Edna Pontellier's Awakening

In Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening, mother and wife Edna Pontellier
experiences a life-changing awakening in late 1800s New Orleans, Louisiana. Edna
and her husband Léonce are prominent figures in the Creole society, though Edna has
no love for her spouse. While it is unacceptable to have an affair in this time and
culture, Edna falls in love with a younger man, Robert Lebrun, while on summer
holiday in Grande Isle. Here, she begins her awakening. When the two part ways, the
known womanizer, Alcée Arobin, enters her life. She has a physical relationship with
him while still married, yet in love with Robert. Edna battles with her emotions to find
what she wants in life. Edna finds the outcome to be that she will never be able to
have what she wants; it is unattainable. Chopin illustrates the struggles and pleasures
associated with awakening through the main character, Edna Pontellier.
Chopin depicts the awakening of Edna Pontellier in the emotional and mental
changes she undergoes throughout the novel. This idea first reveals itself when Edna
is speaking with Madame Ratignolle on the beach in Grande Isle. She recognizes and
states for the first time that she would not give up her desires for the happiness of her
family. Edna told Madamae Ratignolle that she would never sacrifice herself for her
children, or for anyone in saying, “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” (47). The
way in which Edna finally puts her thoughts into words signifies a pivotal point in the
way she views herself and her role in society. When she speaks what she has been
thinking for so long, her thoughts solidify and become legitimate. Never before has
Edna allowed herself to truly believe she has the right to remain true to herself, so her
conversation with Madame Ratignolle opens her mind to all new possibilities of
individuality. Now she can do more than just go through the motions and, instead, can
live up to her true potential. Edna can now move forward with open eyes, putting
herself above all else. Her changing continues when she will not allow others to see
her as a possession of Mr. Pontellier. Edna and Robert rekindle their summer romance
that Robert so desperately tried to stifle due to the fact Edna was a married woman. In
this conversation with Robert, Edna remarks that “I am no longer one of Mr.
Pontellier’s possessions to dispose of or not. I give myself where I choose” (108).
Edna is confident in herself and her position as an individual in the world. She
explains to Robert that his reasoning for avoiding their connection was silly since she
was not, and never will be, the property of Mr. Pontellier. This interaction is symbolic
of the self-pride Edna has nurtured over the time Robert and she were last together.
Edna has found who she is meant to be in the world and is ready to openly share this
fact. Her awakening is furthered through sharing with others her newfound self-
esteem and mentality of self-love. Furthermore, Edna finally realizes she cannot have
the life she desires. As Edna arrives in Grande Isle, “She thought of Léonce and the
children. They were a part of her life. But they need not have thought that they could
possess her, mind, body, and soul” (116). This leads her to swim far out and she ends
up dying because she must be her true self and cannot be tied down to a certain
lifestyle. Her drastic measures shine light on the fact that she has awakened and
irreversibly recognizes she cannot have a life with the man she loves in the society she
lives in. Her mind can wrap itself around the fact that her wants are too idealistic,
detached from reality. She has grown to be able to understand she will never have
what she wishes for herself.
Ultimately, Edna experiences significant changes and is able to see her life
from a new prospective. As the novel concludes, Edna sees how impractical her hopes
are for life. She accepts that Robert and she will never be together and that she is not
willing to continue living a life she is unfit for. She leaves on her own to go back to
the start of all awakening: Grande Isle. Upon her arrival she goes to swim and finds
herself far out. Similar to her lack of energy to continue with life, her energy to swim
back to shore has disappeared. Though the ending is left ambiguous, it is likely that
Edna drowns out in the water where she will never have to be someone she is not.
This climactic end helps illustrate the developed changes in Edna that had shown her
the unhappiness she had been feeling. She is thinking realistically and believes death
is her only way out. The feelings of loneliness and failure to have what one desires is
present even this day, all over the world. College students are constantly trying to plan
