Edna Victoria's Ending in The Awakening

In her novel, The Awakening, Kate Chopin shows Edna Pontellier¹s confrontations with society, her imprisonment in marriage and Edna¹s exploration of her own sexuality. Chopin also portrays Edna as a rebel, who after her experiences at Grand Isle wants to live a full and a free life and not to follow the rules of society. Edna¹s life ends in her suicide, but her death does not come as a surprise. Chopin foreshadows Edna¹s death by the use of nature and Edna¹s connection to it; also by the use of symbols, especially the symbolic meaning of a bird; and by the use of many different characters in the novel, such as Robert Lebrun, Mademoiselle Reisz and Madame Ratignolle.

Edna is a very romantic character, who turns to nature for comfort. She "seeks herself" in nature (508). But her surroundings are not comforting to her. She hears voices "from the darkness and the sky above and the stars" that are "not soothing"; the voices "jeered and sounded mournful notes without promise, devoid even of hope" (508). Edna wants to feel the embrace of nature upon her but instead she doesn¹t feel "uplifted" and hears a "mournful lullaby"(471). This gloomy presentation of nature foreshadows the future events in Edna¹s life.

Kate Chopin uses the symbolic meaning of a bird to deepen the meaning of the story and to foreshadow the upcoming events. In "The Awakening" a bird symbolizes Edna Pontilier herself. In the beginning of the novel, Edna is the "green and yellow parrot" caged "outside the door", saying, "Go away! Go away! For God¹s sake!"(467). Edna feels trapped in her marriage just like a bird in a cage and after she meets Robert she wants to "go away". Edna, the bird, decides to flee her marriage and moves into the "pigeon-house", where she feels "risen in the spiritual"(541). To change her life and escape the "tradition and prejudice" of her circle, Edna "must have strong wings"(533). Mademoiselle Reisz tells Edna that people are cruel and if Edna doesn¹t feel strong enough, she will be like a "weakling bruised, exhausted, fluttering back to earth"(533). This conversation foreshadows Edna¹s lack of strength and her death. As Edna takes her last swim, she sees the bird "with a broken wing", falling "down to the water"(558). Edna feels weak; she "falls down" into the waters of Grand Isle.

When Edna meets Robert Lebrun at Grand Isle, she experiences an awakening from her "life-long, stupid dream", as she recalls her life (553). She is ready to give her heart to Robert, but he flees Grand Isle and Edna before he ruins his reputation as a "good Creole". Robert knows that "the Creole husband is never jealous" about the harmless flirting and as a "good Creole", Robert cannot go beyond these social boundaries (475). Robert follows the rules of his society; his departure foreshadows his future actions towards Edna. She returns to her "pigeon-house" and finds that Robert is "not waiting for her" and the house is "empty"(556). Robert is gone again. Edna remembers the warning of Mademoiselle Reisz about the cruelty of society. Edna is scared to face the cruelty alone. Edna feels that without Robert by her side she is helpless. Edna doesn¹t want anyone "near her except Robert"(557) but he cannot be a "good Creole" and be with Edna. Even if Robert would be with Edna, society will never allow them to be together and Edna¹s husband will never "set her free"(552). Edna also can¹t find her purpose because she is "not a mother-woman"(473) and she could not "give herself for her children", like her friend Adele Ratignolle (505). Without Robert and a purpose in life, Edna chooses not to live. Edna¹s decision to end her life is the only way for her to escape reality.

"The Awakening" has a tragic end, but it¹s the only possible end for Edna Pontellier. Edna feels trapped in the "cage" of society, it¹s rules and standards, and she can¹t find happiness if she follows the rules. She cannot be happy without Robert, but Robert cannot be with her. Edna feels like a trapped bird. She sets herself free, only to find that her wings are not strong enough. As Edna takes her last swim she feels like a happy child, running through the "blue-grass meadow" that has "no beginning and no end" (558). For Edna it¹s the beginning of her freedom from all.

Works Cited

Chopin, Kate. "The Awakening". The Norton Anthology of American Literature, Fifth Edition, Vol 2:W.W.Norton & Company Inc, 1998.