Comment: In the beginning and the middle of the storyline, Edna Pontellier is portrayed as an independent woman who goes after what she wants—someone who many people would call a feminist. However, towards the end of the book, I got the impression that she was selfish more than anything else. She did whatever she pleased and did not take the feelings and emotions of others into consideration: her husband’s worries, Arobin’s sincere feelings, and her children’s needs. When she was in her state of depression after Robert left her, she said that she “understood now clearly what she had meant long ago when she said to Adele Ratignolle that she would give up the unessential, but she would never sacrifice herself for her children” (108). She put herself over everyone else—even her children. Moreover, I felt like her final act was an indication of both her selfishness and weakness.
Question: How does The Awakening and/or the character of Edna Pontellier reflect the life of Kate Chopin?
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