The Awakening

Kate Chopin spent most of her days as a “belle” in the St. Louis society. She was an American author in the nineteenth century. The short story “The Awakening” has a good grasp on human nature and full of different ideas. In the story the main character is Edna, in the story Edna must get herself out of the dull lifestyle that she has always lived. She awakens to the idea of her own self discovery and must grasp onto it and embrace it. This story I noticed had many symbolic pieces throughout the book, the ocean was like the rebirth or Edna as well as the place she chooses to die. The birds were a part of freedom symbolizing her husband and how she was trying to break free from that. Although Edna had a hard time learning how to swim that summer, she swims farther then she normally would have and that I believe is where she had a quick instant vision of death. Edna realizes that she was very unhappy in her marriage and looks for answers and freedom to break loose from those restrictions that she felt she had in her marriage with her husband. Edna was in love with Robert, although she was a married woman she couldn’t hide her feelings for him. Although she finally came to the conclusion that she could never be with Robert which broke her heart in two. When she asked him to stay with her, Robert ended up leaving, although I don’t believe that he left because he didn’t love her but for the simple fact that she was a married woman.