Overcoming Obstacles In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

Individuals all around the world today face obstacles that challenge their strength and integrity. Someone’s ability to persevere through obstacles ultimately builds their moral character. Moreover, an individual’s capability to turn themselves into the person they have always desired to be can be life-changing. Human beings can discover who they genuinely are in a variety of ways. In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, the main character Edna Pontellier awakens in life with bravery and a sense of exploration, which, in due course, alters her perspective on life and grants her independence. Living in a society where women are held to certain norms and regulations, Edna Pontellier stumbles upon the strength and courage to find contentment in her

When spending time with Robert, she went to a beach late at night. Having never swum before, she challenges herself and plunges into the water, intrigued by its presence. Once in the water, she “turned her face seaward to gather in an impression of space and solitude, which the vast expanse of water, meeting and melting with the moonlit sky, conveyed to her excited fancy” (Chopin 37). She achieves comfort and quiet in the water, taking in all the room she has. Her determination to push herself into unknown situations brings about her satisfaction in life. Her environment in this scenario produces the joy she has continuously been craving for. Furthermore, Edna declares that she will be moving into her own little home, away from her family’s house in a new motion towards her independence. She passionately describes how she will move into “a little four-room house around the corner” (Chopin 107). Pontellier is tired of taking care of the large house she currently lives in, and states how it was never a real home to her. She finds happiness in living alone and not being exhausted with countless responsibilities. She seeks a connection with the outside world and what her community offers. Moreover, her disappointment in life is resolved through “Grand Isle” and its overall mood. Pontellier’s pain and sorrow are all eradicated when vacationing here, as she finds the people who help her get rid of her peeves and problems. She traversed Grand Isle daily, trying to understand and unravel her inner self. Pontellier’s ability to throw herself into various physical circumstances and thrive alone demonstrates what she views as satisfactory in