The Awakening Case

The Awakening was a book that revolutionized the view of women and their roll in a man's world. This book is written about a woman, Edna Pontellier, and her path to freedom, freedom from her husband, of whom she does not love, and freedom from her social status. Edna feels pressured to set herself free from these restrictions so she does. While her husband is away Edna finds herself enjoying the company of other men and is not very conflicted about this. She soon moves out of the house, of which she shared with her husband and children. With this move Edna is starting to become "awake". After falling in love with a man named Robert, Edna finds herself alone after he leaves her on a lustful night. She then comes to the realization that she is the only one on the planet that is "awake" and tragically takes her own life in the ocean.

This novel is great in that no one before Kate Chopin was brave enough to write about the feelings of a woman and her desires. In this novel she writes about women's feelings, sexuality, and independence. It took America many years to see the brilliance in her work. It is also great because of the end; it is one of the most controversial endings in history. It leaves more questions than answers and really lets the mind wander. This is how the book had to end and without it, the book would not be a classic.