Kate Chopin uses the process of being exiled throughout her novel The Awakening in order to illuminate this particular piece of work of hers. She twists it in a way where it illuminates her novel to both the readers and to the characters within it. Not only did she do that, but she also uses being exiled to show that performing this action can cause the person who was exiled to become both alienated and enriched. With this particular piece of her work, she uses the character Robert Lebrun as the person this process happens to.
Robert Lebrun was the kind of man who had a new lady every summer and never truly saw anything serious happening with anybody, that is until he met Edna Pontellier. When their friendship began Robert did not see this the case, it took for him to go off to Mexico, leaving his home to make his fortune to realize Edna changed him. While away, Robert began writing letters to Madame
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Incorporating Robert leaving allowed for the inclusion of riches and a tragic love story, thereby broadening the audience in which the book interests. The setting was in New Orleans, but Chopin used many references to the ending of the book, “The voice of the sea speaks to the soul (Chopin 13).” This was done all throughout the story without the reader realizing it until the end. The character illumination was done through Edna. Chopin used Edna to incorporated her efforts of supporting women’s right into the book allowed further illumination.“I would give up the unessential; I would give up my money, I would give up my life for my children; but I wouldn 't give myself. I can 't make it more clear; it 's only something I am beginning to comprehend, which is revealing itself to me (Chopin 47),” said Edna referring to the motherhood expectations of women during this