Edna Pontellier lives a lavish life with her very giving husband Leonce Pontellier. However, she is not truly satisfied with her marriage. She believes that she is worth more than just to live as her husband's housewife, a possession. She wants to follow her heart, however, since Kate Chopin's The Awakening, is a novel set in the early 1900's, it is unheard of for a woman to do anything independently. She explores three options of freedom throughout the novel. Edna can either runaway with her true love or live on her own and become a painter, however, once those options are no longer available the only way for Edna to stay true to herself is to walk into the sea, and by killing herself, she is set free.
Edna's involvement with Robert Lebrun towards the end of the novel is key to her choice for freedom. Running away with Robert would have probably been her first choice for freedom. During the summer in Grand Isle, Edna and Robert fall for each other but they do not go so far as to mention that they care for each other more deeply than friends. Robert makes the choice of taking a long trip to Mexico so that he does not get too involved with Edna. He does not want to fall in love with Edna, who is married, because he knows that he cannot be with her if he falls in love with her. However, rather than forgetting about Robert, Edna longs for him the whole time he is away. When he returns they profess their love for one another, and she is captivated with the idea that they can be together. However, Robert tells Edna that he does not want to take her away from Mr. Pontellier. Edna then calls Robert foolish because she will decide whom she is with, and she cannot be given nor taken away like some possession. Robert is somewhat confused and embarrassed by her comment. Therefore he shows that he too is stuck in the times, and does not understand the true extent of her awakening. So, if he and Edna were to run off together, he may have been just as confused as Mr.
