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Edna Pontellier's Suicide In The Awakening

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In “The Awakening” by Kate Chopin, the protagonist Edna Pontellier’s devastating suicide at the end of the novel has caused many differences in opinions throughout readers. On one hand, some view her suicide as a failure to be free from social expectations, particularly without a man with her she loses her motivation and ultimately dies due to the social expectations placed on her. On the other hand, however, her suicide is interpreted as a final awakening (book name), a final decision to be free and fully claim her individuality and autonomy rather than adhere to what she is expected to be, act, and think like. In this essay, I will analyze each of these interpretations and show how while both have great qualities, Edna's suicide is ultimately an act of bravery in the face of social constraints …show more content…

This exacerbates her feelings of isolation and loneliness since no matter how much Edna started to express herself and focus more on her individuality there were always continuous barriers that held her back. Societal expectations played a large role in limiting Edna's true self. The people around her assume stereotypical social expectations, along with expecting them from others, which ultimately affects Edna's relationship with her kids, husband, daily tasks, herself, and ultimately how to be a mother. Edna was also raised alongside these social expectations, while growing up she knew what she wanted but was unable to express this given her parents and others surrounding her. They did not feel the same desire to have their own identities separate from the people around them, but this was the opposite of Edna. In this interpretation, Edna’s suicide was ultimately her rejecting social expectations that held her back from being her true self and expressing her wants, wishes, and

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723 Words | 3 Pages

History is filled with tales of those who were willing to risk it all in order to be the change that the world needed. In the book, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Edna Pontellier, realizes the sins that are imparted upon her by society and is willing to sacrifice everything about her past self in order to be break free of the chains that entangle her. Edna’s sacrifices include her comfortable lifestyle and esteemed reputation; however, to Edna these are small sacrifices that are needed in order to progress as an individual and expand into a new realm of independence. As she develops throughout the story, she starts to value a sense of independence and of equality more and more. However, the bonds placed on her by upper-class society's expectations mean that in order to achieve a position in life where she can embody her values, she must sacrifice her current culture and position.

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687 Words | 3 Pages

The Death of Edna Pontellier The struggles of Edna Pontellier throughout her everyday life in a society that she feels she doesn’t belong in, is developed through the writing of Kate Chopin. As her character develops, Edna’s final decision of suicide illustrates her defeat in the face of society. In, The Awakening, Kate Chopin employs poetic diction and anaphora to emphasize and illuminate Edna’s awakening and how her death positively affected her character development.

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906 Words | 4 Pages

She was “no longer [...] content to “feed upon opinion” when her own soul had invited her” (Chopin 103), summoning her to experience the rich and complex world that inhabited her being. However, as Edna’s ability for self-expression grows, the amount of people who can truly empathize with her gets increasingly smaller. The fact that solitude becomes a direct result of Edna’s independence is clear evidence of her awakening. Since the societal expectations of the late 1800s gave Victorian women very limited opportunities for individual expression, they preventing them from tending to their own wants and needs. For this reason, as Edna acknowledges her desire for freedom and verbalizes her emotions, she is met with disappointing resistance from the world surrounding her.

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909 Words | 4 Pages

However, because of societies strictness and conformity, she is unable to fully integrate into her individual self, leaving her with no choice but to commit suicide in the end. The loose intent behind the suicide emphasizes that it wasn’t Edna’s own decision completely, but instead it was the fact that she was living in a society that didn’t allow her to develop an identity that ultimately led her to her

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1618 Words | 7 Pages

First and foremost Edna desires to be independent; she wants to be able to lead her own life, make her own choices. The way that the Creole society is built would not let her do that; she is expects to be an obedient wife for her husband and to take care of the family and home. The men in this society dominate; they are the leaders and workers. She is forced to be this mother-woman which she does not want to be. She wants to have the rights and status of a man in this society, but she cannot do that because it would bring shame to the rest of her family.

