Isolation In The Awakening

Unlike the isolation found in the other two novels, that which is found in The Awakening is primarily concerned with a single character and her development: Edna Pontellier. Edna, living in the late 19th century, struggles to escape from the social conventions expected of a mother and a wife in her time. In so doing, she embarks on a spiritual journey and ultimately redefines herself as a character. In this novel’s case, isolation appears as a theme by which Edna may be adequately differentiated from society at large; further, her self-induced isolation from her family helps to emphasize her abandonment of conventional female roles.

The first instance in which Edna finds herself isolated from those around her does not, directly, demonstrate

her desire to disregard typical social conventions. In fact, the first isolation experienced by Edna is merely of a cultural manner, as its noted that, “though she had married a Creole, she was not thoroughly at home in the society of Creoles”. (Chopin, 12) Most notable, though, is that, the Creoles’, “freedom of expression was at first incomprehensible to” Edna, who was shocked by, “their entire absence of prudery.” (Chopin, 12) It seems that Edna is culturally isolated, in that her reserve and restraint is greatly at odds with the open and highly expressive nature of Creole society. This cultural difference helps to further establish Edna’s initial character as being reserved and somewhat passive, and, in the long run, to more effectively contrast Edna to her former self.
This contrast will prove to be important, for, Edna, endorsing the plot’s romantic twinge, will change greatly as a character, and will therefore find herself isolated in a spiritual context. Consider the night that the large party is held on Grand Isle. Refusing to join the others “in their sports and bouts”, Edna bravely swims out into the ocean, “turn[ing] her face seaward to gather in an impression of space and solitude… seem[ing] to be reaching out for the unlimited in which to lose herself.” (Chopin, 27 and 28) Facing directly off against the sublime, romantic vastness that is the ocean, Edna conquers her fears and experiences a spiritual transition. By physically isolating herself from those on the beach, Edna will, consequently, isolate herself from them spiritually.
Although not constantly taken note of, Edna’s spiritual progress does continue and yields further isolation.

The morning after Edna smashes her vase and throws her wedding ring onto the ground, its stated that she, “looked straight before her with a self-absorbed expression upon her face. She felt no interest in anything about her. The street, the children, the fruit vendor… were all part and parcel of an alien world which had suddenly become antagonistic.” (Chopin, 53) The isolation, or alienation truly, that Edna experiences is profound here. She views the world around her as being “antagonistic” and “alien”. Therefore, it seems that isolation has become a literary vehicle whereby Edna’s spiritual journey, and the differences between herself and her spiritually uninclined and socially restrained peers, are

enhanced.
Seemingly following suit of the previous two novels, and as aforementioned, The Awakening also relates the theme of isolation within a family. For example, soon after the rest of the Pontellier family leaves Edna alone at the house, the narrator notes that Edna, “breathed a big, genuine sigh of relief. A feeling that was unfamiliar but very delicious came over her.” (Chopin, 72) Joyful that she no longer needs to attend to her children and to her husband, Edna could be said to relish solitude--self-induced isolation, really. Thus, through a tone that acts as though a large weight had been lifted off of Edna’s chest, the narrator both indicates, and applies an approving judgement to, Edna’s abandoning of familial obligations.
Later, Edna affirms her intentions to isolate herself by telling Madame Reisz that she wishes to buy her own small house, since she, “like[s] the feeling of freedom and independence.” (Chopin, 79 and 80) By freedom and independence, its quite apparent Edna simply means the absolving of any serious connections to her family; although it’s true she doesn’t necessarily wish to abandon her family, she most certainly wishes for separation--isolation.

It should also be noted that, living within her “pigeon-house”, Edna had, “a feeling of having descended in the social scale, with a corresponding sense of having risen in the spiritual. Every step which she took toward relieving herself from obligations added to her strength and expansion as an individual.” (Chopin, 94) This seems to perfectly unite the different shades of isolation found in The Awakening; by ascending the spiritual “scale” in order to fulfill her role as a newly independent and spiritually minded woman, Edna completely isolates herself from friends and

family.
All notions of isolation are further reinforced by Edna’s final suicide, shortly before which, the narrator states that, “[s]he thought of Leonce and the children. They were a part of her life. But they need not have thought they could possess her, body and soul.” (Chopin, 116) If Edna should go so far as to commit suicide, it would be reasonable to surmise that she does not feel as though she can live her life freely and as she would wish to do so while also maintaining her expected roles as a mother and as a wife; her preference for solitude and independence squares well with the theme of isolation. Isolation between Edna and the rest of society served to illustrate the difficulty in reconciling traditional female roles with a woman’s ability to pursue her own goals and aspirations. Rather than depict a woman’s traditional role as being necessary, Edna’s spiritual struggle and subsequent isolation depict it as being optional and possibly restraining. As a result, and in a manner similar to what is found in 1984, separation between characters in The Awakening has been used for the purpose of illustrating social messages.
Edna’s liberation from usual social obligations, and alleviation of encumbering family responsibilities, follow the very same theme of isolated characters that is so integral to the other two works. Firstly, and most obviously, Edna’s separation from her family parallels that which is so prevalent within the Bundrens in As I Lay Dying and within the Oceanian families in 1984. Furthermore, each individual character finds himself alone in his pursuits and unique traits: each of the Bundrens, stuck within their own perspectives, and made distant by personal characteristics, find little intra-familial connection; the inhabitants of Airstrip One, plagued by the probings of the thoughtpolice, and blinded by their government’s revision of history cannot, and even avoid trying to, communicate with one another; and finally, Edna, striving to act as she pleases, and to view the world through a more spiritual, rather than petty, socially defined, lense, finds herself isolated from both friends and family. Shared between all three novels is not merely a universal theme, but the overwhelming importance and central role ascribed to it. The development of characters, plots, conflicts, and the ultimate meanings, of the three works are only made possible by the isolation of individual characters.