In Kate Chopin's controversial novel "The Awakening", the protagonist, Mrs. Edna Pontellier, experiences a personal rebirth, becoming an independent, sexual and sensitive woman, escaping restrictions of the oppressive society in which he lives. This awakening takes place on Grand Isle, a luxurious island where Edna vacations in the summer. After his awakening, he must return to his permanent home in New Orleans. Through the two settings (The Grand Isle and New Orleans), Chopin shows the reader the rift between Edna and her husband Leonce; this disparity connects to a larger theme of the difference between love and possession and the contrast between freedom and oppression. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay In the first chapter, the reader is introduced to Edna's husband, Leonce Pontellier, who is sitting on the porch while his wife swims with her little admirers, Roberto. Leonce, a New Orleans businessman, is obviously out of place in the lush, relaxing atmosphere of Grand Isle. He is irritated by the sounds and things going on around him, such as Madame Lebrun's parrot and the Farival twins playing the piano, and hardly seems impressed by the beauty of the land; rather, the narrator describes the young men playing croquet and the woman with the pearls in a rather passive tone, signifying Leonzio's boredom with his surroundings. The first truly rich description offered to the reader occurs when Leonzio glimpses his wife: "The gulf looked into the distance, blending confusedly into the blue of the horizon. The umbrella continued to slowly approach = 2E Under his pink-lined shelter were his wife, Mrs. Pontellier, and young Robert Lebrun." This introduction immediately reveals the rift between husband and wife: Leonce trying to mentally escape Grand Isle by reading his day-old newspaper, and Edna embracing Grand Isle by idly partaking in its pleasures, such as swimming and flirting. he grows to relate the ocean to romance, beauty, and perfection, while Leonce only associates it with annoyance and wishes to leave it. The narrator observes that Leonce, noticing Edna's sunburn, looks at her "as one looks at a valuable piece of personal property that has sustained some damage." This introduces the difference between love and possession: while Robert spends his free time with Edna, enjoying the ocean and appreciating her company as a function of what we later discover is his true love for her, Leonce refuses to take part in her favorite activities of Edna, and regards her only as a piece of property to be cultivated and cared for. He further escapes the atmosphere of Grand Isle by leaving the house to go play pool with the other men and showing ambivalence about returning home for dinner. His desire to be surrounded by other businessmen playing men's games intensifies our understanding of their brokenness: although he is only going to another part of the island, he is mentally in another world, unable to understand the environment of his wife and her young admirer. When he returns from playing pool and wants to talk to his wife about his night, she is indifferent and wants him to leave her alone so she can sleep; he doesn't want his world to collide with hers. They argue because Leonce is frustrated with Edna's lack of concern for her children; this could actually mean a desire to control Edna and keep her in her place. When, during the work week, Leonce leaves for work in New Orleans and Edna remains in his sphere, he sends home lavish gifts that reassure everyone, including Edna, that he is the perfect husband. The gifts, however,they do nothing to bring them closer, because he exists in his cold world of numbers and money, and a gift sent from his world to hers means little. times, like when he asks Edna to come back from the hammock; he is not as concerned about his safety as he is about his property being damaged by mosquitoes and his desire going unfulfilled. Although he sees Edna swim out, get scared and leave the beach, it is not Leonce, but Robert who follows Edna home after her experience; Leonce returns only when he feels like it and immediately takes on the role of the demanding husband. This is in direct contrast to Edna and Robert, who are the souls of the island and the ocean. The theme continues when the couple returns to New Orleans. Leonce expects Edna to behave like a possession, dressing well and receiving guests to assure others of her high position in society. Since Grand Isle is more Edna's world than Leonce's, she doesn't expect as much from her as in the city. However, upon their return to New Orleans, Leonce makes demands on her, the cook, and others to ensure that she feels comfortable in her surroundings; since Edna is now in her sphere, she feels even more entitled to possession. As she descends deeper into his world, he consults a doctor about her behavior, more concerned with keeping up