Essay On Edna Pontellier's Suicide In The Awakening

In The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Edna Pontellier was a rebellious wife and mother in the late 1800s that struggled to discover her true self. Edna was gradually awakened to her true identity and desire to be independent from a society in which women are overpowered and stereotyped. Women were presumed to take care of their children and serve their husbands for the well being of the family. Edna’s inability to reach independence ultimately led to her downfall. Edna 's suicide was an assertion of her independence from a society in which all men in her life had attempted to control or repress her in some way. The Colonel, Edna’s father, was a strict Protestant disciplinarian who believed husbands should manage their wives with authority. He explained to Mr. Pontellier that he was, “too lenient by far… Authority and coercion are what is needed. Put your foot down good and hard: the only way to manage a wife. Take my word for it” (282). Edna was raised in a time where a woman’s role was to take care of the children and household while obeying their husbands. …show more content…
Pontillier, Alcee, and Robert all tried to control or repress Edna in some way; therefore, her suicide was an assertion of her independence from society. The Colonel, Edna’s Father, was a strict Protestant disciplinarian who believed Mr. Pontillier needed to show more authority and coercion to control Edna. Leonce Pontillier expected Edna to obey his commands but Edna defied him to show she was striving to find her own identity and independence. In her search for her own Identity she became intimate with Alcee Arobin, which she regretted because she knew she loved Robert. However, Robert wanted a traditional marriage like Mr. Pontillier. Robert left after Edna explained she would not be chained down by a marriage where she would be controlled. Edna could not express who she really was so the only way for her to become independent was to take herself out of