Albert Camus 'Suicide In The Awakening'

She leaves the care of her children to her grandmother, abandoning them and her husband when she leaves to live in the pigeon-house. To her, leaving her old home with Léonce is very important to her freedom. Almost everything in their house belonged to him, so even if he were to leave, she would still feel surrounded by his possessions. She never fully becomes free of him until she physically leaves the house. That way, Edna has no ties whatsoever to that man. Furthermore, Edna indulges in more humanistic things such as art and music. She listens to Mademoiselle Reisz’s playing of the piano and feels the music resonate throughout her body and soul, and uses it as a form of escapism from the world. Based on these instances, Edna acts almost like a very young child, completely disregarding consequences and thinking only about what they want to do experience most at that moment. However, to the reader this does not necessarily appear “bad”, but rather it is seen from the perspective of a person who has been controlled by others their entire life and wishes to break free from their grasp. In a way, she is enacting a childlike and subconscious form of revenge by disobeying all known social constructs of how a woman should talk, walk, act, and interact with others.

It seems that a “radiant peace settled upon her” only “ [as] she at last [finds] herself alone…[as] the children were gone” (Chopin 80). Only when she isn’t expected to behave the way a mother-woman should, does Edna feel peace and the visual imagery associated with the word radiant characterizes her as much happier without her societal role. It is only after Edna understands the potential fulfilment that she can gain by disregarding the social expectations in place for women that she attempts to find it. No longer does she long for the “little glimpses of domestic harmony” instead feeling pity for Adele Ratignolle’s “colourless existence” (Chopin, 183). Here the word “colourless” contrasts with “radiant” as something “radiant” cannot be without colour. Colour and radiance become symbolic of a life fully lived, one including personal happiness and identity. By awakening, Edna seems not only more aware but also more conscious of the rigidity and “colourlessness” that she has borne for so long. She is no longer confined by the expectation that women should sacrifice their own personal happiness and identity to fulfil those of their

Chopin especially reveals the growth of Edna’s inner identity through her increasingly conflicting interactions with her husband

Edna portrays her role as a feminist in many ways. She tells Madame Ratignolle "she would never sacrifice herself for her children, or for anyone. . . . I would give up the essential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself" (Chopin 47). This exemplifies Edna's theory that if she gives up her soul, the very base of her womanhood and what she stands for in life, then her existence and her point in the world is over, and she may drift away into the abyss of commonality. "Kate Chopin has given Edna an inner sight. Edna begins on a search of what is to be, not of what it is necessarily to be female, but simply to be," Jennifer Ward compares. Edna believes in herself as a strong individual and moves forward to attaining her sexuality and opinions, strongly enforcing the beliefs of feminism to intimately discovering one's mind and body. Although there are many different definitions of feminism, it is conclusive that feminism is about the labors of women to define themselves as passionate counterparts to men, and not merely faithful dogs padding loyally on the heels of their masters.

In the iconic debated novel “The Awakening”, Kate Chopin’s novel takes place in the Victorian Era, which is in the 19th- century, similarly the novel was published in 1899. Edna is depicted as a woman longing for more, a woman who was looking for more than just a life of complacency and living in the eyes of society. The story uses Edna to exemplify the expectations of women during this era. For example, a woman’s expression of independence was considered immoral. Edna was expected to conform to the expectations of society but the story reveals Edna’s desires which longed for independence in a state of societal dominance. Throughout The Awakening, Chopin’s most significant symbol,

Many times however, her rebellion is seen as selfish childishness to others. Breaking the rules and finding her true happiness is what awakens Edna Pontellier and makes her different from the rest. She rebels against society by thinking differently, finding independence, doing what she wants without obeying her husband, moving out to her new "pigeon-house", and taking part in two adulterous affairs. Her climatic finale, her suicide, is her ultimate act of rebellion, not giving the ways of the world, her decision to finally be free. ‘‘She went on and on. She remembered the night she swam far out, and recalled the terror that seized her at the fear of being unable to regain the shore. She did not look back now, but went on and on, thinking of the blue-grass meadow that she had traversed when a little child, believing that it had no beginning and no end.’’ (Chopin, 120) All her rebellious actions are what make Edna such a controversial, yet influential woman till this

After returning from vacation, Edna is a changed woman. When her husband and children are gone, she moves out of the house and purses her own ambitions. She starts painting and feeling happier. “There were days when she was very happy without knowing why. She was happy to be alive and breathing when her whole being seemed to be one with the sunlight, the color, the odors, the luxuriant warmth of some perfect Southern day” (Chopin 69). Her sacrifice greatly contributed to her disobedient actions.

