1. Edna Pontellier in Kate Chopin's The Awakening
Leonce believes, just as other men during the Gilded Age, that Edna should be the "angel of the house," catering to his every need. ... Her family is a burden to her individuality and solitude , tying her down with the constraints of motherhood. ... Edna has an epiphany when she is finally able to enter the ocean and become one with it by learning to swim. ... When she realizes that she can swim, she wants much more out of life and becomes "intoxicated with her newly conquered power" (Chopin 27). ... She swims out "alone" (Chopin 27), abandoning the "mother-woman" (Chopin 9) persona and the ...
- Word Count: 2199
- Approx Pages: 9
- Grade Level: High School