What I have found interesting in Kate Chopin's The Awakening is the dichotomy between the symbols present in the novel. Since the beginning of the novel, caged birds (Madame Lebrun's parrot and mockingbird) represent the limited abilities of women during this time period. Although Edna attempts to escape her responsibilities as a mother and a wife by living in the pigeon house, the pigeon house symbolizes yet another inability because it fails to remove her from her former life. On the other hand, the sea in the novel represents liberty and Edna's moments of escape from the reality. It is the ocean where Edna first discovers her own strength and freedom by being able to swim successfully. In water, she is reminded of her position as a human being rather than part of the reality that surrounds her. Also, her success in swimming represents the rebirth in her, which results her transformation in attempts to obtain more independence and solitude.
Considering that the sea symbolizes freedom, does Edna's suicide represent her liberating triumph or rather her surrender to the limitations around her?
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