... symbolize the eventual failure of every union and, thus, the imminent failure of Robert and Edna's relationship. Water and the sea are recurring themes in The Awakening. One of Edna's most fond memories is of "swimming- through a field as a little girl "aimlessly, unthinking and unguided- (Beaty ... great burden she feels from her children: "Mr. Pontellier returned to his wife with the information that Raoul had a high fever and needed looking after Mrs. Pontellier sprang out of bed and went into the next room Mrs. Pontellier was by that time thoroughly awake- (Beaty 45). To Edna, ... de...

• Word Count: 2280
• Approx Pages: 9
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: High School

... through relationships with her husband and her friends. "A Doll's House- is a play about the need for a woman to feel freedom- freedom from her husband's control, from her role in society, her role as a mother figure; the problems presented still appear in today's society. One of "A Doll's House's- central themes is secession ... her father and her husband. She describes that she feels like a doll, always dressing up and performing dances for everybody, "I lived by performing tricks for you, Torvald [ ] But our house has been nothing but a play room. Here I have been your doll-wife, just...

• Word Count: 1908
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

... ending of Kate Chopin's The Awakening is a sad conclusion to an inspirational story, sadness and despair are not the central themes of the novel. The novel's ending should not be construed as Edna's failure to continue her pursuit of individualism and ... see it as society's failure to accept or even tolerate Edna's newly awakened self. Edna finds it impossible to reconcile her desire for self-determination with the world she lives in. However, her attempts to gain independence are influenced by thinking that is often flawed or contradictory. She puts ... described as "the embodiment of ...

• Word Count: 2488
• Approx Pages: 10