I really enjoyed the story in the Awakening because it showed how Edna went from being a conservative, quiet woman to a woman who embraced as much freedom as possible. Her relationship with Robert inspired her to believe that she didn't need to be submissive to her husband and could rather break away from the place she no longer wanted to be. The story line displayed how Edna, being a woman, had the strength and courage of breaking away from her "socially acceptable" position as a housewife and a mother and becoming a rebellious woman by having an affair. It was interesting how the book displayed an extreme contrast between the Edna before she met Robert and the Edna after she met Robert; one man led all the changes to make her a better person but her husband was less than satisfactory to provide her needs.

This last statement leads to my question: Isn't it ironic that it was a man who inspired Edna to be free and independent when it was a man who constrained her to be submissive and reserved in the first place? If yes, why?