... whom she had married without love as an excuse-. The sea is an important symbol in the novel in connection with Edna's awakening. When she is on the shore in Grand Isle, the "voice of the sea- provides her the feeling of leaving the reality: it invites "the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude-, and gives a pleasant feeling to her: "The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace."" Her first encounter with ... she again has to realize her limitations, as "a quick vision of death smote her soul-. After the departure of Robert she finds comfor...

• Word Count: 1715
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... was trying to convey the notion that Edna had a lack of maturity. This childlike quality turned and unhappy situation into a disastrous and horrible situation. Chopin wanted us to see how trapped Edna was, but recognize that she could've saved herself if she had seen where she was in life and not struggled for a past that couldn't be recreated. In The Awakening, there is a message trying ... to be conveyed to not only women, but people, to live how you want and do what you feel, but to also live responsibly. Edna became lost in a wish to be young and free of her responsibilities, althou...

• Word Count: 1658
• Approx Pages: 7
• Grade Level: High School

... The Awakening, Kate Chopin conveys her ideas by using carefully crafted symbols that reflect her characters' thoughts and futures. One of the most important of these symbols, the bird, appears constantly, interwoven into the story to provide an insight to the condition of Edna and her struggle. At each of the three stages of her transformation, birds foreshadow her actions and emphasize the actions' importance while the birds' physical state provides an accurate measure of ... her feeling of freedom by using a rising bird. She speaks of two lovers who could feel "the beating of the birds...

• Word Count: 1017
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School

... 6 and 39 of Kate Chopin's story The Awakening, one is able to see that the author planned to depict the final scene to be tragic yet triumphant. Like Edna's final act in chapter 39, the first half of chapter 6 allows the reader to understand that Edna is lost in her search for individuality and freedom in her life. Perhaps the most apparent connection between the two chapters is the symbol and role of the sea which allows ... when she enters the water by lifting "her white body- instead of having someone or something do it for her (637). The ocean lets her make her own choices and bring...

• Word Count: 631
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: Undergraduate