A psychological analysis of Edna Pontellier

There has never been a more controversial explanation of the female mentality than Kate Chopin’s The Awakening. Chopin was revolutionary in that she gave a voice to those that had previously silenced. The Awakening was published in 1898, at the end of the Victorian Era when women were expected to be seen and not heard. This book received, and consequently still does receive, much praise and criticism for its portrayal of the female protagonist.
In The Awakening, Edna Pontellier, the protagonist, undergoes an extreme metamorphosis, which culminates with a tragic denouement. The reader follows Edna throughout her “awakening” and witnesses her emotional roller coaster ride. The tragic ending of the book is directly related to Edna’s psychological breakdown and mental instability. Chopin’s description of Edna Pontellier’s awakening and mental breakdown can be viewed from three different perspectives: psychoanalytical, psychosocial, and clinical.
There are many instances throughout the novel that demonstrate the subconscious struggle between Edna’s internal desires and external expectations. Chopin first describes Edna’s internal dichotomy when she states, “A certain light was beginning to dawn dimly within her-the light which, showing the way, forbids it” (Chopin13). From a psychoanalytical perspective, the quote describes an internal conflict with her instincts and her social responsibilities. Ac...