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The Awakening

Submitted by ccole123 on April 17, 2008

Category: Miscellaneous
Words: 1052 | Pages: 5
Views: 48
Popularity Rank: 113,990
Average Member Grade: N/A (Add a Comment / Grade this Paper)

The Liberation of Edna
The Awakening tells the story of Edna Pontellier and her journey to become an independent woman. Throughout the story Edna demonstrates many characteristics of a liberated woman. Edna disobeys her husband and abandons the responsibilities of caring for the children and maintaining the house. Adele’s friendship also acts as a motivation for Edna’s abandonment to her former conservative life. Edna ends up falling in love with Robert which completes her awakening. Though Edna is on her quest to be fully liberated, there are many times throughout the novel that she demonstrates stereotypical behaviors. Edna faces many battles between her desires and societies. Getting over the circumstances she forgets what others think and becomes fully liberated. Her relationships throughout the novel with her husband, Adele Ratignolle, and Robert Lebrun are what shapes Edna’s awakening.
Throughout the story there are many times Edna disagrees with her husband. In chapter three she shows her first signs of liberation. “Mr. Pontellier returned to his wife with the information that Raoul had a high fever…Mrs. Pontellier was quite sure Raoul had no fever” (Chopin 6). In the 1800’s if a husband said something the wife would agree with him even if he is wrong. The narrator then goes on to say that Edna said nothing, and refused to answer her husband when he questioned her. This proves her attempt to become more independent, standing up to her husband. It was very unlikely that a woman in those days would show so much disrespect to her husband, as Edna did to Mr. Pontellier. Also when Edna’s husband was calling her in to go to bed she refused to go. She (Edna) realized to herself that “Another time she would have gone in at his request” (36). Edna does what she wants even if her husband says to do otherwise. All of this sudden independence that overcomes Edna shows her on the path of being fully liberated....

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