All of the women at Grand Isle gather around and declare Mr. Pontellier the world's greatest husband. Edna is "forced to admit- that they were right (Chopin 655). This is significant in that through society's eyes, Mr. Pontellier is the epitome of a good man, but Edna thinks otherwise. Their marriage is not based on love. It was more of an arrangement that Edna found herself agreeing to for social reasons rather than a sacred bond. She could not, however, argue for it is not proper to reveal the troubles of their marriage. So she is forced to conform to the beliefs of the society around her. .
As the story progresses, Chopin reveals Edna's shaky role as a mother. Edna is not the motherly type. She does not smother her sons with affection, as the other mothers at Grand Isle do. She even tells Madame Ratignolle that she would not give up everything for her sons. So this raises questions as to why she ever became a mother. Perhaps she was again forced to do something because society told her it was what she was supposed to do. It is as if society had written the story of her life but she was wrong for the part. For 28 years, like a robot, she played along. From the Romantic view, society was brainwashing her and forcing her to conform.
As Edna spent more time on the island, nature began to talk to her. She began to realize that she was in a life where she had no choices and could not fulfill her own desires. This marked the beginning of her internal Romantic Journey. The first sign comes on a trip to the beach with Robert. She surprises herself when she initially declines Robert's invitation despite the fact that she really wanted to go. It was as if for the first time she discovered that she had a mind of her own, and she could make decisions based on her own desires rather than based on those of society. This realization is further intensified by the intense presence of the sea.