the awakening

Question: Does Edna's relationship with Arobin, while she is supposedly in love with Robert, cause her to lose some of her credibility as a woman who is justly sick of her marriage?

Comment: Edna's character creates a kind of paradox of many female gender norms. On the one hand, she values her own independence and wants to exist without being held back by her husband. On the other hand, she lets her actions be determined by the men in her life, and is never actually without a male character who keeps her company. Also, Edna does not view her children in a typically feminine or nurturing way, and often acts discordantly with the view of an ideal wife. However, she is always described as being beautiful and feminine, and finds it very important to approach unpleasant topics with delicacy when in public. I feel as if this paradox represents the author's position. Although Kate Chopin was clearly filled with ideas that were very revolutional at the time, she was also completely absorbed in a society where women filled a very specific role.