sh judgement of others, she is able to gain independence and strength. In Kate Chopin's The Awakening, the character of Edna creates a heroine, although many may see her as a weak-willed, feeble-minded quitter. At the end of the novel, Edna kills herself by being brave enough to let herself be free in her own mind. Whether this was intentional or not seems unimportant; the point is that Edna was brave enough to conquer her innermost fears and finally swim by herself. This makes Edna a complex but heroic character. To truly understand Edna's actions, one must understand the entire message of the novel. It is one of freedom (or lack thereof), oppression, and ability to be free in one's own mind. In The Awakening, Edna marries a man from a different background that her own, and must be someone she is not to fit in with this Creole society that oppresses and ties down its women. This society has set behavior that its women must follow or be chastised. The Awakening, written by Kate Chopin, tells the story of a woman, Edna Pontellier, who transforms herself from an obedient housewife to a person who is alive with strength of character and emotions which she no longer has to repress. "An indescribable oppression, which seemed to generate in some unfamiliar part of her consciousness, filled her while being with her a vague anguish. It was like a shadow, like a mist passing across her soul's summer day. It was strange and unfamiliar; it was a mood. She did not sit there inwardly upbraiding her husband, lamenting at Fate, which had directed her footsteps to the path which they had taken. She was just having a good cry all to herself." (Awaking 49) This metamorphosis is shaped by her surroundings. Just as her behavior is more shocking and horrifying because of her position in society, it is that very position which causes her to feel restrained and makes her yearn to rebel. Edna has the courage to realize that she must be true to ...
