“The years that have passed seem like dreams – if one could go on sleeping and dreaming – but wake up and discover – oh! WELL! Perhaps it is better to wake up, even suffer, rather than be deceived by illusions all your life” says Edna at her appointment with Doctor Mandelet (151). In Kate Chopin's The Awakening, Edna is constantly at odds with her own fears: her independence; however, throughout the novel, Chopin reveals a deeper side of Edna. She's not afraid of being alone, she's afraid of being without herself. It is also revealed that her society is often against her self-discovery, favoring a more traditional female role. In the final scene, The Awakening offers readers a more complex method of achieving freedom, death. Edna's suicide reveals her final awakening, liberation from all the pressures that bind her. Edna's awakenings on Grand Isle and New Orleans set her up for failure by forcing her to realize her lack of options. Edna's first awakening occurs when she realizes that she is not happy with her life as a housewife. This awakening occurs while Edna is at a dinner with Mrs. Ratignolle and her husband. When she arrived home, she “felt depressed rather than calmed down” (75). He then goes on and “tramples on her wedding ring” (76). This symbolizes Edna's desire to escape the marriage altogether, but her inability to crush the ring shows her helplessness to free herself from her imprisonment. Edna breaks through the role assigned to her by society; learns her own identity independently of her husband and children. Edna later realizes that she cannot be the same as Mademoiselle Reisz. Edna doesn't have Reisz's carefree attitude and still struggles with the social... middle of paper... and escape approach. With his death he surrenders to freedom. Her death at sea is symbolic of how she allowed herself to overcome ambiguity about her personality. In conclusion, The Awakening ended the only way it could have, with Edna's death. Edna's lack of options and her fear of loneliness lead to her death. However, Chopin turned his death into something much more significant than just a way to end the novel. Edna's final awakening is to realize that she cannot do the things she wanted to do. With this he chooses death before overcoming his problems. Kate Chopin juxtaposes the fear of living alone with the fear of dying in a way that makes Edna seem triumphant. He revealed his suicide not as a defeat but as a triumph over social pressure and fears. Chopin used Edna's death as a symbol of his final awakening and his ability to overcome obstacles.