Stuck in a social position that she is simply unsatisfied with, Edna takes matters into her own hands and drowns herself in the ocean- the ultimate escape from unhappiness. Love affairs, a distant marriage, and constant resentment of her situation collectively contribute toward Edna’s decision. In Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening”, Edna sacrifices her life in order to achieve her individualism, exposing the extreme extent at which women were ‘stuck’ in their role throughout society.
The most valuable trait, to Edna, is her individualism. Before she leaves for Grand Isle, Edna is quickly described at the beginning of the chapter. “Even as a child she had lived her own small life all within herself. At a very early period she had apprehended instinctively …show more content…
It is indirectly declared by Chopin when Edna first begins to swim. “A feeling of exultation overtook her, as if some power of significant import had been given her to control the working of her body and soul. She grew daring and reckless, overestimating her strength. She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before. (37) Word’s such as ‘exultation’, ‘power’, and ‘control’ have a strong connotation, implying that she feels capable of doing whatever she pleases. This sense of authority is then directly contrasted with the women of society, because Edna is figuratively swimming in territory where no woman had swum before; women in this time period have never felt the power to control their lives. This contrast indirectly tells the reader that women during this time period felt oppressed, and when one had the opportunity to feel powerful, she longed for it. Most women never had the chance like Edna did, and simply exist in bleak lives that they generally have no interest in. The idea that women oftentimes had little interest in their lives is expressed when Mr. Pontellier attempts to convince Edna to help him pick out furniture for their library, and she simply refuses. “She felt no interest in anything about her. The street, the children, the fruit vendor, the flowers growing there under her eyes, were all part and parcel of an alien world which had suddenly become antagonistic.” (72) The repeated vagueness that is caused by the constant use of pronouns reverts the statement from a situation that would apply to only Edna, to a statement that applies to all of the women throughout society. The unspecificity of this passage is the key component that enables the description to apply to all women of this time period. This generalization virtually states that women had no serious interest in any aspect of their lives; their surroundings felt foreign to them and they were
The most valuable trait, to Edna, is her individualism. Before she leaves for Grand Isle, Edna is quickly described at the beginning of the chapter. “Even as a child she had lived her own small life all within herself. At a very early period she had apprehended instinctively …show more content…
It is indirectly declared by Chopin when Edna first begins to swim. “A feeling of exultation overtook her, as if some power of significant import had been given her to control the working of her body and soul. She grew daring and reckless, overestimating her strength. She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before. (37) Word’s such as ‘exultation’, ‘power’, and ‘control’ have a strong connotation, implying that she feels capable of doing whatever she pleases. This sense of authority is then directly contrasted with the women of society, because Edna is figuratively swimming in territory where no woman had swum before; women in this time period have never felt the power to control their lives. This contrast indirectly tells the reader that women during this time period felt oppressed, and when one had the opportunity to feel powerful, she longed for it. Most women never had the chance like Edna did, and simply exist in bleak lives that they generally have no interest in. The idea that women oftentimes had little interest in their lives is expressed when Mr. Pontellier attempts to convince Edna to help him pick out furniture for their library, and she simply refuses. “She felt no interest in anything about her. The street, the children, the fruit vendor, the flowers growing there under her eyes, were all part and parcel of an alien world which had suddenly become antagonistic.” (72) The repeated vagueness that is caused by the constant use of pronouns reverts the statement from a situation that would apply to only Edna, to a statement that applies to all of the women throughout society. The unspecificity of this passage is the key component that enables the description to apply to all women of this time period. This generalization virtually states that women had no serious interest in any aspect of their lives; their surroundings felt foreign to them and they were