The Life Of Edna Pontellier In The Awakening

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In Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, we are taken on a journey into the life of, Edna Pontellier, a nineteenth century middle aged woman who consistently struggles with an identity crisis, her feministic ways, and suicidal tendencies. This novel takes place in two Louisiana locales: Grand Isle and New Orleans. Edna and her husband are made to have a “traditional marriage”, one where Edna is expected to solely take care of her two children and husband, instead of following any possible pursuits of happiness. This causes Edna to feel dissatisfied with her marriage, then leading to her unintentional love for a young and handsome man named Robert. Robert seems to make Edna feel more alive and independent, but before any form of an affair can …show more content…

Edna’s husband notices her mood change and decides it is time to move back to their home in New Orleans. This causes Edna to slowly spiral down into a form of depression. Edna tries everything she can to make herself feel better and forget the feelings she had for Robert. She seeks love from a nearby man named Alcée, but she still is not satisfied with the feelings she still has for Robert. Later on, both Edna and Robert meet again at a mutual friend’s house. After a bit of awkwardness the two are talking like old friends again. Robert soon confesses his love for Edna. As she is liberated with the news she is called away to help a friend. When she returns all she finds is a note from Robert, stating that he is leaving for good but still loves her very much so. This causes Edna to lose her mind. She travels back to where she and Robert first met, Grand Isle. She thinks about her life, the family she has left behind, and all the people who had misunderstood her. She thinks about how her soul is not truly her soul anymore as she walks the calming beach. Finally, exhausted, Edna walks into the water, letting the ocean take …show more content…

Chopin’s main character, Edna Pontillier, struggles to identify herself with society. We most commonly see this in J. D. Salinger’s The Catcher in the Rye. In this novel the narrator Holden Caulfield is a teenager who is well read and very perceptive. We are told that he has been kicked out of four private schools, because he does not feel like “play[ing] the game according to the rules”.(Sallinger45) Caulfield shares a lot of similar beliefs with Edna. Salinger, as well as Chopin, tells this story of powerful characters breaking free from the hideous social normality everyone seems to

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