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Works Cited
Chopin, Kate. The Awakening. Charlottesville, Va.: U of Virginia Library, 1997. Print.
Significance to MOWAW
The ocean symbolizes freedom and escape and acts as the catalyst for Edna's awakening, allowing her to fully realize her independence and strength as an individual. In the beginning of novel, the ocean is described in a tempting and optimistic manner, and when Edna dives into the waters she is able to realize her power as an individual as she experiences her awakening. At the end of the novel, after Robert leaves her, Edna returns to the ocean once again, losing herself in the depths of the waters as she chooses to control her own destiny rather than live a life in which she has been defeated by patriarchal society.
Quote Explanations
"But to her unaccustomed vision the stretch of water behind her assumed the aspect of a barrier which her unaided strength would never be able to overcome." (28)
The water she has swam past becomes a barrier behind Edna. This barrier is the one that comes from the female constraints placed on her by society. It seems to also foreshadow her death as she chooses not to break through the barrier in the end, or decides she is unable to. It blocks her from society because she is cannot to come to terms with the life she is being forced to lead. It can also be interpreted that he suicide is her choosing to control her own fate, escaping from the constraints of patriarchal society.
"'Oh, come!' he insisted. 'You mustn't miss your bath. Come on. The water must be delicious; it will not hurt you. Come.'" (12)
The ocean serves as a connection between Edna and Robert. It is where the relationship first developed, seemingly innocent at first. She even tries to refuse his offer to go swimming because she is aware some has changed about their visits to the beach. Robert is the one that is coaxing her into the sea, which clearly acts as a symbolic catalyst to her awakening as she realizes her "position in the universe as a human being" (13). Just as he influences her towards the sea, he is also the main reason she strays from her husband.
The ocean symbolizes freedom and escape and acts as the catalyst for Edna's awakening, allowing her to fully realize her independence and strength as an individual.