In The Awakening it is mainly the sea and the water; in "The Dream of an Hour" it is the sky and trees. The open window allows her to see the opportunities as they began to fill her mind while showing her potential for the future. The open window is symbolic of her newfound freedom: "When she abandoned herself a little whispered word escaped her slightly parted lips. She said it over and over under her breath: "free, free, free!" (Chopin 260). While looking through the open window, "There were patches of blue sky showing here and there through the clouds that had met and piled about the other in the west facing her window" (Chopin 259). She sees hope, rebirth and a new life through this "new spring life" (Chopin 259). Even though she loves her husband, his death gives her the freedom to do as she pleases not as he commands: "And yet she had loved him-sometimes. Often she had not "Free! Body and soul free!" she kept whispering" (Chopin 260). Both the awakenings of Edna or Louise begin after they realize they could be free of the burden of their husbands.
In The Awakening and "The Dream of an Hour" both women have weaknesses in their marriage on account of their lack of experience due to their husbands control over them. After Edna realizes that her love for Robert is more than just a fling, she can no longer live under the same roof as her children and husband. She decides to move out into a smaller house not far down the road from where she used to live: "The "pigeon-house" stood behind a locked gate, and a shallow parterre that had been somewhat neglected" (Chopin 102). Edna's attempt to escape her husband, children, and society manifest this detained journey, as her efforts only land her in another cage, the pigeon house. This represents her inability to remove herself from her former life as her move only takes her just two steps away and shows the control her husband has on her.
