The Awakening Essay
...fect marriage with two children, but clearly Edna longs for more. Her marriage provided no emotional connection and she was surrounded by friends who were merely puppets to their own marriages, with the exception of Madame Reisz, a seemingly bitter, yet profound woman. It is through her that Edna finds art, and the possibility of imagination. Throughout the novel, Edna seems to come to realizations that her life and marriage has been a lie. Although there was nothing wrong, one wasn't in love. She just felt trapped in her marriage, and her life didn't have a purpose but to bear children. Edna felt that she had a purpose in life, and the one she was living with then wasn't it. Then with her family being away, Edna takes matters into her own hands, shocking many by moving out and trying to find an occupation through her art. Women of that time and status did not work, especially if they're with a husband that is well off. Edna now desires independence to find her self worth, and is happier in a small, confined home rather than the bigger place she had with her family before. To others, it appears she's going crazy, but to herself, she finds she's better off. The novel was never about a woman who wanted to run off with ...