Essay on Edna’s Suicide in The Awakening - 1239 Words

The Awakening by Kate Chopin ends with the death of the main character, Edna Pontellier. Stripping off her clothes, she swims out to sea until her arms can no longer support her, and she drowns. It was not necessarily a suicide, neither was it necessarily the best option for escaping her problems. We are told that she walks down to the beach â€Å"rather mechanically,† (Chopin 108) and that she doesn’t think about much, other than the heat of the sun. This doesn’t seem terribly interesting until we read that the reason she isn’t thinking is because she had, â€Å"done all the thinking which was necessary after Robert went away, when she lay awake upon the sofa till morning.† (Chopin 108) This means that she has already planned exactly what she†¦show more content†¦Clearly, she feels that drowning herself in the sea is the best way that she can elude her children. After walking into the sea, she begins to swim. There are several instances wh ere we are told that she grows progressively more tired. Since she has thought so much about this swim, she should have known to turn back at the first sign of exhaustion. But she doesn’t. She continues on to her ultimate death, apparently understanding and willing. Comparatively, there seems very little evidence to say that it was not suicide. A large part of any argument for â€Å"just death† stems from her impulsiveness, and that she could’ve been struck with the urge to swim very far out without thinking of the consequences. This argument is not terribly valid since we are told that she has, in fact, thought about her trip to the beach quite a lot. She also â€Å"goes on and on†¦thinking it [the sea] had no beginning and no end,† (Chopin 109) and yet still decides to continue swimming. Her thoughts right before her death offer a plausible, non-suicidal ending. She seems to understand that her life didn’t have to end now, that â€Å"perhap s Dr. Mandelet would have understood† (Chopin 109) if only she had the strength to swim back. But she didn’t have the strength, so she died. Even though sheShow MoreRelatedThe Awakening Ednas Suicide1304 Words   |  6 Pages Edna’s Victorious Suicide In the iconic debated novel â€Å"The Awakening†, Kate Chopin’s novel takes place in the Victorian Era, which is in the 19th- century, similarly the novel was published in 1899. Edna is depicted as a woman longing for more, a woman who was looking for more than just a life of complacency and living in the eyes of society. The story uses Edna to exemplify the expectations of women during this era. For example, a woman’s expression of independenceRead MoreEdnas Suicide in Kate Chopins The Awakening Essay968 Words   |  4 PagesEdnas Suicide in Kate Chopins The Awakening At the end of Kate Chopins novel „The Awakening the protagonist Edna commits suicide. 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