age groups experienced an increase in the shares who are lower income from 1971 to 2021, as well as a decrease in the shares who are middle income. But they also saw increases in the shares who are upper income. Among adults ages 30 to 44, for instance, the share in upper-income households almost doubled, from 12% in 1971 to 21% in 2021.

There is a sizable and growing income gap between adults with a bachelor's degree and those with lower levels of education. In 2021, about four-in-ten adults with at least a bachelor's degree (39%) were in the upper-income tier, compared with 16% or less among those without a bachelor's degree. The share of adults in the upper-income tier with at least a bachelor's degree edged up from 1971 to 2021, while the share without a bachelor's degree either edged down or held constant.

About half or a little more of adults with either some college education or a high school diploma only were in the middle class in 2021. But these two groups, along with those with less than a high school education, experienced notable drops in their middle class shares from 1971 to 2021 - and notable increases in the shares in the lower-income tier. In 2021, about four-in-ten adults with only a high school diploma or its equivalent (39%) were in the lower-income tier, about double the share in 1971.
Note: Here is the methodology for this analysis.

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How the American middle class has changed in the past five decades

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The share of adults who live in middle-class households fell from 61% in 1971 to 50% in 2021, according to a new analysis.

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"She could not at that moment have done other than denied and resisted. She wondered if her husband had even spoken to her like that before, and if she had submitted to his command. Of course she had; she remembered that she had."

In this quote, the narrator points out the realization in Edna on her role in life. Before she would blindly obey her husband without any other thought, but she is growing to realize that she has the right and desire to resist her husband's demands. This highlights the social problem of patriarchal dominance as it pertains to male dominance over female choice in the real world, especially during that time period.

The art piece above demonstrates this problem. A whip from a man's hand is shown to be wrapped around the point of view of a character (presumably a woman) as well as other women at the same table. This portrays the control men have over women, especially in underdeveloped countries and earlier time periods.

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"...looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage" (Chopin, 173).

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"...looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property which has suffered some damage" (Chopin, 173).

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This quote in the first chapter of "The Awakening" portrays the social issue of gender inequality and objectification. Within the context that this was written in the 1800s, it can be assumed that these beliefs of the ruling patriarchy are still taking place. Mr. Pontellier treats his wife as a trophy that must not be tarnished, for it will have lost its value. He doesn't see her as his wife, he views her as an extension of himself. Self-evidently, these morals are unethical, deeming itself to be a social problem in the book.

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Female Objectification: Who’s Really to Blame - More Than A Body

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In a culture that routinely objectifies women, who’s to blame when real-life women are viewed as objects to be groped, harassed, evaluated, and discarded?