Marriage In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

The Awakening, written by Kate Chopin, is set in the Creole society of Louisiana in the late nineteenth century. In the novel, Edna Pontellier discovers that she wants to be more than just what society expects her to be as a wife and mother. During this time, women are to be completely dependent on their husbands and have few rights outside of marriage. At the end of the novel, Edna reaches the decision to end her own life to escape her responsibilities as a woman to her family and society. In the beginning, it is very apparent that Edna does not value marriage as a woman of this time should, and desperately wants to free herself from her own marriage. In Chapter 17, Edna becomes so angry at her husband, Leonce, that she throws her wedding

In an article written by Mary Bird, the author explains how women are considered possessions and are legally bound to do whatever their husbands ask of them. The oppressive society in which Edna lives makes it difficult for her to act independently. Instead, she is expected to stay at the Pontellier home to watch over the servants and receive social calls from other women in the community. When Edna does leave the home for the first time, Leonce becomes angry at her for abandoning her responsibility, and believes Edna needs to stay home because the servants “need looking after, like any other class of persons that you employ.” It is Edna’s job as the wife to stay home and watch over the people who work for the Pontelliers. (Chopin 56) Although her husband and others expect her to stay at the home, Edna wants to be more independent and leave the home. When Edna finally commits suicide at the beach, she is successful in escaping her obligations to

The only woman in the novel who does not abide by society’s expectations of how a woman should live is the old Mademoiselle Reisz. Mademoiselle Reisz never married and does not have children, and dedicates her life to her musical talents. When Edna tries to find the older woman after they return from Grand Isle, she gets a better understanding of how people in New Orleans view Mademoiselle Reisz. Some do not know much about her, while others wish they did not know as much as they do know about her. As a result of her lifestyle, Reisz is an outcast, but this does not bother the old woman. (Chopin 64) Although Edna wants to be free from society, she could never be free like Mademoiselle Reisz, because she is not as strong as Reisz. The article by Neal Wyatt infers that Chopin portrays Reisz as an outcast to show that living in that manner would not be suitable for Edna. As a result of Edna’s inability to live her life in a way that would be deemed unacceptable by society, she has no other means to escape than by committing