She becomes noticeably more confident after, saying no to her husband’s requests and going off with her friends for fun. Edna starts to really change and feel freer after being dragged out of her comfort zone in Grand Isle she swims in an ocean that terrifies her, and mastering her fear seems to give Edna a glimpse of what she is capable of and the freedom she really wants, made clear where it is said, “As she swam she seemed to be reaching out for the unlimited in which to lose herself,” (Chopin 48). She starts her journey out as a woman who submits to her husband purely out of habit and barely understands why she feels wrong about it, seeing her distress as, “…indescribable oppression which seemed to generate in some unfamiliar part of her consciousness…” (Chopin 14). Edna deals with this in her own way, growing in stages powered by spurts of selfish impulse and vulnerability.

Pontellier shows frequent dissatisfaction at her willfulness, and her friend Madame Ratignolle, the “…embodiment of every womanly grace and charm,” (Chopin16) unknowingly serves as a pressure to adhere to society. Her own peers support this throughout the novel, as well.

Societal expectations of women which encourage them to be quiet and submissive enforce this belief that Edna should devote herself to her husband, children, and home, and not want for anything else. Edna’s longing for individuality and freedom is conflicting as, on some level, it seems she believes that these are things she shouldn’t want. Edna, instead, wants for something she takes some time to recognize as independence, and in pursuit of these things she is, “…beginning to realize her position in the universe as a human being, and to recognize her relations as an individual to the world within and about her,” (Chopin 25). All of these traits just serve as evidence of the most important thing to know about Edna she is unhappy with the status quo which most women of her time embrace, where their expected main goal in life is to be little more than happy homemakers.

The awakening novel by kate chopin