I really enjoyed reading The Awakening by Kate Chopin and “Sleep” by Murakami. Both of these pieces of writing had interesting female protagonists with a compelling narrative to match. In both of these pieces, I noticed both of the authors used the motif of water, which was pretty fascinating.
In The Awakening, the motif of water symbolizes rebirth and liberation. Throughout the fragments of the story, Edna, the protagonist, is often described as looking towards the ocean, typically with longing. She is drawn to water because it represents liberation, specifically in death, and a rebirth away from societal expectations and repression. Edna’s connection with the water enables her to establish independence, which makes sense since water is often described as ‘uncontrollable’ and free.
I am not sure if this is right, but, in “Sleep” by Murakami, I saw a religious interpretation of the water motif of rebirth. Often in the Christian faith, particularly in Protestantism, there are cultural customs of washing one’s feet to symbolize humility and cleansing before Jesus’s death. This custom was done to represent cleansing one’s sins and to be renewed. I was reminded of this when the man in the protagonist’s dream pours water over her feet. I thought that was pretty similar. In addition, the protagonist mentions swimming being in her past life. I thought that maybe her past was cleansed from her, similar to baptism by immersion, when she swims underwater, allowing for her new self to be revealed.
No comments:
Post a Comment