The Awakening
Tortuous Freedom
The Awakening by Kate Chopin opens with the brash squawking of a parrot. ?Go away! Go away! For god?s sake! That?s alright!? Although these opening words are few and may seem to have little significance, they come to represent the role Edna plays in society and the transformation she undergoes in her awakening. Edna?s awakening completely reshapes her thoughts, opinions and lifestyle, which eventually prove to be intoxicating and dreadful.
At age 28 Edna comes to realize she is an individual. This marks the beginning of her awakening from a dream to life?s reality that is represented through many the choices she makes. Edna doesn?t comply with requests from Leonce, refusing to go to New York with him. She befriends both Mademoiselles Reisz and Ratignolle and proceeds to have an affair with Alcee Arobin while Robert was in New York. ?Every step she took toward relieving herself of obligations added to her strength and expansion as an individual.? While Edna used her actions to grow personally, they eventually leave her in great distress, as she continues to love Robert, but he leaves her, leaving just a note reading, ?I love you, goodbye, because I love you.?
Edna?s solitude is intoxicating as
edna, freedom, while, love, herself, edna?s, awakening, robert, house, go, alcee, york, things, suicide, strength, reisz, pigeon, new, never, mademoiselle, just, intoxicating, individual, however, external, eventually, events, end, bring, bird, away, although, absolute, words, wings, weaklings
