The Metaphorical Lesbian in Chopin’s The Awakening Essay -- Chopin Awa

The Metaphorical Lesbian in Chopin’s The Awakening In â€Å"The Metaphorical Lesbian: Edna Pontellier in The Awakening† Elizabeth LeBlanc asserts that the character Edna Pontellier is an example of what Bonnie Zimmerman calls the â€Å"metaphorical lesbian.† It’s important to distinguish between Zimmerman’s concept of the â€Å"metaphorical lesbian† and lesbianism. The â€Å"metaphorical lesbian† does not have to act on lesbian feelings or even become conscious of herself as a lesbian. Instead, the â€Å"metaphorical lesbian† creates a space for woman-identified relationships and experiences in a heterosexually hegemonic environment. In LeBlanc’s words, â€Å"I am suggesting†¦that the presence of lesbian motifs and manifestations in the text offers a little-explored position from which to examine the strategies and tactics by which Edna attempts to establish a subjective identity.† (237) LeBlanc’s support for this analysis comes from a variety of sources including Adrienne Rich’s article â€Å"Compulsory Heterosexuality and Lesbian Experience, Teresa de Lauretis’s, Monique Wittig’s and Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick’s wor...