The Awakening Conformity Quotes

The desire to belong is integral to human nature, but so is curiosity. The Awakening is a Victorian era novel by Kate Chopin following Edna Pontellier’s untimely search for social, financial, and emotional independence. Her character is highly reflective in nature. At one point she notes that while she may conform to appease those watching, she secretly questions the behaviour she witnesses in herself and others. Chopin examines the disparity between outward conformity and inner doubt through Edna’s affair with Arobin. Edna’s adultery is unmistakable defiance towards her husband, but she is just as imprisoned by her lover, Arobin. He views their relationship as “more than a passing whim,” while Edna, who has entered the affair unwillingly, neither consents to nor forbids Arobin’s advances (Chopin 141). A key component of independence is making one’s own decisions, and Edna following Arobin’s lead indicates that she is not behaving as an individual. Even if she conforms to his wishes for selfish reasons, such as avoiding loneliness, it still leads to unfulfilling an existence. Of course, Edna’s attempt at defying moral expectation is successful; her outward identity is no longer a follower. But by failing to intimately follow the path of …show more content…
She doubts Arobin’s sincerity, asking if a particular line of flattery is “one of the things [he always says] to women” (Chopin 139). This is a good place to start dissecting their relationship, but the full truth requires a more thorough examination. Only wondering about Arobin’s motives leads to overlooking Edna’s own involvement. In the end, her inability to recognise the nature of her prison is her downfall. Endless pondering and a futile search for solutions leads to a hopelessness that consumes Edna until she takes her own life. If she was less self-assured in her actions and more open to critiquing herself, then perhaps she would survive the end of the