appearances than his wife's health. The narrator describes the pleasure Leonce takes in examining the objects he has acquired for his home and the long time he spends away from home, closing more and more deals to make more and more money; Edna can be assumed to have the same significance as a cape carving in her business-obsessed environment. This contrasts significantly with the relationship between Edna and Robert: when Edna is on Grande Isle, she is very much in Robert's sphere, but he helps her become one with it and asks of her nothing more than the pleasure of his company. While Leonce begins to spend less and less time with Edna, remaining in her cold world of business and money accumulation, Edna begins to flirt seriously and eventually consummates a relationship with Alcee Arobin: now that her appetite for love and sex has decreased. brought to light by Grand Isle, she won't let her husband's cold attitude force her to suffer in silence. When she begins her relationship with Arobin, she feels a sense of guilt for having been unfaithful, not to her husband, but to Robert, who appreciates her and does not try to possess her. Edna does not live by the social dictate that marriage is a sacred and unbreakable bond; rather, she admits the loveless state of her marriage and her true reasons for accepting Leonce's proposal, and seeks love outside of her union. This characteristic of her awakening reaches its peak when, in the refuge of Mademoiselle Reisz's house, she confesses her love for Robert. The second significant function of the setting, the contrast between freedom and oppression, is also introduced very early in the story. Observing her friends and neighbors on Grand Isle, Edna receives a message of unbridled sexuality combined with strict chastity. Creole society, of which the Protestant Edna is not originally part, although accepting Edna, is quite different. The men and women of Grand Isle openly choose topics of sexual discussion, read sensual literature, and flirt without thinking, because Creole husbands are certain of their wives' fidelity and never become jealous; at the same time, they are completely correct in action, and there is never a thought of real infidelity or sordid affairs between unmarried people. This reveals the strong freedom of thought encouraged on Grand Isle; Even though New Orleans is largely Creole, Edna does not feel free there due to the restrictions imposed by her husband. Because it isAccustomed to traditional restrictions, Edna is out of step with the free culture she finds herself in the midst of at the start of her summer on the Island. As the summer progresses and she awakens sexually and mentally, the freedom of her environment becomes part of her and forces her to feel alone and suffocated in the city. The ocean, the center of his existence on the Island, is largely responsible for his awakening and subsequent longing for Grand Isle. At the beginning of the summer she says she was so afraid of water that even some children tried to help her learn to swim. However, the ocean slowly seduces her; she is confused as to why she declines Robert's invitation to go for a swim, but goes anyway. In this short chapter, the narrator tells us that Edna's eyes are wide open by the ocean, its seductive voice calling her to internal contemplation and a realization of her place in the universe. This is probably Edna's first real realization of being herself; it's something she sensed early in her silent protest against being defined only by her relationship with her husband and children, but it's a realization she hadn't been able to comprehend before. The next chapter shows Edna slowly relaxing her reserve on Grand Isle, allowing herself to be attracted by Adele Ratignolle's beauty and trusting in her, remaining confused but fascinated by Adele's outward affections. The ocean's seduction of Edna culminates when she swims, in her mind, farther than anyone has ever swum and becomes completely free; her momentary fear of death is significant because taking a risk that could kill her makes her feel as if she has severed her figurative bonds. Although her husband merely scoffs and informs her that she hasn't gotten very far, she is a new woman: the ocean has become the center of her liberation, and both Robert and Edna realize their desire for each other. Furthermore, Leonce experiences outward insubordination from his wife for the first time. Just as Edna is starting to blossom and make her own decisions, such as inviting Robert to go to mass with her, she finds out that he is leaving for Mexico; in their formal and confusing farewell, they become aware of each other's frustration with their unrequited love and their efforts to keep their relationship chaste and proper. At the end of her stay on Grand Isle, Edna confides in Adele that she would never sacrifice herself for her children, an idea she had long had