The Awakening

Breaking Free The Awakening by Kate Chopin is a short story representing freedom, individuality, and separating from the status quo. The main character, Edna Pontellier, is facing many dilemma’s that allow her to discover who she really is. Edna’s death at the end of the book is portraying her triumph against her world. By dying, she is proving she does not need a husband, that she will not be known as the mother society is wanting her to be, and that she can express her true emotions. Therefore finally breaking away from the stress of reality, and entering her own true free life. In this story, there are several moments where Chopin starts allowing Edna to break free from the control of the men in society, especially her husband. As Edna starts becoming her true self, Mr. Pontellier starts worrying that she is becoming unbalanced in a mental way. During this time Chopin starts describing what is going through his head in the moment and she says, “He could see plainly that she was not herself. That is, he could not see that she was becoming herself and daily casting aside that fictitious self which we assume like a garment with which to appear before the world” (57). When Chopin is saying “aside that fictitious self which we assume like a garment to appear before the world”, it stands representing that no one knew the real Edna, not even her husband. The self that was worth knowing to him only was pleasing to him, and the rest of the world, but not the actual girl living the life. Edna soon starts realizing this, then starts thinking that she has feelings for Robert, which then winds up turning out to be a messy end as well. As she is talking to Robert, an enlightening fact clicks in her head, Robert is just like any other male in her life. She starts realizing that he never thought of her as Edna, but as Mr. Pontellier’s wife. Finally, cutting the ties with him she says, “I am no longer one of Mr. Pontellier’s possessions to dispose of or not. I give myself