out their lives and discover what occupation they should pursue, though more often
then not, there are obstacles. Grades do not support the dream, or finances cannot
manage the education needed. Feelings of disappointment and an attitude of giving up
follow soon after, just as Edna experiences. Struggling to live the life one desires is
one of the greatest hardships faced and is felt all around. Whether it is Edna or anyone
else, change is difficult and can be devastating to life as one knows it.
Sacrifice in the Awakening
In The Awakening the main character Edna is going through a life changing
event. Edna unfortunately is living in an era where women are supposed to be
dependent and devoted to their husbands and a full time mother. Edna doesn’t want to
play that role anymore and she wants to become independent. Edna’s want for
independence and becoming her own person is finally achieved when she sacrifices
her life and kills herself. Edna sacrificing her life shows how her values begin to
change from only caring about her family’s needs to now caring about her own
needs/wants. This sacrifice also portrays the meaning of the work as a whole which is
finding freedom from the constraints that society not only puts on Edna but on women
in general.
Edna has a husband and two children that she loved and took care of all the
time. As Edna begins to notice her own wants and needs she doesn’t see her family as
a blessing. Instead of her family bringing her joy and peace in Edna’s mind they
weigh her down and make her a slave. Edna wants to be free from her family and she
finds moments of freedom when she swims at Grand Isle and hangs out with her lover
Robert. As the book continues Edna pushes herself away from her family more and
more to a point where Edna only does what she wants to do. Edna seems to start to
only value her thoughts and her feelings not thinking about her family and focusing
on her relationship with Robert. But when Robert leaves her that hurts Edna in a very
dramatic way since he was one of the ways she was free from her unbearable life that
only consists of her taking care of her family. Now that all Edna has is the ocean and
swimming to be free from all her obligations the only way she could become totally
free was to kill herself. Edna could not be a wife or a mother anymore because that’s
not the role she wanted to play anymore. She sacrificed herself by swimming until she
drowned. This sacrifice shows how Edna started to value herself and her own
thoughts. She didn’t value her family and wanted to just be free and independent.
Edna sacrificing herself reveals a deeper meaning of the work as a whole
being that Edna was longing for freedom from the constraints that society put on
women. For a long time Edna was living a life full of rules and obligations that she
didn’t want to be a part of. Society expected Edna to be a full time house mother and
wait on her husband hand and foot. Most women loved playing this role and loved the
fact that their family is the center of their life but not Edna. She was very unhappy and
all the things that made her happy were looked down upon such as swimming and
having an affair. Edna killing herself finally gave her the freedom that she wanted and
let her become independent. Edna was finally free from the life that she didn’t want
anymore and although the sacrifice had to be her life it’s what finally made her happy
and feel free.
In conclusion, Edna sacrifices her own life because she starts to value herself
and her own wants/needs not just the wants and needs of her family. Sadly, the only
way for her to have that freedom and independence she was longing for was to
commit suicide. The whole book is surrounded by the idea that Edna just wants to be
free and be her own person so she didn’t have to be dependent on her husband. Edna
wants to break free from the constraints society has put on her and finally is free when
she takes that last swim out into Grand Isle.
Edna Pontellier's Sacrifice in the Awakening
In the book The Awakening Edna Pontellier sacrifices who she is to try to be a
mother-woman. In her society and life she is expected to be the caring wife who takes
care of the children and her husband. However, Edna sacrifices her character, dreams
and freedom because she is trying to fit in.
Edna Pontellier is a mother of two in the south during a time period in which
women are expected to be obedient, lady-like and caretakers. Edna is married to
Leoncé Pontellier, who she married to get away from her family and be free. She
states, at one point in the novel, that she likes how Leoncé is obsessed with her but
that she doesn't really love him the way she should and the way Leoncé loves her.
Furthermore, Leoncé cares about his reputation and about what society says and
thinks. He demands that Edna act a certain way. In doing so he is asking Edna to give
