Symbols In The Awakening, By Kate Chopin

Edna reassesses her spirit more and more as the novel proceeds, with her finally reaching the maxim when committing suicide. At the beginning of the novel she is completely

The final reason for Edna’s escape from her troublesome life is the failure of her relationship with Robert. Edna was able to find some form of escape through her desire and hope of being with Robert, but when those plans fell through Edna feels as if she has nothing to look forward to, nothing to live for in life. Robert realizes that he and Edna will never be able to have a true

Freedom - Edna wants to be free of the social norms of society and be her own person.

Although The Awakening may be seen as a tragic love story to some, it is truly a novel that displays the turning point for a woman’s role in the 1900’s. The main character, Edna Pontellier, is the epitome of the new working woman. The story centers around Edna’s discovery of her beliefs which are found through a series of awakenings and contrasted with the social norms of the time.

Edna’s suicide was victory of self-expression. Edna undergoes a gradual awakening process in which portrays not to only her newly established independence from the constraints of her husband, but also her ability to go against the social norms of society in order to individually express herself. Her suicide encompases the question and critique of living life through the perspective of society such as being responsible for taking care of the kids, cleaning the house, and entertaining any guests that the husband may have over anytime. In the first couple of capters, the novel is quick to emphasize the gerneralized roles kthat are placed onto females, making it apparent that fe,ales are expected to successfully fulfil these roles. For example, Leonce enters home after being out and stated one of the kids had a fever. Edna was certain the child had no fever but Leonce belittles her capability as a mother for indifference with him. “If it was not a mother’s place to look after the children, whose on earth was it?” (27capac).

The first sign I noticed of Edna’s internal struggle for self worth and importance was in

During the first swim, being too distant from the shore would cause a “flash of terror” on Edna. Her first “quick vision of death” makes her hurry back to her waiting husband and friends. It is interesting to notice that on the night of her awakening, she is overwhelmed with a vision of death, but at the novel's end, she has a vision of life's beginning, she “heard her father’s voice and her sister Margaret’s. She heard the barking of an old dog that was chained to the sycamore tree”. She is taken back to her

She is moved by music. During that summer Edna sketches to find an artistic side to herself. She needs an outlet to express who she is. Edna feels that art is important and adds meaning to her life. After the summer is over and they are back to the city and Edna is a changed woman. She makes many steps towards independence. She stops holding "Tuesday socials", she sends her children to live in the country with their grandparents, she refuses to travel abroad with her husband, she moves out of the Lebrun house on Esplanade Street, and to earn money, she starts selling her sketches and betting the horses. She also starts a relationship with another man Alcee Arobin. He meant nothing to her emotionally but she used him for sexual pleasure. Edna evolved above her peers she did not believe that sexuality and motherhood had to be linked. The last step of her "awakening" is the realization that she can not fulfill her life in a society that will not allow her to be a person and a mother. Edna commits suicide in the ocean at Grand Isle.

Edna is a very independent woman and she has the strength to oppose a man. She is more emancipated than Robert and she has actually entered another world.

     Edna Pontellier was on her way to an awakening. She realized during the book that she was not happy with her position in life. It is apparent that she had never

The framing of Edna through various characters allows the text to reveal that they all plan take the courageous soul that Edna desires to possess. The suicide represents Edna’s way of rebelling against societies standards and following her own rules for once in her life. Edna’s goal throughout the narrative is self-independence. Mademoiselle Reisz expressed this too her, while characters such as Adele and Mr. Pontellier failed to allow her to rebel against societies standards for women. The things around Edna began to disappear due to Edna’s desire for independence.

Edna allows a flirtation with Robert Lebrun to develop into love. Her feelings of empowerment further push Edna to pursue other passions. She begins to paint more, ignoring her social duties and her children. Edna’s husband continues to inflexibly dominate Edna as his possession and his wife. Edna responds by becoming more independent and finally moving away from her family.

Edna committed suicide because there was no other way out. She did not fit into society. Her thoughts and emotions were not the same as the thoughts and emotions of the other women of this time. Edna committed suicide so that she could be reborn in

limitations. Back then, a woman’s sole purpose was to get married and to care for her husband

However, Edna's suicide leaves many readers unsatisfied and disappointed. Almost everyone has their own interpretation of the ending. Edna's suicide represents her final attempt to fully escape.(Rosowski 46) She escapes her children, her lovers, and most important, time and change (Rosowski 47). As she swims out to sea and death, Edna's mind returns to her childhood dreams of limitlessness. In this sense, the sea symbolizes her dreams to have her youth back because "it had no beginning and no end."(Rosowski 58). Edna imagines herself walking through the Kentucky meadows that she remembered from many years ago. Edna died, but in a way she had created her own limitless awakening.