In addition to addressing sexual freedom and women’s choices, Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening provides many examples of solitude. Perhaps the best representation of solitude in the novel is embodied in the character the Lady in Black. She is so withdrawn from society that she is not even given a name. This shadow of a woman is representative of the solitude that later envelopes Edna. The more independent Edna Pontellier becomes, the more withdrawn she is from her family. Independence for a woman in the 1800’s was basically unheard of. Women had a responsibility to their families; to raising their children. Edna craves the romantic notions and dreams she had as a young woman. These desires lead her to a search for ways to satisfy her passions