up who she is, her character to attempt to be this mother-woman and be who society
expects her to be. In the text Leoncé compares Edna to Adele, society’s image of the
perfect mother-woman, saying that Edna should be more like her and less like herself.
He thinks that Edna is careless and selfish. Furthermore, there is a point in the book
when Leoncé tells Edna that their son is sick and she needs to go check on him. Edna
tells him there is no way that it is possible because he was fine the last time she
checked on them. Leoncé continues to bug her about it, demanding that she go and
check on him. When edna finally does she sees that he is fine and that Leoncé was
lying in order to point out that she is a bad mother and that she is selfish. This reveals
how Edna sacrifices her character to comply to not only her husband but also
society’s expectations of a mother-women.
Another thing that Edna sacrifices in order to fit in is her dreams. Edna dreams of
being an artist. In the text, we see how edna admires art and how she wishes she could
be an artist. However, she can not because she is expected to be a mother-women.
Edna also dreams of being with Robert Lebrun. Robert is a young man who visits
Grand Isle in the summer to help his mom out. Edna is able to talk to him and get
along because of their similarities. She also falls in love with him and even gets
jealous at times. However, Edna can not be with him because she is married and has
kids with Leoncé. Edna once again sacrifices these dreams, Leoncé and being an
artist, to comply to society expectations. This reveals just how much pressure she had
from her husband and people in town, like Adele, to fit in.
Lastly, Edna sacrifices her freedom to do what is expected of her. We know
that Edna wants to be free, she even marries Leoncé to try to be free. Her her freedom
is something that edna struggled with and longed for. She was always looking for
ways to be free and self-expressive. For example, her art and robert were forms in
which she tried to express herself. She always felt free with those two methods. In the
text Edna talks about going to the beach with Robert and feeling free. In her final act,
after losing Robert she return to Grand isle and the sea because those are places where
she felt free.
The things Edna sacrifices, her character, dreams and freedom all reveal that she is
not fit to be a mother-women because she doesn't really care for her children,
husband, or reputation.
What Is Edna Pontellier Sacrifice in the Awakening
In “The Awakening”, Robert Lebrun sacrifices his love and desire for Edna
Pontellier because he knows that he can not be with her. This reveals that even though
Robert was in love with Edna he knew what was right and he understood why he
could not be with Edna. Robert sacrifices his love when he leaves for Mexico in
search of business and at the end of the novel when he decides that he can not stay
with Edna in her “pigeon-house”.
When Robert leaves to Mexico in search of business and riches he does not
tell Edna that he was planning on leaving after spending all day with her. This showed
that he did not want Edna to know because it would of made it harder for him to stay.
In addition, when Robert sends Mademoiselle Reisz a letter from Mexico telling her
about his plans to return, Mademoiselle Reisz confesses to Edna that the only reason
Robert left to Mexico was because he was in love with Edna and knew he could not
have her. Mademoiselle Reisz tells Edna, “He loves you, you poor fool...”. This
showed that Robert gave up his love for Edna by leaving to Mexico because he knew
that he wanted to be with her but it was not right.
At the end of the novel, we see how Robert sacrifices his love and happiness
for Edna. After Edna goes to be with Adele Ratignolle during the birth of her child,
Edna goes back home to the “pigeon-house” and finds that Robert is gone but he left a
note for her. The note says, “Good-bye, because I love you…”. Robert leaves Edna
this note saying that he has to leave her because he loves her too much. He realizes
what he has done and how he feels about Edna but that Edna is married and has a
family, therefore, he can not be with her.
Robert sacrifices his love for Edna many times during the novel, first when he
leaves for Mexico and then when he realizes that even though both him and Edna feel
the same way about each other and want to be with each other, that can not happen
because she is already married to Lèonce Pontellier and has a family that needs her.
Love is shown by many characters throughout the novel the novel, Robert and Edna’s
love for each other and Lèonce love for Edna are examples that are seen in “The
Awakening”. Robert’s sacrifice showed how in love with Edna he was that he knew
he had to leave before it got more complicated.

