Empowering Through Words in Awakening

The main character in Awakening is identified as Belle Carpenter in the title of the story, but I feel that the main character is actually George. While the action centers on the means by which Belle and Ed start dating, the main internal conflict in the story is that of George. George makes the discovery of using words to empower himself, and this "awakening" is what eventually leads to Belle's union with Ed.

George fits in to many archetypal themes that are in the novel, including the theme of self and the theme of hero. When George makes his discovery he tells Belle that she must start treating him more like a real man, and by this he means that he wants to have more power in their relationship. This can fall in to the theme of hero because it is implied that George, by wanting more power, also wants to be able to "rescue" Bell and take care of her in the ideal ways that a man takes care of a woman. He wants to gain the control in the relationship, but Belle is clear that she wants to be the more "manly" in her relationship. This idea of Belle wanting to have control ultimately becomes the main contradiction of the story because she ends up in the submissive role of girlfriend to Ed.

I think that the idea of self also comes up as a theme in this story for George. When George makes the discovery that he can use words to become more powerful he is ultimately making a discovery about himself. Through this discovery George is able to become a different person when with Belle, a person who wants to have control over their relationship, and who wants to be treated as more of a man. This theme becomes important because it sets up the story for Belle to become a contradictory character and date Ed at the end of the story.

The "awakening" in the story is that of George, who makes the discovery that he can empower himself through the use of words. George is awakened from his former self, and transformed in to a man who commands authority in his relationship with Belle. This awakening, while bringing George back to his starting point of being alone, serves the purpose of illuminating the contradictory nature of Belle, and sets up her relationship with the abusive macho character of Ed.