Identity In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, Edna Pontellier desires for something more than her role determined by society. She discovers her own identity and sheds her role as a Victorian housewife. In the final chapter, she takes off her Victorian clothes and she feels like a newborn creature. She has had her awakening and she feels completely free of her roles in society. Just like Edna I have had a somewhat similar experience. With my transition from Catholic school to public school I had to discard my uniform for my own new wardrobe that reflected me. I went to a Catholic school called St. Margaret Mary’s for basically my whole life. I started going there since Kindergarten and attended there until eighth grade. It was a small school. Everyone knew

I didn’t think it’d be that much of a change, but it was sort of a new identity for myself. Attending a Catholic school and wearing a uniform meant I had to follow certain standards and be cautious of my behavior. It was stressed to set a good example for the school. No longer wearing a uniform meant that I could let go of this part of myself and find a new personality. I had an awakening much like Edna’s where I was working to find myself. Even in Catholic school I always wanted to feel freer and challenge the predetermined behavior I had to follow. I often felt confused because I knew I had to be a certain way but I knew I was losing a part of myself by doing so. I did not want to lose a sense of creativity and personality by conforming to the ways of Catholic school. I knew in my last year of attending the school that I would no longer have to lose a part of myself and I would be free. On my last day of school, I wore that uniform for one last time and I have not seen it since. Just like Edna’s final scene, I let go of my Catholic school self and found a new identity. I found a personality for myself and became more independent. I can relate to Edna’s feeling of freedom. It’s interesting how letting go of articles of clothing can feel relieving. It’s a freeing experience and for both Edna and I, it meant finding a new independence for