5. Conclusion

The Awakening explores one woman’s desire to find and live fully within her true self. Her

devotion to that purpose causes friction with her friends and family, and also conflicts with

the dominant values of her time. The author gives us a protagonist who chooses untimely

death because she is unable to find a place for her newly conscious, fully recognized self

within the restrictions of the present social system. At the end of the novel Edna emerges as

a powerful soul which has the capacity to translate its utmost yearnings, desires and deeply

buried passionate dreams and adoration into a real situation. Her death demonstrates the

ultimate freedom and independence of a passionate soul which struggles for a harmonious
existence in the universe. Throughout the novel Edna relentlessly struggles to pronounce her

individuality, liberation and emancipation. She finds herself trapped and silenced. Finally,

her iron-will break the barriers, chains of manacles are marvelous achievement. She is a

prototypical feminist who has the courage and strength to face the challenges against the

traditional orthodox society. During this journey Edna has bursts of clarity where she is able

to authoritatively form a new word to explain this new-awakening. Edna awakens as a

different, capable woman who achieves her liberating triumph through many hardships,

struggles, bitter experiences etc. Her death by drowning into the sea is joyful event to Edna.

Introduction

Kate Chopin is widely known for her feminist views, so she could not miss an
opportunity to declare them once again. Therefore, feminism is also one of the critical
themes of the novel The Awakening. The story of Edna is the analogy of the feminist
revolution. The woman experiences the awakening and finds out several ways she has
been oppressed. She does not want to subdue her desires to the societal traditions,
telling her what kind of wife, mother, and human she is supposed to be.

Edna rebels against her husband and declares her independence by leaving home and
starting an affair. She admits that her motherhood is a complete mistake, and she
chooses to take care of herself rather than others. She starts earning money by
working on her self-serving art. Finally, she can do what she loves and feel happy
about it.
Once when speaking about the importance of motherhood, Edna tried to explain to
Adele “that she would never sacrifice herself for her children” (46). This led to a huge
argument between the two. Chopin wrote that the two women did not seem to be
speaking the same language because Adele, as a representative of the mother woman,
could not allow herself to consider a life that was not completely wrapped up in the
children. Edna wanted Adele to understand that while she would give up her life, she
would never give herself. Adele smiles then because she believes that “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!” Edna laughingly replies, “Yes you could!”
Two things stand out here. One is that the two women are still speaking a different
language. Second is that Edna understands that a physical life and her soul are two
very different things.

Adele is speaking about the belief that the greatest gift a mother could give would be
to sacrifice her own life for the life of her children. Edna is speaking about how to
sacrifice the very soul of a human being is worse than death. She would gladly give
her life for her children, but not her soul. This is another example of foreshadowing in
the book that hints how Edna feels about being a mother and sacrificing her life, but
not her soul for her children. Will Edna be called to give one or the other? While
Adele is the epitome of the True woman ideology, Edna’s other close friend,
Mademoiselle Reisz, has lived a life free of these constraints

Comparing these two women together allows Edna to see how each woman can offer
a guide for her to live by. Edna is at a cross roads and must decide which path to take.
She can choose to follow convention like Adele or she can turn her back on those
expectations and become a recluse like Mademoiselle Reisz. Adele believes that Edna
will get over her feelings and become a good mother. Mademoiselle Reisz believes
that Edna will have to lose all her family ties in order to become a true artist.
Mademoiselle Reisz has a different perspective on her place in society. At first Edna
becomes more entrenched in the artistic ideals of Mademoiselle Reisz.

