Edna Pontellier Character Analysis in The Awakening Essay Example

The Novel The Awakening by Kate Chopin was a feminist work in 1899 of American literature. In this novel Edna Pontellier is a strong and ambitious woman. She strives to find the meaning of life, true happiness, and her own independence. In her time she makes very impulsive decisions without thinking about the consequences and the people surrounding her. Edna did not feel comfortable in her relationship with Leonce, and she was never satisfied with him nor what he did for her. He would treat her well and make her feel loved. Out of all the men coming through Edna’s life, she is having difficulty in the field of true love. At the end of the novel, Edna kills herself because she believes she cannot find a way for her life to go on. She also believes that the suicide was not a failure becasuse for all of that she is able to save her inner self. Edna thinks her life is unnecessary to her.  All of this shows that Edna is a strong feminin hero who triumphs against an outdated set of social norms. 

Edna is not a woman who sacrifices herself to her loved ones and children. She has a great weakness for unfulfilled love. In the novel the author Kate Chopin states that Edna is not a mother-woman. In the summer at Grand Isle, Edna tried to explain to Adel, one of her closest friends, how she feels about her children and herself. In the novel it says, “I would give up the unessential; I would give my money; I would give 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” (page 15). This is showing that Edna wants to care for her children but she doesn't want to give up her own life and she might not be ready yet. When edna commits suicide, she does it for herself and not for her own children. 

Edna has a similar relationship with her husband Leonce. Edna was not informed of what society's way of loving someone was at that time. Everyone thought that Mr. Pontellier was the best husband. Edna was forced to admit that this was true from society. The author Kate Chopin uses keywords like “admit” and “force” to show Edna's real feelings and how she is unhappy. One day Edna just decided to leave Leonce and the home they were in. She stated that she is tired of looking at it and she feels like it isn't her own home. She also feels like she has no connection towards it. She moves into her own home called the pigeon- house. After all of this occurs, Edna loses care for her children more and more up until her death. Edna explains her thoughts, “There was no moment of deliberation, no interval of response between the thoughts and its fulfillment”(page 89).  Edna wants to be her own independent woman with her own life because she was despondent. 

Edna is awoken to art and her creativeness. It is symbolized as both freedom and failure. As Edna begins with her art it is the highest point of her awakening. She sees that art can show her self-expression. Edna is not an artist like Madame Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz, who are both her friends. Edna always loved hearing Madame Ratignolle play on the piano. It made her think back at certain times and it made her realize how she wasn’t very happy. 

Edna also experiences a sexual awakening. The emotionally sexual relationship with Robert and the physically sexual relationship with Arobin. Robert was away in Mexico most of the time. He made Edna turn into a different person by letting herself out to others. Robert swept Edna off of her feet as she thought that he was the missing person in her life. Although there is no physical interaction, he proves his love for her verbally. Robert and Edna soon do not work out because Robert wants marriage and Edna wants her own independence. Edna had an affair during her marriage with Alcee Arobin. Edna just wanted a relationship with Arobin because she really wanted Robert but she liked Arobins presence and actions towards her. Edna continues to hang out with him because she makes her feel things she has not felt in a long time. He makes her feel like she is young again. She soon got bored of Arobin and moved onto Robert. 

Ednas suicide was a way of showing her own independence. She is surrounded by a society she can not identify and she does not want  to be part of it. She wants to be able to make her own decisions and she wants to  be happy with herself. The only way Edna can fulfill this is to kill herself. She has tried to care for her husband and her children but she was selfish. Edna tried having other relationships but they all made her bored. She tried doing things like art and learning how to swim but they didn't meet her standards. Through the whole novel Edna is persistent and a strong woman who believes society’s standards are not what she wants in her life.