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Analysis Of Kate Chopin's The Awakening

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The Suicide of Edna Pontellier The novel, titled The Awakening tells the story of a woman struggling to find herself during a time where society placed restrictions on women’s freedom of expression. The novel, written by Kate Chopin, takes place in the nineteenth century. The main character, Edna Pontellier, is a mother and a wife who is not content with the life she lives. Throughout the novel, Edna goes through different stages and deals with many different people that contribute to her awakening. According to the text, Edna struggles to find her purpose in this society which seems to be holding her back. Edna’s encounters include two men she becomes romantically involved with, other than her husband who help Edna open up in some ways. Throughout the novel, Edna awakens to her purpose in life to only realize she is not strong enough to push forward so she commits suicide in order to avoid facing the failure of her own expectations.
To start with, Edna’s marriage was revolved around what society asked for. She was not happy in her relationship or in her position as a mother. “It would have been a difficult matter for Mr. Pontellier to define to his own satisfaction or any one else’s wherein his wife failed in her duty toward their children.”(Chopin 4) In this scene Mr. Pontellier is feeling uneasy regarding how Edna allows to the quadroon nurse to take on her motherly responsibilities so carelessly. Edna does not feel that motherhood is cut out for her. Although she

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