The Awakening and Fried Green Tomatoes
In ChopinÆs (1899) The Awakening and FlaggÆs (1997) Fried Green Tomatoes, we are treated to a variety of female characters whose varying degree of bonds act as a shield against patriarchy and cultures that oppress self-awakening. So too, the different relationships that develop among the female characters often act as a shield against the condition of being a woman in cultures that dictate roles and behaviors that are limiting. In Fried Green Tomatoes we are privy to the lives of Idgie and Ruth, owners of the Whistle Stop cafT in Alabama. Thrown into the mix are Evelyn Couch, an overweight woman suffering from a mid-life crisis and an inability to develop a self-confident identity, and the elderly Ninny Threadgoode, offering tales of her past that inspire, enlighten, and awaken Evelyn and the others to lifeÆs potentialities. In The Awakening, we have Edna, a married woman who is confined in expression and identity by her rigidly defined roles of wife and mother. Her friend Adele acts as an inspiration and refuge, much like Ninny does for Evelyn in Fried Green Tomatoes. Mademoiselle Reisz, a spirited artist, serves much the same role for the women in The Awakening as Ninny in Fried Green Tomatoes. A character comparison of both works demonstrates the similarities among the women as they struggle to maintain independent and fulfilling identities outside of the rigid roles defined for them by culture and patriarchy.
Edna and Evelyn are parallel characters in the two works, in that by their interaction with the other female characters they both develop stronger and more fulfilling identities outside of social norms and expectations. Edna is a married mother but finds marriage and motherhood highly unfulfilling. She describes a wedding as ôone of the most lamentable spectacles on earthö (Chopin 1899). Edna will eventually rebel against the strict roles and limitations imposed on...