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825 Words | 4 Pages

Women during Edna’s time were supposed to be dedicated to their husbands and children, however, Edna yearned for her own independence, and as a result of wanting her own independence Edna knew that she was seen as a terrible person. For instance Edna wanted to “…try to determine what character of a woman I am; for, candidly, I don't know. By all the codes which I am acquainted with, I am a devilishly wicked specimen of the sex. But some way I can't convince myself that I am. I must think about it" (27.4).

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830 Words | 4 Pages

She feels trapped within the confines of her role as mother, wife, and caretaker of the house. Edna yearns for a deeper connection with herself and the world, wanting to break free from the societal expectations that have been placed on her. As Edna reflects “I would give up the unessential; I would give up my money, I would give my life to my children, but I wouldn’t give myself” (Chopin 54). This sentiment highlights Edna’s dedication to herself and maintaining her own identity. She explains that above all else, the connection she has with herself is the most important thing in the world, and it is something that she is greatly struggling with.

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1386 Words | 6 Pages

Moreover, when her children tumbled, she will not pick them up just let them get up on their own. In contrast to Adele, Edna is not contributing herself to her family as well as Adele. Edna tries to fit in as the role to be a good mother, but, she cannot definitely, to be a mother-woman cannot fulfill her eagerness to be a special, independent and egocentric person. In Chapter XVI, Edna said to Adele, she would give her money and her life to children, but never herself. And that is what she is trying to understand and recognize.

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849 Words | 4 Pages

Edna continually questions whether or not she is destined to live a life of subordination or if she can find her own freedom. Edna Pontellier’s defiant nature is brought out

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960 Words | 4 Pages

Edna begins to understand her own thoughts and values, and acknowledges that she is her own human being who should be entitled to her own desires and ambitions, and she is not willing to revert to being a wife and mother only… Thus, Edna is trapped in a world in which she is not accepted for who she wants to be, as she cannot adjust to being who society wants her to be.” (Malinen 19). Edna’s awakening to feminism makes it impossible for her to conform to what society declares a woman should be; thus, all of the negative changes she experiences are due to her change in ideals. As demonstrated, Edna’s support of feminism could not have survived in the time period in which she lived, because her beliefs created more negative outcomes for her than the confidence she gained from her realizations could support.

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1283 Words | 6 Pages

Edna broke free from the mold of her society. She was trying to find her purpose and her worth in a world where she did not have many rights or individual stability. Edna Pontellier worked to disregard the influence and power of men and society as a whole to discover more about herself and what she really wanted out of life (Bommarito). She gave up the “unessential” such as her home, possessions, and reputation to do things for

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889 Words | 4 Pages

Unfortunately, she commits suicide by drowning due to the fact that she didn’t meet society’s expectations and was hoping to seek freedom by becoming independent. Early on in the story, we see how Edna is married to Mr. Pontellier and have children of their own. Edna is expected to be a committed wife and devote her life to her children since this

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193 Words | 1 Pages

In this book it seems that suicide was the only thing Edna had control over and she took it. You see Edna struggle with her role as a mother and wife. The constrictions placed on her left her unhappy. You could see that she wasn 't involved with her children but loved them alot and knew that they would be better off without her. Her ideas of freedom and a new and exciting life don 't go as she planned.

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871 Words | 4 Pages

Edna’s inner identity reaches the breakpoint where it is necessary for her well-being that it is expressed. At this point, nothing else matters besides her intuitions and desires. This brings difficulty to her familiar relationships and friendships due to her rejection of living according to her role as a mother and a wife. Even though this conflict is addressed, it does not make an impact on her decision to remain a bit selfish through this time that she is finding herself. As a way of explaining her state of mind, Edna states that she "would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself.

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1044 Words | 5 Pages

This novel, The Awakening, is about a woman named Edna Pontellier learns to think of herself as an independent human being. Also, Edna Pontellier refuses to obey against the social norms by leaving her husband Leónce Pontellier and having an affair with Robert Lebrun. Kate Chopin describes societal expectations and the battle of fitting the mold of motherhood in the Awakening by how Edna Pontellier and Adele Ratignolle contribute to their family in different ways. Edna Pontellier’s attitude toward motherhood is that she is not a perfect mother-women. Adele Ratignolle’s attitude toward motherhood is that she is a perfect mother-women.

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