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The Sea Inside In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

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The Sea Inside
The ocean serves as a powerful source of inspiration for many; it is often shrouded in myth, mystery, and romanticism, as illustrated by the multitude of poems, literature, and art that focus on it. In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, the sea serves as a symbol of multiple elements of Edna’s journey as it represents both inward reflection and contemplation, as well as the frightening dangers and liberating rebirth that come with the absolute and expansive freedom that Edna so desperately seeks. Edna spends much of her adult life surrounded by the responsibilities of her demanding domestic and social life, without much time to turn inward or be alone; thus, the expansive abyss of the sea offers her a tempting chance for contemplation and solitude. As Edna spends time along the water at Grand Isle, it invites her to explore “the mazes of inward contemplation”, leading her to reflect on “her position in the universe as a human being” (57). This contemplation, of which Edna has never experienced in her 28 years of attempting to meet societal norms and expectations, awakens her to her role in the larger scheme of the universe, making her domestic and social obligations seem trivial in comparison. The sea also spurs inner reflection on Edna’s past, when delirious romantic passions controlled her emotions; as she stares at “the water stretching so far away,” she thinks of the “meadow that seemed as big as an ocean” near her childhood home in Kentucky, where she had experienced the …show more content…

Despite the risk and fear that accompanies her liberation and rebirth, Edna truly believes in her heart she will find the rebirth and solitude she so longs for within the sea, with ultimately tragic

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Edna Pontellier possessed something rich and unworthy. Edna’s disregard for the individuals and society’s opinion did not force her to remain oppressed in the parrot’s cage nor become reluctant to the ocean. Edna’s heroic individualism liberated the chains that plagued her from flying and swimming into freedom and the discovery of Edna’s identity. All individuals experience various sorts of transitions in their life, whether it’s emotionally, physically, or mentally. It was Edna Pontellier’s journey of a thousand miles, new experiences and beginnings that led to the benefit of self- rule and sovereignty.

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After swimming successfully, she develops feelings for Robert. After this awakening, Edna starts to step back and rethink her entire life; her marriage, her role, and even herself. She realizes she feels sort of imprisoned in this life she has had for so long. Edna finally starts doing things for her, she is letting herself feel an attraction for another man even though she is married and she also gets into art and has everyone in the house model for her. Rather than doing things to get the house ready for her husband or spending time playing with her children, she is distracted by all her newly found

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While seemingly calm and beautiful, the ocean possesses danger that could entice one into pursuing a false utopian state of being. Edna’s inability to distinguish the danger and the beauty of the ocean ultimately leads her behave irrationally and chooses to end her life in the end. The idea of pursuing one’s goal through rationale mean is not only significant within the novel but also relevant to our daily lives. In real life, people sometimes feel discontented with their social status and economic condition. While some people are motivated to take concrete action to improve their living conditions, some make unrealistic goals and seek to find an immediate way to success.

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In the story, the only place where Edna could experience freedom and find her awakening was the sea. Thus, when she commits suicide one can see how the sea was the root for Edna finding her self-discovery. Through suicide individuals can see how it was the only escape for a woman who was living under oppression. Suicide not only shows that oppression was impossible to escape for a woman, but at the the same time it shows that suicide was the only way

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