Chopin’s character Edna is used to comment on conformity in our society- particularly a woman’s. Women often have the inability to have a unique identity because of the pressure put on them to act in a socially acceptable way. Edna challenges these expectations and is eventually driven to suicide because she can’t express herself or act the way she desires to.

There are many other areas of Edna's story while illustrate the rebellious ideas that she represents. For example, her view of religion is very controversial for that time period. Throughout the story, we can see that Edna had no tolerance for the religious practices that were held so dear to the rest of society (Klein 3). It is not surprising that Edna refuses to "worship" any higher power, since we have also seen that she refuses to hold even her family to any higher regard (Klein 4). Additionally, Edna's attitude towards art builds on the unconventional themes of the story (Klein 6). Edna is told by Mademoiselle Reisz that ""o be an artist... you must possess the courageous soul... the brave soul. The soul that dares and defies" (Chopin 115). This seems indicative of the very soul that Edna strives to possess in the story. Her quest to become an artist seems tied to her quest to break from the conventions of society because of this definition. Edna's reverence for art and the values that it seems to be connected with make her personality even more unconventional in the terms of the society that she lived in.

She raises her children with a distance between them. This void shows Edna’s lack of open wings, which is considered the norm of the 19th century expectations of women. Her newfound acceptance of neglecting her maternal responsibly ignited a much larger awakening within her. A sense of individuality and the “…realiz[ation of] her position in the universe as a human being, and ... her relations as an individual to the world within and about her” grew stronger (Chopin 15). She dislikes her role being entirely centered on domestic responsibilities so she begins to stretch the bindings of society.

Throughout “The Awakening”, Edna is immersed in a constant clash with society over the significance of the difference between her life and her self. To Edna, the question of whether or not she would die for her children is somewhat simple. Edna attempts to explain this concept to her good friend, Adele Ratignolle, but to no avail, “I would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn’t give myself” (Chopin 62). Not only does Edna consider her life unessential, she categorizes it as equal with material objects such as money. The idea of self, on the other hand, lies on a completely different level in Edna’s mind. The most important goal to Edna in her life is the journey to discover her true character. The idea that her inner self is more essential than life or even her children causes Edna to stray farther from the social constraints of the typical domestic woman. Kathleen M. Streater weighs in on Edna’s situation and placement in

Chopin tells of this younger woman with an older husband who runs with her intuition in search of her own mind. Another presentation of Romanticism in The Awakening is described during Edna's search for individualism when she says of her that "...no longer was she content to 'feed upon opinion' when her own soul had invited her" (124). Edna Pontellier has a desire to be her own person in her own world when she is placed in a setting that refuses to permit such an action.

In Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, the constant boundaries and restrictions placed on Edna Pontellier by society will lead to her struggle for freedom and her ultimate suicide. Her husband Leonce Pontellier, the current women of society, and the Grand Isle make it evident that Edna is trapped in a patriarchal society. Despite these people, Edna has a need to be free and she is able to escape from the society that she despises. The sea, Robert Lebrun, and Mademoiselle Reisz serve as Edna’s outlets from conformity. “Edna's journey for personal independence involves finding the words to express herself. She commits suicide rather than sacrificing her independent,

Along with living up to this towering expectation they were presumed to “live their lives largely homebound, taking care of the cooking, cleaning, and child rearing,” (Sallus) which restricted a woman of this time’s value to what she could do and how she could serve others. Edna says her children’s absence was a relief in a sense because “It seemed to free her of a responsibility which she had blindly assumed and for which Fate had not fitted her.” (Chopin 25). This reveals that Edna feels as though she does not fit the role of the mother, nor does she want to. Edna later argues to Madame Ratignolle, the epitome of a motherwoman, that she would give up the unessential for her children, for instance money or even her own life, but she would never sacrifice herself. Madame Ratignolle demonstrates the values of a woman in their society when she replies with: “... but a woman who would give her life for her children could do no more than that--your Bible tells you so. I'm sure I couldn't do more than that.” (Chopin 64). This shows that Edna differs from the women in her society because she places herself above her family and focuses on her own happiness rather than tending to her children and husband’s every last need or want.

In several instances, she casually slips in French phrases and words. For example, the characters are referred to by social titles and not first names such as Madame Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz. The central issue and theme is Edna's struggle with being the ideal, cookie cutter doting wife. She finds it hard to be as domestic and submissive as the women who were raised in a Creole household and community. She attempts to be a 'mother-wife" like the other women and ultimately ends up taking her own life because she despises it so much. Even though this work was published in 1899 it is still relevant today. Chopin's stories go hand in hand with modern feminism and the stigma that marriage is the ultimate goal.