Adultery In The Awakening

In “The Awakening,” Kate Chopin introduces many complex characters, one of which is Edna. Edna commits adultery, but throughout the work, the reader reacts sympathetically towards her, because they begin to understand that this is the only control she has over her own life. Set in 1899, “The Awakening” acknowledges the expectations of a wife and mother through the character of Edna Pontellier. Women of this time were generally tasked with the responsibility of taking care of children and the house. Readers first see this expectation in an exchange between Edna and her husband, Leonce, in the beginning of the book, where Leonce tells Edna that she “habitually neglects” her children, saying that “if it was not a mother’s place to look after the children, whose on earth was it?” Edna was not only portrayed as lacking in motherly skills, but also in her marital relationship. She flirted with other men, shirking her “responsibilities” at home to go out and do what she wanted to do, eventually committing adultery. This attitude would be immoral during the setting, because Edna seemed to be neglecting her “womanly duties,” as well as cheating on her husband.

Her motives for adultery are very deep, and Chopin gives many reasons behind Edna’s decisions. She fought back feelings of lust, want, and independence, trying to conform to the idea of a perfect wife or mother, but always falling short. She lives a “dual life” with “an outward existence that conforms and an inward life that questions.” Edna shows the public a different, fake version of herself in an effort to fit in, while she truly wants to be independent and free. This is a relatable situation, and many readers can sympathize with Edna, who is trying to both fit in and not lose