Mademoiselle Reisz has lived a life free from the bonds of being a mother woman.
Mademoiselle Reisz is considered by many in the social circle to be eccentric and odd
because she refuses to follow convention. Like those who do not conform, Edna can
choose either to be silenced, conform to society's rules or written off as eccentric and
artistic. This helps to explain her friendship with Mademoiselle Reisz. Edna learns
through the Mademoiselle Reisz’s influence that “artistic fulfillment required the
sacrifice of maternal drives and maternal fulfillment meant giving up artistic
ambitions.” (Showalter, 67). Bird imagery also become very important in this passage
of the novel as well when Chopin describes Mademoiselle Reisz

With the development of the character Mademoiselle Reisz, Chopin also uses bird
imagery to describe her as the Mockingbird. Like the parrot, the mockingbird is
introduced in the opening lines of the story. Mockingbirds are noted for being difficult
and obnoxious birds. Mademoiselle Reisz also has a reputation for being, “no longer
young, who had quarreled with almost everyone, owing to a temper which was self-
assertive and a disposition to trample on the rights of others.” (Chopin, 20). In spite of
the conventions of the society, Mademoiselle Reisz has the fortitude to be
independent and live a life of solitude. As she and Edna become friends,
Mademoiselle Reisz talks to Edna about her wings being strong enough to handle
what is to come. This is very important as it shows that Edna has a choice. She can
choose to be alone like Mademoiselle Reisz or conform like Adele
I believe that Chopin write this ambiguous ending so that the readers would be left
questioning the intention and meaning behind Edna’s death. This is a book about
transformation and perhaps part of the transformation occurs within the consciousness
of the readers as they too question Chopin’s motives and Edna’s death. I argue that
Chopin wrote the ending as a way of redeeming Edna to the realms of the ever
sacrificing mother that is the truest virtue of the Cult of True Womanhood while at the
same time critiquing the Cult of True Womanhood as a force so powerful that as a
loving mother, death is the only true option that Edna had. This can be seen when
Chopin writes:

She had done all of the thinking which was necessary after Robert went away, when
she lay awake upon the sofa until morning. She understood now clearly what she had
meant long ago when she said to Adele Ratignolle that she would give up the
unessential, but she would never sacrifice herself for her children. The children
appeared before her like antagonists who had overcome her; the rest of her days. But
she knew away to elude them. (108)

Edna is for the first time awake to the realities of her life. She is now at the pivotal
moment when she decides what she will do. Her choices are to give up her needs as a
woman and sacrifice herself for the children to be dragged into the soul’s slavery,
shrug off her responsibilities and become as true artist as Mademoiselle Reisz would
like or elude them all by committing suicide. “It is the female soul that cannot be
bound by social convention even though a patriarchal society seeks to cage it by
making its wings clipped. The voice of women rises above such attempts of
subjugation” (Campfield, 6) Edna Choose to escape the responsibilities of being wife
and mother, but not to leave her children to suffer the societal consequences of her
actions. She stayed awake all night for the first time in the novel, she does not go back
to sleep. She found a way to elude them. She would gladly give her life for her
children, but not her soul. She chose suicide as an escape. Edna refused to sacrifice
her soul for her children. She will sacrifice her life, but not her soul in in doing so
rejects the ideology of the Cult of True Womanhood.

To conclude, the protagonist, Edna, experiences a series of awakenings in which they

lead her to find her deepest true self. In her journey in searching for her identity, she
faces many difficult challenges including social rules and traditions. She begins by
questioning her role in the society as a wife and a mother. Edna does not fit in the
society’s definition of motherhood. Later on, she started to escape her responsibilities
such as Tuesday reception to go and do whatever makes her feel happy. She feels
more comfort when she isolates herself in the pigeon house and sketch. Moreover,
listening to Mademoiselle Reisz playing the piano gave Edna an experience of
solitude. Her awakening of her emotions and feelings exist outside of her marriage
life. At first, she was not aware of them, but then, when she spends time with Mr.
Lebrun, she realizes that she has a feeling for him. This creates a conflict within her.
The search for identity them supports the fact that this novel is considered as an early
American literature. Modern American literature explores the awareness and inner
self. Chopin’s novel is an example of modern American literature in which the
protagonist is an example of modern woman who is cannot fit with the social
expectations and is seeking her identity in many ways which are not accepted by her
society.