Summary Of 'The Awakening'

"Even as a child she had lived her own small life all within herself. At a very early period she had apprehended instinctively the dual life—that outward existence which conforms, the inward life which questions" Narrator, Chapter 7, page 31.

Edna has 2 very distinct characters whom contrast in very conflicting ways. The Edna on the outside is the woman that lives up to the conforms of society, and is the woman that innumerable infatuate over. On the other hand, the Edna within, is the one who questions the actions of herself. The inner Edna is also the one whom most would repulse, and rebuke. So far in the book, one is able to see that the Edna whom lives within, begins to dominate the one that showcases the epitome of what one has to be
She was happy to be alive and breathing, when her whole being seemed to be one with the sunlight, the color, the odors, the luxuriant warmth of some perfect Southern day. She liked then to wander alone into strange and unfamiliar places. She discovered many a sunny, sleepy corner, fashioned to dream in. And she found it good to dream and to be alone and unmolested. There were days when she was unhappy, she did not know why—when it did not seem worth while to be glad or sorry, to be alive or dead; when life appeared to her like a grotesque pandemonium and humanity like worms struggling blindly toward inevitable annihilation. She could not work on such a day, nor weave fancies to stir her pulses and warm her blood." Page 82,
She's finally able to see what it's like to be so free from the rebukes of society. There were days where she was able to celebrate the blissful feeling, and when she wasn't as trapped as she once was. This newfound freedom that her awakening gifted her enable her to go beyond the expectations, and it opened up her eyes to a wide rage of possibilities. She did new things that she's never done before, and it provided her with a joyful feeling. Despite the freedom that she was given, it also came with various languorous feelings which displeased her. It causes her to feel drained and prevents her from doing anything that provides her happiness. I feel as though following ones inner self can often prove to be tiring, and it isn't all what one expects it to be. The overall message that I feel the author is trying to say in this passage is, if one stays asleep, they aren't capable of feeling the unexpectedness of feelings that life throws at you. Whereas if one who is awakened, like Edna, feel the joy and hardships that freedom and consciousness has to