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The Awakening Edna Character Analysis

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Character Analysis: Robert Robert, though gone for most of the novel, is the driving force of The Awakening. It is known from when he is introduced that Robert is a flirt. He picks a woman every summer and falls in 'love' with her. He is young, but not necessarily innocent. Robert understands what he is doing when he flirts with the women every summer. He also knows where the line is between flirting and being inappropriate with married women is and he likes to mess with it. Robert is the reason Edna's awakening happens. He is the reason the whole plot of The Awakening happens. Without him life for Edna would have gone on like normal. His actions towards Edna are one of the causes of her death. Robert also shows to readers that a fantasy never works out. Aside from Edna, he is the most important character in making The Awakening the story it is. Robert breaks down Edna's innocence and breaks her out of her shell. He let's her see what is actually right in front of …show more content…

His time is spent mostly with Edna. Edna is also the first woman Robert has real feelings for and is not just playing around with. He sweeps Edna off her feet with his flirting. That is one reason he leaves for Mexico. He know it is wrong for him to have such strong feelings for Edna and for her to have the same feelings. However, he can't keep the feelings hidden and comes home. In the end, he leaves her. Which shows the biggest difference between Edna and Robert. Edna, in her awakening, sees change and hope. Robert leaves because he believes nothing can change. That him and Edna can never be together. He leaves her one last note and goes. Edna doesn't drown herself because of Robert, though Robert helped her decide to do it. He opened her eyes and Edna sees this awful world she is apart of. She drowns not because she is heartbroken of Robert, but because Robert stands for the choice she'll never get and love she'll never

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