Edna Pontellier’s Awakening in Kate Chopin’s The Awakening

In The Awakening, Chopin tells the story through the life of Edna Pontellier. Edna breaks away from the conventional feminine role of wife and mother. When she comes to the realization that her pampered lifestyle is no longer what she wishes for, she rebels from the stereotypical Creoles to find fulfillment in herself. This search for herself is accomplished through Edna’s awakening.
Edna’s marriage to Leonce deems unfulfilling and passionless in Edna’s eyes. Edna never seems warm or loving to Leonce though she admits her fondness of him. Edna’s first stage of awakening occurs when she realizes she does not love Leonce. She feels like she no longer needs to please him and now only does what pleases her. Her first act of self-pleasure occurs when she lies on the hammock and refuses to come inside. “I mean to stay out here. I don’t wish to go in and I don’t intend to.” (Chopin 53). Once she stopped following her husband's every command, she felt herself awaken and a wei...