but was afraid to confess, signifying that the free atmosphere of her environment has transformed . her in her person. The Pontelliers' return to New Orleans signifies Leonce's return to her element, as well as Edna's return to oppression and formally suffocating duties, such as receiving visitors every Tuesday for the purpose of keeping the Pontellier name honorable in society. . Edna, newly awakened and attracted by her own whims, decides not to receive her visitors; this causes a spat between her and Leonce, who is, as always, irritated by her shortcomings as a traditional society wife. When she goes to the club, she indicates her continued presence in the New Orleans environment, in contrast to Edna's internalization of the Grand Isle. Leonce briefly struggles to draw Edna into his world, but she has become too independent and refuses with little effort. She begins to pursue art more seriously and becomes depressed due to her friend Adele's limited life with her husband and children. It is clear that, despite Edna's adoration of Madame Ratignolle, she realizes that Adele is much more a part of New Orleans, very comfortable with the rules of traditionalism. When the awakened Edna begins to frequent Mademoiselle Reisz's house, she sees agreat example of another independent woman who refuses to conform and instead dedicates herself to her art. For this reason she is more or less shunned by society, even though she is admired for her piano playing. We thus witness a contrast within a contrast: the disparity between the woman who is content with tradition and is unconsciously condemned to a life devoid of wonder and self-discovery, and a woman who despises tradition and cannot therefore be a full member of tradition.society. Edna continues to live her life as she wants, avoiding her rigid environment, dismissing her husband as a nuisance, and visiting her outcast friend to listen to Robert's letters about her; the two women get along because they are both liberated, one more than the other. Mademoiselle's apartment is another dimension: in the traditional and structured environment of New Orleans, it seems like a haven of freedom, which explains Edna's desire to go there often despite her confusion about Mademoiselle. As Edna and Mademoiselle's relationship develops and she comes often to read the letters and listen to the music, Mademoiselle and her home become vital to Edna's complete realization of her love for Robert Lebrun. Meanwhile, when Leonce visits Dr. Mandelet, their conversation about Edna further exposes male attitudes towards women in this traditional society. In Grand Isle references to "mother-women" are numerous, and the narrator makes clear what is expected of respectable women. Never before have we seen such a condescending attitude towards women as during the discussion between Leonce and the town doctor. They view women who defy constraints as mentally unstable and overall much less mature, almost childlike – in short, in need of nurturing from the men in their lives. The men refer to the feminists as "pseudo-intellectuals" and speak contemptuously of any ideas Edna might have about women's rights. While the Doctor is perceptive enough to realize that Edna may be having an affair (and sensitive enough not to allude to this to Leonce), it is nevertheless clear that he sees women as inferior to men. As the plot progresses, Edna becomes more and more eccentric, while Leonce spends more and more time away from home. The children are sent to their grandmother and Edna becomes a frequenter of the races, thus beginning her relationship with Alcee Arobin. As a further function of her independence, she decides to take a permanent break from the oppressive environment of New Orleans society by moving out of her husband's house into a smaller house and to support herself by gambling and selling her artwork. This means that she stopped letting her environment define her and became a completely independent woman. Although it is only moving around the corner, the little house is not part of New Orleans society, and therefore not subject to its constraints; it is as much a refuge, a little piece of a freer world, as Mademoiselle Reisz's house. It's there that she and Robert confess their true love for each other - something they can't do anywhere else but on Grand Isle. The novel ends, fittingly, where it begins: on the beach of Grand Isle. Edna goes for a swim after informing Victor of her presence. She returns to the beach and finds her old bathing suit, but then simply chooses to swim naked. As he swims out, he is consciously committing his final act: suicide. The first thoughts that cross her head are about her husband and her children, who she sees as her biggest obstacle, who think they can possess her. Then she thinks of Mademoiselle Reisz, who seems to make fun of her because she doesn't have the courage to do what she does..