Freedom in The Awakening Essay

Awakening Essay

Freedom

In The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Edna Pontellier is bound to a life of perfection and social status. Her husband, Leonce Pontellier controls her life and expects her to do everything he asks. Leonces expectations arent unreasonable because in that era wives were suppose to make their husbands look good, which meant tending to everything and doing whatever their husbands requested. Edna has an awakening and realizes that the strict social life is not what she wants. Being free and in control of her own life is what Edna craves. She wants satisfaction, depth, and meaning in her life, which leads her to seek freedom from her marriage.

Leonce Pontellier is a controlling man who expects Edna to help him look good in society. He takes it for granted that she will obey social standards, and she accepts this. Leonce and Edna have two children together, but Edna doesnt seem to care about her relationship with them. Edna has realized who she is by saying she will give her life for her children, but not herself. Ednas husband doesnt agree with this because he is the man, therefore he should be in charge of the women. When Edna rebels against her husbands wishes to act like a high-class woman and do everything he asks, he is upset and cant understand why she is acting this way. Leonce even visits the family doctor to discuss Ednas behavior with him. The doctor realizes that Edna wants to break free of her strict life style, but Leonce never seems to understand that. Breaking free is what Edna is doing and wants to keep doing, but her summer at Grand Isle, helps her break away even more. If Edna becomes free she will use her freedom to become her own person and become more adventurous.

Edna is, socializing with her friends and going to the beach, when she meets Robert Lebrun. He spends his summers at Grand Isle talking to women and becoming friends with them. But this summer, meeting Edna would change his life and hers. Meeting Robert awakens Edna and makes her realize how unhappy she is with her restricted life. Robert falls in love with Edna but tries to escape it because she is already married. He goes to Mexico to try to forget his love. He does not write to her because he wants to forget her. Eventually he returns to New Orleans, where they both live. He confesses his love to her, and she returns it. Robert wants Mr. Pontellier to set Edna free, but Edna tells Robert that she is no ones possession. Robert doesnt understand that Edna doesnt want to be owned, and he feels the only way to be with her is by owning her. Edna figures this out long before Robert returns when she possesses Alcee Arobin, during their secret affair.

Alcee Arobin is a part of Ednas journey to independence. Alcee Arobin is a ladys man who has many affairs with different women and intends to make Edna another one of his affairs. But Edna doesnt let Alcee take control of the relationship; she writes him when she wants and decides when they should go out. Being in control is a reverse role for Edna, but she knows it is really who she is, and it is what she wants. Alcee plays along and lets Edna take control, and Edna discovers the satisfaction of using a man the way men usually use women.

Although Edna has taken control of her own life, she is still not happy with her life because of the many different types of love she has experienced. Alcee loves her but she only uses him as an affair while her husband is doing business. Robert truly loves her, and she felt the same way about him, but he cant have her, because her husband already owns her. Edna doesnt want to be owned by anyone, but no matter how many times she rebels and takes control of things, men still think of her as a possession. Edna ends her life in search for herself, and her happiness.