The Awakening: A Symbolic Analysis

From the start of the novel symbolism is vivid, there is a caged up green and yellow parrot repeating phrases over and over, the noisy bird is a symbol of Edna’s oppressed marriage and life with Léonce Pontellier. The bird being caged up and not being released to fly and roam the skies freely, can be seen as Edna, as she herself isn't able to freely do things she wants to do without her husband's permission, she is limited to her actions. In addition, the ocean is one of the novel’s is most obvious and well-known symbols in the novel. When Edna Pontellier first steps into the ocean a feeling of exultation fills her, she was but “intoxicated with her newly conquered power,” (Chopin 31) the power to swim in a vast and open sea, freely and alone.
Edna loved the feeling of being in the ocean, she felt a sense of freedom and solitude, this symbol is apparent throughout the novel and is a major contribution to the plot.