he voice of the sea is seductive, never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander in abysses of solitude" (189). Edna swims out into the depths of the ocean, naked, returning to the innocence of her childhood. " She felt like some new-born creature" (189). As Edna swims on to her freedom, "She did not look backbut went on and on, thinking of the bluegrass meadowbelieving that it had no beginning and no end" (190). It is there in the ocean that she first realizes her physical, mental, and emotional potential. It is only natural that the water, which has seduced her with its sound reclaims her. Throughout the story the ocean represented Edna's constant struggle for self-realization and independence. From her first flow of emotion on the beach to her last breath of life in the sea, the ocean beckons her. The voice of the sea lures her onward in her journey toward liberation and empowerment. ...
