Character: In The Awakening by Kate Chopin, the role of the main character is filled by Mrs. Edna Pontellier, a young wife and mother living in 1890s New Orleans who begins her journey of self-discovery. during a family vacation to Grand Isle. Edna immediately proves different from most. She is artistic and impulsive, has friends but is happy to be alone on occasion. When with those she is comfortable with, she can be witty and adventurous, but with most others, Edna is reserved, unaccustomed to outward affection. Her lack of affection, particularly towards her family (even though she loves them), makes her distinctly different from the women around her. Unlike them, she is “…not a woman-mother” (Chopin 16). Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an Original Essay All of these traits simply serve as proof of the most important thing to know about Edna; she is unhappy with the status quo adopted by most women of her era, where their main goal in life is to be little more than happy housewives. Edna, on the other hand, wants something that she takes some time to recognize as independent, and in the pursuit of these things she "begins to realize her position in the universe as a human being and to recognize one's relationships as an individual with others. world in her and around her” (Chopin 25). Edna's desire for individuality and freedom is contradictory because, on some level, it seems like she thinks these are things she shouldn't want. Society's expectations of women, which encourage them to be quiet and submissive, reinforce this belief that Edna should devote herself to her husband, children, and home, and lack nothing else. . His own peers also support this throughout the novel. Pontellier frequently appears dissatisfied with her obstinacy, and her friend Madame Ratignolle, “…the incarnation of all feminine grace and charm” (Chopin16), unknowingly serves as pressure to join society. Edna deals with this in her own way, growing in stages fueled by surges of selfish impulses and vulnerability. She begins her journey as a woman who submits to her husband out of sheer habit and barely understands why she feels bad, seeing her distress as “…an indescribable oppression which seemed to generate in an unknown part of her consciousness…” (Chopin 14). Edna begins to truly change and feel freer after being dragged out of her comfort zone on Grand Isle; she swims in an ocean that terrifies her, and mastering her fear seems to give Edna a glimpse of what she is capable of and the freedom she truly wants, made clear where it says: "As she swam, she seemed to reach out towards the limitless in which to lose herself” (Chopin 48). She becomes visibly more confident afterward, saying no to her husband's requests and going out with her friends to have fun. But at this time, she relied heavily on Robert LeBrun, a man she befriended on the Island. Edna finds herself falling in love with him, but it seems that love is more of a manifestation of her desire for freedom than anything else. Robert urges her to be adventurous, but she still feels lost without him, not allowing herself to be truly independent. This remains true throughout its other stages of growth; first, when she returns home to New Orleans and takes up art and visits the musician Mademoiselle Reisz, and where she eventually collapses in a fit of impulsive anger over a marriage and a life she clearly doesn't haverealized she was trying to escape. She is ashamed of her depression but accepts that she is simply not fit for this life, which is a major step that puts her in an independent state of mind where she is confident and has, "... resolved never to take a step back again” (Chopin 95). Another big milestone (where Robert is still looming over her head) occurs when her husband and children leave the house, and Edna gets up and decides she's done with life there. She buys a house alone, engages in a short and unrewarding affair with another man, and lives happily in her small house ignoring the negative effects on her family, whom she loves and always imagines in her life. She's blissfully unaware until Robert arrives and they declare their love, and he disappears again after Edna tells him she won't belong to anyone, saying, "I'm not property anymore." of Mr. Pontellier who must be gotten rid of or not. I give myself where I choose. If he said, “Here, Robert, take her and be happy, she’s yours,” I would laugh at both of you” (Chopin 178). This is when the final stage occurs, where it is clear that Robert's departure makes Edna realize that she cannot have everything she wants. She loves her family, but in her time that means devoting herself to them, which she doesn't want, and she loves Robert, but their relationship is an impossible goal if she doesn't want to marry him. Total independence cannot come by following either path that presents itself to her, but she is not the type to handle too much solitude well. Edna returns to Grand Isle on her final stop, to the ocean where she felt free, and it is there that she can finally be truly alone by getting lost in the water. Literary Style: Many important literary elements go into writing a gripping story like The Awakening. First there is the tone, or the way the author seems to feel about the story he or she has written. In this novel, the tone is quite detached, as Chopin narrates the lives of others from an outside perspective. Sometimes, however, the tone is passionate and understanding, showing sympathy for Edna's struggle, as when she is just beginning to question her life and it says: "But the beginning of things, d A world in particular is necessarily vague, tangled, chaotic and extremely disturbing. How few of us emerge from such a beginning! How many souls perish in its tumult! (Chopin 25). Another important element of a story is the theme, the message that we as readers are to take away from the writing. One of the most important themes of this novel is that individuality and independence are worth pursuing because they truly constitute a person. Edna Pontellier knows that she needs independence, that there must be more to her than a domestic life where she feels and experiences nothing great. She even goes so far as to say of the domesticity she experiences: “…pity for this colorless existence which has never elevated its possessor beyond the region of blind contentment…” (Chopin 93). A second theme emerges as she realizes that going against societal values ​​is difficult and not without consequences. The consequences come in the form of judgment from friends that Edna will not devote herself entirely to being a mother and in the form of rage from her husband for the same reason. He considers her search for self-expression as "...the greatest folly for a woman at the head of a household and mother of children..." when she "...would be better employed in ensuring the comfort of her family » (Chopin 95). The ultimate consequence of Edna's disregard for society as she tries to be free is the fact that no matter what, with a.