Depiction of The Main Characters in Kate Chopin’s Novels

During the 1800’s women weren't allowed to have the same freedom that men had, they were expected to always be happy, stay at home and be a mother women. This is when both these stories came out and made people realize they deserve to have their own life. The Awakening is about Edna trying to find herself after she realizes she isn't happy with her husband, that's when she awakens. The Story of the Hour is about Mrs.Mallard going through a hard time after she finds out her husband is dead but later on she finds out he’s actually alive. Although both stories The Awakening and The Story of an Hour by Kate Chopin are completely different, both are the main characters, Edna and Mrs. Mallard, go through similar situations.

Edna and Mrs. Mallard are similar because they both feel the same. They felt as if they need to make their husband happy but at the same time they felt trapped. In The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin is speaking about how Mrs. Mallard feels when she says, “‘free, free, free!’ The vacant stare and the look of terror that had followed it went from her eyes” (Chopin 170).  She is starting to feel like she needs more freedom instead of just staying home to make her husband happy. Mrs. Mallard is now starting to realize how suffocated she feels in her marriage. Edna as well wanted to be more at peace with no worries or expectations. In The Awakening it stated, “she grew daring and reckless, overestimating her strength. She wanted to swim farout, where no woman had swum before” (Chopin 47).  She’s been dealing with so much that she just needs to be by herself where there is silence. She wants to be herself but how could she if many people expect so much from her. 

Mrs. Mallard and Edna both had a toxic marriages which led to their downfall but to their awakening as well. Edna’s husband, Mr.Pontellier didn't really show his love and affection towards her so it would make her feel different emotions. In the story, The Awakening, Kate Chopin said, “When Mr.Pontellier became rude, Edna grew insolent” (Chopin 95). Mr.Pontellier always took her for granted. Even though he would give her money and buy her presents he would always seem to be in a bad mood with her. This was a toxic relationship, as Mr. Pontenllier become meaner but so did Edna, so she slowly fell in love with Robert because he would treat her better and would actually care for her.  This is somewhat similar to Mrs. Mallard’s marriage. She had thought her husband died at his work. In The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin said, “she had loved him-sometimes. Often she had not” (Chopin 170). Mrs. Mallard would often realize that she deserved better. After she found out her husband was still alive, she died due to a heart attack because she was surprised to see him; she had thought he was dead. Edna’s and Mrs. Mallard’s deaths were not just because they had a toxic marriage, but also because they felt as if they were being controlled. They both also had expectations on how they should have been treated; their husband never treated them as if they were their wife but as someone who was just there. 

Both Mrs. Mallard and Edna struggled on being themselves and having freedom. This is why Edna would go out to the sea, it where she would escape too and felt free. In The Awakening it had said, “The voice of the sea speaks into the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft,close embrace” (Chopin 25). When she would go out to the sea she would realize how much strength and self-resilience she had. Edna wanted to find herself and control her life/destiny, which is why she ended her life and therefore awakens. Mrs. Mallard's awakening isn't as different as Edna’s. After her husband “died,” she starts to realize how free and independent she will now feel. In  The Story of an Hour, Kate Chopin said, “She was beginning to recognize this thing that was approaching to possess her, and she was striving to beat it back to her will…” (Chopin 170). Although Mr. Mallard's death was fake, it had brought in a change into her life that she didn't know she needed until after. She was sad about her husband's death but deep inside she felt free and happy because if he were to still be alive then that meant she would be under his control which meant she had now freedom at all. At the end both Mrs. Mallard and Edna got what they wanted with their death which was them feeling free and in control of their own destiny.

Both of these main characters had two different identities. As said in The Awakening, “she could only realize that she herself her present self was in some way different from the other self” (Chopin 67). This quote represents Edna and Mrs. Mallard because it shows how they are changing and are getting different points of views towards everything else now. We see them develop throughout the story. Edna is not as closed as she was in the beginning of the story, towards the end she starts to feel more alive and free. With Mrs. Mallard, we see how she goes sad and closed in to feeling energetic but back to being upset and shocked.  

In addition both Edna and Mrs. Mallard actually have some differences. Edna has 2 kids and her husband that makes her feel like she's their “slave”. But Mrs. Mallard doesn't have any kids it just her husband that makes her feel like she's not in control of her life. Also even though their cause of death are similar the way they died were different. Edna's death were secretive no one knew or even expecting she will kill herself. And with Mrs. Mallard she didn't kill herself, her died because of her heart disease. People were already expecting something after she had a heart attack. 

To sum up everything, Edna and Mrs. Mallard are more similar than different; they almost lived the same life because the had went through similar situations. They were both controlled by their husbands which they didn't like, they wanted to feel free and live. But all this was normal during the 1800 because men and women couldn't always have the same rights and freedom. Which is why both these stories came out: Kate Chopin wanted to make not just men but everyone else that women deserve the same rights as men, they deserve to feel as equal as they do.