What Does Edna's Declaration Of Independence Mean

Edna is informed by others that Robert is leaving for Mexico; he did not even tell her. She is very upset with him, but he comes to tell her goodbye, choosing his words wisely so he does not say how he really feels about her. Edna becomes very angry at the world since Robert is gone. Léonce gets mad at Edna for painting all the time nowadays instead of caring for her family. Léonce sees a doctor about Edna; he tells him her mood is just a phase and it will run its course. Edna’s father states that a man must use “authority” and “coercion” in all matters concerning his wife. Alcée kisses Edna’s hand and writes her a letter of apology for it. That kiss made her think of Robert. Edna tells Mademoiselle Reisz that she loves Robert. Edna decides to move out and get a new house so she could be independent and her husband could not possess

I think it was a bit strange that Léonce and the kids were gone for such a long time while Edna was messing around with Alcée and falling for Robert. That part could have been a bit more clear I think, but otherwise it has a good storyline. I like the statement that Edna made about giving anything to her children, even her life, but not herself. At first I did not get it and thought it to be strange, but the author explained the meaning very well by the end of the novel. This can relate to real life in the way of suicide. People do not like to deal with difficult or awkward situations or confront people directly, so they commit suicide. To me, that is just a way to escape a problem because you do not want to work through it. I will never understand why someone would want to kill themselves or how something could be that bad that that seems like the only option. It only hurts the people around you that have to go through the