Searching for Yourself

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She did not want to settle for a role that society has dictated for her as being nothing more than a mother, house keeper, and acting as a representative of her husband. “Adele’s life is centered on her utilitarianism, just as Leonce’s world is centered on material possessions and social position. A free existence for a woman-devoid of her being equated with husband, children, and household chores-was unheard of in 1899 unless one were and artist.” (Carey 45) Edna often felt frustrated with Adele’s maternal happiness, and doesn’t find the consolation she is looking for when she goes to her. Edna rebellion includes her opting out of social engagements “Edna decides to completely abandon her Tuesdays at home-an act of social revolution that was unheard of in the Pontelliers’ New Orleans social circle” (Cary 46) With this blatant disregard for her duties as a women of this time period it “bewildered, shocked, and finally angered” Leonce. Due to his confusion with his wifes rebellion he seeks out a friend who is a doctor to help him figure out what could be going on with her. He tells the doctor that he is puzzled about her thoughts “concerning the eternal rights of women” (Carey 50). Both the doctor and Leonce think on it for a moment and the doctor tells Leonce “it is a phase…it will pass” (Carey 50). Men of this time could not understand a women who was interested in having rights and think for herself. They attribute such thoughts as a phase and even joke about how women are moody.

This theme goes hand in hand with the other dominant theme in the story which involves free will and the right to make your own choices. Edna doesn’t even realize that she has the right to make choices that will impact her life, like leaving her husband. Because women have not been given the right to freely make decisions for themselves, Edna “doesn’t understand, initially, that she can make choices that will result in different consequences” (Themes). Today even children understand that there are good choices and bad choices and each have different consequences, but for women of this time period who were always taught to do as instructed understanding how consequences factor in was foreign to Edna. Throughout her awakening she begins to understand this concept and makes big changes in her life. She moves out of Leonce’s home and gets her own place, without the children and begins earning her own money. This gives her the freedom to do as she pleases and to socialize with who she pleases. Ultimately Edna takes this theme to the end of the book and choses to make the final decision that will affect her and those who knew her by choosing to take her own life. “Swimming out to her death gives Edna a sense of dignity because the choice is hers” (Carey 69). Of course she thinks of the children and Leonce as she makes her way into the water, but feels this extreme must be taken because no matter what choices she makes society leaves her feeling oppressed and without options. She doesn’t find what she is looking for in the relationships she has with the men in her life “Robert is gone, Leonce does not matter” (Carey 68). Her friendships do not bring her someone that she can truly relate to. Edna’s choices have left her feeling alone and with the thought that “she cannot compromise her newly awakened life for anyone” (Carey 68). Edna’s choice to take her own life is a very controversial topic, many people view suicide as the most selfish thing that you can do. Her friend Adele says “Think of the children” (Skaggs 110) to Edna, who does think of them but ultimately the feeling that “they need not have thought that they could possess her, body and soul” (Skaggs 111) is what she thought about as she makes her way into the water. While it was a selfish thing to do it was the only thing that Edna could do to feel like she had complete control over how she felt and she finally understood that she would never have the complete life that she wanted so she chose no life at all.

Looking further into the story you are able to see Chopin’s use of symbolism. The first item that stands out as a symbol is the bird. Several types of birds appear throughout the story, starting out with the parrot at the beginning of the book. The book starts out with a parrot in its cage basically cursing at Leonce, which you don’t think anything about as you first begin to read the book, but as you read you begin to understand that this caged animal has a deeper meaning. This caged bird represents the way Edna feels about her life “that highlights Edna’s figurative imprisonment” (Shmoop). The other bird that is caged at the beginning of the book is the mocking bird. Some critiques believe that the mockingbird in the story represents Edna’s friend Madam Reisz “with its odd markings and the whistling notes it produces” (Shmoop). While these birds are linked to specific characters in the story there continues to be references throughout about birds and their representation of Edna and women of the Victorian Era. Madame Reisz says at one point in the book to Edna that “the bird that would soar above the level plain of tradition and prejudice must have strong wings" (Shmoop). The final reference to birds in the book is during Edna’s final moments as she enters the water and sees a bird with a broken wing that falls into the water some critiques say it represents “her failure to "soar above the plain of tradition" (Shmoop).

Another symbol used throughout the story is the sea. Chopin uses the sea in several ways, in the beginning of the story Edna learns to swim in the sea and it is seen as a sense of empowerment. Some critiques say the “Water’s associations with cleansing and baptism make it a symbol of rebirth. The sea, thus, also serves as a reminder of the fact that Edna’s awakening is a rebirth of sorts” (Sparknote). The sea is also referenced in the book as something that is “sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace” (Shmoop) Chopin uses this type of reference when talking about the sea to later give readers a softer image of the water that ends up killing Edna. Learing how to swim and understanding her body in the sea gives her a heady feeling one of power, but ultimately the strength and liberation this gave her was not enough to fulfill her life. Chopin brings the theme full circle by using it in Edna’s death, deciding that it is impossible for her to survive and live the life she wants during this time. She was able to explore this lifestyle but society was not ready for independent women who were able to be in relationships that had love without demands and expectations. “Within the limitations of late 19th century culture, of course, Edna’s tragic mistake is in her striving to achieve the full ideal