Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening tells the story of Edna, a married woman, who falls in love with another man, Robert, in 19th century Louisiana. The chosen passage takes place after Edna’s trip to the beach with Robert where she contemplates why she chose to go out with him. The usage of literary devices, metaphors, symbolism, and alliterations help evoke the overarching themes of freedom and solitude, convention versus individuality, and the theme of reflection.
To begin with, in this excerpt the theme of freedom and solitude is omnipresent. The symbol of the sea represents solitude for Edna. It is personified as “seductive” ( l. 20) and invites “ the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude” ( l. 21-22). Edna is drawn to
To begin with, in this excerpt the theme of freedom and solitude is omnipresent. The symbol of the sea represents solitude for Edna. It is personified as “seductive” ( l. 20) and invites “ the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude” ( l. 21-22). Edna is drawn to