The Death of Edna Pontellier
The struggles of Edna Pontellier throughout her everyday life in a society that she feels she doesn’t belong in, is developed through the writing of Kate Chopin. As her character develops, Edna’s final decision of suicide illustrates her defeat in the face of society. In, The Awakening, Kate Chopin employs poetic diction and anaphora to emphasize and illuminate Edna’s awakening and how her death positively affected her character development.
In the last few moments of her life, Edna’s death is illuminated by Kate Chopin’s use of poetic diction. While she removed the weight of her clothing, moments before her death, Kate Chopin describes Edna’s surroundings by stating, “The foamy wavelets curled up to her white
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As Edna is walking into the sea, Kate Chopin expands on the setting and states, “The water was chill, but she walked on. The water was deep, but she lifted her white body and reached out with a long sweeping stroke” (176). The emphasis is placed on the water, explaining how it affected Edna. Kate Chopin utilizes anaphora to accentuate the choices Edna makes and how it defines the meaning of becoming aware and conscious of one’s self wellbeing over others. Furthermore, Kate Chopin continues with, “She went on and on. She remembered the night she swam far out, and recalled the terror that seized her at the fear of being unable to regain the shore. She did not look back now…” (176). Edna and her recollection of the sea is accentuated and developed to demonstrate how she has overcome her fear. Kate Chopin’s use of the repetition at the beginning of each phrase adds emphasis on Edna’s emotion to the situation she is in. The difference in the Edna Pontellier at the start of the novel and the Edna in the last few paragraphs, is fear. Kate Chopin develops Edna’s character so rigorously, she creates a whole new character by the end of the novel. Edna’s feat of overcoming her fears reveals the powerful message of being brave and finding