Kate Chopin - The Awakening

One of the most significant parts of reading the Awakening for me was realizing when it had been published. Through the lens of an early 20th century audience, Kate Chopin's creation would be nothing short of liberating and, in some ways, very scandalous. I can only imagine how awed some of her first readers might have been. Yet at times, such a significant part of the Awakening can be taken for granted. As someone who has grown up in an era where feminist values have largely developed since Chopin's time, some of Edna's bold decisions and call to freedom can be underestimated. Yet when taking in consideration the times at which Chopin wrote the novel, the Awakening's strong and ardent messages of freedom and independence come across through Edna's character.

Apart from being a timeless work of literature, Edna's story expresses the harshness and intolerance of society. Even though Edna conformed to being the maternal figure everybody wanted from her, liberating herself and being promiscuous was what she wanted from herself--this being something society did not accept and thus leading to her ultimate downfall.

Question: Along the lines of what Messner mentioned in today's lecture, if Edna has access to so much domestic help and is not allowed to do much socially or outside the house, how is someone like her supposed to be creative?