Edna Pontellier's Suicide In The Awakening

In the late 1800s, women were still considered the property of their husbands and had very little freedom to do what they pleased. Men had dominant roles in society and were the providers for the family. Women were expected to stay at home in order to care for the children and keep the house clean for their husband. A wife who did not cherish her children or her husband during this time period was very unusual and was frowned upon by society. Edna Pontellier, the main character of The Awakening by Kate Chopin, did not feel an attachment towards her children and married her husband, Léonce Pontellier, out of pure convenience. She decided to start an emotional affair with Robert Lebrun, a local in the Grand Isle infamous for flirting with married …show more content…
Edna felt unhappy in the society she was living in and believed ending her life was the best solution to that problem through spiritual reassessment. Edna is described as having “realized her position in the universe as a human being, and to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and about her,” (Chopin VI) when her “awakening” begins and she realizes her place in society. She realized that a society where she would not be free to make decisions without society’s hateful eyes was a society she did not want to continue to live in. Edna Pontellier demonstrates the heroic victory of a female protagonist over patriarchy through suicide (Ramos 232). She finally lived a life with love during her affair with Robert and would not be able to experience a life with no regret again so, suicide was the best option. The ending of The Awakening should be considered a happy ending for the character because she was able to make a conscious decision for herself and was a happy, final decision for …show more content…
Edna felt out of place because she felt no attachment to her children and she would only give up the unessential things in life for them rather than the essential things. A mother in the late 1800s “idolized her children, worshipped her husband, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface herself as an individual and grow wings as a ministering angel,” (Chopin IV) and Edna did not fit this standard set by society during this time period. Edna moved out away from her husband and children and began a scandalous affair with a local in the Grand Isle which was frowned upon. Her only choice was to commit suicide to prevent gossip being spread about her children’s mother. Edna was “...a solitary, defiant soul who stands out against the limitations that both nature and society place upon her , and who accepts in the final analysis a defeats that involves no surrender,” (Treu 22) which resulted in her suicide. Edna experienced a moral reconciliation and was able to put the needs of her children before herself. The ending of The Awakening should be considered a happy ending for the protagonist because she was able to selflessly put the needs of her children above her