... always accepted her life, never really enjoying it, but not hating it either. Suddenly, she begins to feel for the first time in her life, partly due to her experience in the ocean. Each time she is in the presence of water, the freedom it offers beckons her. In The Awakening, the sea is a symbol of freedom and release for Edna when she takes her first swim, leaves Grande Isle for Cheniere Caminada, and when ... she walks to the beach for the final time. Edna's emotions begin to stir the first time she is able to swim. Following a particularly moving ... ...

• Word Count: 734
• Approx Pages: 3
• 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

In Kate Chopin's novel, "The Awakening", a confused middle age woman deals with a torn heart in the center . Edna, who is not really in love with her husband, begins to have mixed feelings and, as a result, begins to realize who she truly is. Edna feels that something is lacking in her life. The author uses the ocean to personify and symbolize what is missing in Edna's life--the love of a man and freedom of the ... . On one occasion, Edna and Madame Ratignolle, her neighbour for the summer, are sunbathing on the beach. Madame asks Edna to where her mind is wandering. Edna tells her the ocean i...

• Word Count: 800
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School