Kate Chopin's "The Awakening" is a work of litature like none other I have read. It is nothard to imagine why this major work of Chopin's wasbanished for decades not long after its initialpublication in 1899. Most of society did not likethe fact that "The Awakenings" main character, EdnaPontellier, went against the socially acceptablerole of women at that time. At that time inhistory, women did just what they were expected todo. They were expected to be good daughters, goodwives, and good mothers. Edna seemed to fit thismold at first, but eventually as the story developsEdna breaks free from that mold. Edna chose to do what society expected of her,she marries, and leaves her fantasies and dreams inthedepths of the shadows. "The acme of bliss, whichwould have been a marriage with the tragedian, wasnot for her in this world. As the devoted wife of aman who worshiped her, she felt she would take herplace with a certain dignity in the world ofreality, closing the portals forever behind herupon the realm of romance and dreams." Aftermarriage, Edna faced the expectations of motherhoodand being a devoted mother, after all "if it wasnot a mother's place to look after children, whoseon earth was it?" (P.471)The outward appearance of Edna's life lookedperfect, she was the envy of many women. "And theladies, selecting with dainty and discriminatingfingers and a little greedily, all declared thatMr. Pontellier was the best husband in the world.Mrs. Pontellier was forced to admit she knew ofnone better." (P. 472) The cover of her life was apicture of a fairy tale, but inside, the pages werefilled with the emptiness and the loneliness shewas feeling. During that summer at Grand Isle, thepages were finally read, and slowly Edna becameless and less concerned for the welfare of herfamily and more concerned with the feeling she washaving. "He [Mr. Pontellier] thought it verydiscouraging that his wife, who was the sole objectof his existence evinced ...
