The_Awakening

The Awakening Drowning in a Sea of Freedom: Edna’s Representation of Feminism in The Awakening In The Awakening, by Kate Chopin, the author makes several political statements. Chopin acknowledges sexual issues as well as women’s rights. During a time period when the discussion of such topics was considered to be unacceptable, Chopin was assertive with the character of Edna Pontellier. Edna epitomized the feminist role of the strong-willed woman who no longer wanted to adhere to the boundaries of a society where she could not live freely as she had wanted. Edna found the limitations that were placed on her by society to be too restricting for her. Women in her day had very few options. It was often the backseat role of wife and mother that was most commonly enforced. Michael Ryan wrote, “The assumed norm in many societies is for women to be in charge of domestic labor and childrearing. . . .” (101). Edna found herself in this situation and was discontented by it. She did not desire to conform to the barriers that society placed around her. She was a unique, free spirit who had no right to practice edna, life, herself, women, own, society, freedom, free, found, end, edna’s, death, chopin, awakening, time, sea, mother, made, felt, woman, way, swim, strength, social, role, reader, pontellier, out, new, live, first, emotionally, desire, character, york, women’s, within, wife, water, wanted, returning, press, placed, physical, personal, passion, never, naked, meant, love