The Awakening

Kate Chopin was able to write a story about how society shapes people's lives and the devastating effects. She was a realist and wrote in the local color style. Chopin wrote about feminist issues and gender issues, analyzing male roles as well. She played with different types of people in her story. She analyzed the roles women were expected to fit in and the roles males take, like trying to control women.
Edna's voice was trapped by the constraints that society put on her. She was unable to break free from the pressure that was thrust upon her to be the perfect wife, mother, and socialite. Robert provided an illusion of freedom for Edna. She was never able to find who she really wanted to be, after trying to be a painter and the other things she tried. When Edna went into the ocean she felt a relief from her life. She returned to a natural state where she could release tension and pressure. The sea was able to speak a languages she wanted to hear rather than the outside language she heard. She longed for the voice of nature. She thought of nature as a maternal figure that was welcoming her back home. In a way Edna wanted to be like the sea, she did not want to be controlled or silenced. The sea was able to seducing her into returning home. In that part of the story it was a positive thing for Edna being seducing by the sea. While Edna is swimming and being over whelmed by the sea she does not think twice about her children. Edna had begun to centralized on her life and what she thought it should be. Edna talked a lot of her childhood, in a way she gave up and tried to return to being a child again. She wanted to return back to childhood due to the fact she had not failed yet. By the end of the story Edna has failed at her life. She is not a good mother, socialite, or wife. The main things in her life. Edna tries to be an individual and tries to distance her self from the rest of society. She stops going to the Tuesday social events. The social expectations are too much for Edna and cause her to become depressed and constantly questioning her life. Edna lacked the courage to try and turn her life around. She ran away from her responsibilities. Edna thinks her life should be like the Romantic style of writing. She doesn't believe she should have expectation put upon her. Edna has a hole that cannot be filled by hobbies or social gatherings. She ends up getting stuck in a pessimistic world, she cannot gather the courage to look forward she always looks back. Edna felt like drowning was the only way out. She had failed at her life, she had nothing more to live for. At least she killed herself doing something she enjoyed. Edna killing herself shows how cowardly she really was.