Essay Database

Even though it was written in the Victorian era, Kate Chopin's The Awakening has several romantic qualities, especially with the main character, as she struggles between society's obligations and her own desires. Chopin writes about a woman who continues to reject the society around her, a notion too radical for Chopin's peers. Edna Pontellier has the traditional role of both wife and mother, but deep down she wants something more, difficult to do in the …

…let her leave her traditional role. Romanticism is evident as the novel ends and Edna completely rejects the Victorian ways. With Chopin's ending, she creates an idea that her society can not accept. Edna tried to maintain her role as long as she could, but it became too much for her, and she needed to do the best thing. In her mind, that meant killing herself in the water which had no boundaries and restrictions.