The Awakening

The Liberation of Edna

The Awakening tells the story of Edna Pontellier and her journey to become an independent woman. Throughout the story Edna demonstrates many characteristics of a liberated woman. Edna disobeys her husband and abandons the responsibilities of caring for the children and maintaining the house. Adele’s friendship also acts as a motivation for Edna’s abandonment to her former conservative life. Edna ends up falling in love with Robert which completes her awakening. Though Edna is on her quest to be fully liberated, there are many times throughout the novel that she demonstrates stereotypical behaviors. Edna faces many battles between her desires and societies. Getting over the circumstances she forgets what others think and becomes fully liberated. Her relationships throughout the novel with her husband, Adele Ratignolle, and Robert Lebrun are what shapes Edna’s awakening.

Throughout the story there are many times Edna disagrees with her husband. In chapter three she shows her first signs of liberation. “Mr. Pontellier returned to his wife with the information that Raoul had a high fever…Mrs. Pontellier was quite sure Raoul had no fever” (Chopin 6). In the 1800’s if a husband said something the wife would agree with him even if he is wrong. The narrator then goes on to say that Edna said nothing, and refused to answer her husband when he questioned her. This proves her attempt to become more independent, standing up to her husband. It was very unlikely that a woman in those days would show so much disrespect to her husband, as Edna did to Mr. Pontellier. Also when Edna’s husband was calling her in to go to bed she refused to go. She (Edna) realized to herself that “Another time she would have gone in at his request” (36). Edna does what she wants even if her husband says to do otherwise. All of this sudden independence that overcomes Edna shows her on the path of being fully liberated. There are other times throughout the book where Edna disobeys her husband many times. Edna even disobeys her husband to an extent where she decides to move out of their house without his permission. “I am going to move away from my house on Esplanade Street” (93). She writes this to her husband in a letter, telling him this, and before he could even write back to give an answer she moves into a new house. Her actions were considered highly disrespectful and disobedient of a woman in the 1800’s. To do something as big as to move out of her house without the permission of her husband was just unheard of in these times.

“That summer at Grand Isle she began to loosen a little the mantle of reserve that had always enveloped her. There may have been there must have been---influences, both subtle and apparent, working in their several ways to induce her to do this; but the most obvious was the influence of Adele Ratignolle. The excessive physical charm of the Creole had first attracted her, for Edna had a sensuous susceptibility to beauty” (16). Adele’s friendship also acts as a motivation for Edna’s abandonment to her former conservative life. Adele becomes a person whose talk and enthusiasm encourages Edna to be more enthusiastic about her dreams and desires. Their open and sincere conversations with Adele remind her of all of her passions that she left unfulfilled. “Of whom---of what are you thinking? Asked Adele of her companion, whose countenance she had been watching with a little amused attention, arrested by the absorbed expression which seemed to have seized and fixed every feature into a statuesque repose”(18). The two women spent hours together just talking and day dreaming, leading to Edna’s desire to be more liberal. Since Adele was the idle Mother and wife at this time, hearing about Edna’s