Edna Pontellier's Superego In The Awakening

The way we often try to interpret celebrated works of different eras is often misled by our misconception of conditions present at the time. In the late nineteenth century, there had always been a great divide between men and women in terms of patriarchy and psychological conventions. However in modern studies, the psychological aspect is always overlooked, as the fight for gender equality continues to dominate western culture. Novels such as The Awakening by Kate Chopin have been analyzed as feminist pieces to support this movement, when in fact it should be interpreted as a piece constructed for psychoanalysis. As a prominent figure in the world of psychology, the protagonist’s character displays traits resembling that of Freud’s structural

With intentions of clarifying the confusion surrounding the disposition of women, she builds the protagonist’s character in a way that still has morality to counter her dominating Id. In fact, Edna’s Superego presents itself in only a select few scenes of the novel as it exists only to hinder her awakening. An instance of this is when Edna “[cannot tell] why, wishing to go to the beach with Robert, she should in the first place [decline], and in the second place [follow] in obedience to one of the two contradictory impulses which [impel] her” (Chopin 13). Traditionally, a woman must first display some form of resistance before submitting to what is being asked of her. Although her beliefs have now become sounder as she questions this system, Edna’s Superego redirects her actions to nevertheless obey it. In being “greatly influenced by the pressure put on her by society’s expectations […] the Superego has scarred her and ultimately affected her reasoning” (Powell). In choosing to join Robert at the beach, she is unaware of her Superego’s role in her decision, in which it appeals to her former values as a conventional woman. As Edna’s awakening progresses, it is evident that Edna’s Superego is representative of society, which compels her to live the life she so dreadfully dislikes. Later on, this side of Edna diminishes drastically as her new beliefs and personality begin to set in. In similar manner, Edna’s Superego can be seen through her sacrifice at the conclusion of the novel. As a form of resolution and justice in the final moments of the plot, Chopin chooses to have Edna’s Superego decide her fate. As the side of her psyche that submits to society, this Superego drives the protagonist to take her own life for retribution of her supposed sins. Thus, in her final moments in the water, “she [remembers] the night she swam far out, and [recalls] the terror that