How Does Edna Pontier Respond To The Pursuit Of Happiness

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This small excerpt from Kate Chopin’s The Awakening undoubtedly shows how finding oneself can lead to internal happiness. Internal happiness is an essential component of the recipe for a joyful life. Without joy in one’s life, the person tends to be depressed and uninterested with life in general. In The Awakening, the main character Edna Pontellier has an internal battle with herself to find out who she really is and eventually learns that it’s ok to break off from societal conventions. Edna Pontellier, at the beginning of the story, is struggling to find internal happiness in her life from all aspects. Her love life is in shambles as she doesn’t truly love her husband named Leonce because his work life has destroyed their love life. She has …show more content…

“In short, Mrs. Pontellier was beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being, and to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and about her.” (Chopin 13). Edna Pontellier trip to the cottages of Madame Lebrun would change her life completely. During her visit there, she becomes enlightened in the terms of finding herself and freeing herself from that 1800’s woman’s mindset. A mindset that made her believe that having a husband is necessary in life. The dreadful task of finally finding a husband, and soon after, have children which hindered many women from chasing their dreams. They weren’t able to chase their dreams because it was an unwritten rule for the woman to stay at home and take care of the children. A mindset that forced her to lose the joy that she once had in her life. As a young child, she enjoyed painting. As she got older, she was expected to get rid of those hobbies that she genuinely loved. She was asked to replace that hobby with a husband and …show more content…

“The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude; to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation. The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft close embrace.” (Chopin 13). The sea has an important role throughout the entire story. The symbolization of freedom shows its self in the form of the sea. In the previously mentioned excerpt, the sea has a “voice”, meaning that it has a message to convey to Edna and the audience reading the book. The message is that the sea can provide an entry into a life of solitude and self-enlightenment. Edna has been forced to be something she is not for a long time and jumps at the opportunity to feel lively again. The feeling of self-enlightenment has entered Edna’s soul and she has a feeling of purpose in life now and in no way is she willing to go back to her former life. Again, this “voice” speaks to the soul of Edna. The use of words to describe this “voice” such seductive, never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring helps develop an identity behind that voice. The voice gives off the tone of one similar to that of a salesman trying to persuade a buyer. In this situation the sea is the salesman and Edna is dying to purchase what the sea is selling. At first Edna is hesitant to give in

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