To Live or To Die
To Live or To Die: Edna's Struggle on This "Mortal Coil""The Awakening" by Kate Chopin has a complex ending that can be interpreted different ways. The last thing the reader is left with is Mrs. Pontellier swimming out to sea. Is she indeed committing suicide, or does she plan to live? Depending on the reader's own personal preference the story's outcome can be drastically altered to either one of morbid suicide or happiness in a woman finally finding herself. Certain evidence points to the fact that Edna is actually killing herself in an escape from burdens in her life that she can not control. As she is swimming Mrs. Pontellier "[hears] the barking of an old dog" and "her father's voice and her sister Margaret's" (Chopin 109). A lot of times before dying, supposedly, a person's life flashes before their eyes. These seem to be the last moments of her life. Edna's last moment of desperation is a release from life for several reasons: her chain-like bonds to her children, a love for Robert that is obstructed by Leonce, and the new awakening of her mind.One reason Edna chooses death is because she could never possibly be free without first getting rid of the obligation to her children. This may seem cruel, but this is t
This is one possible way for her to support herself in the future. Sights and sounds are now feasts to her ears and eyes. A "mother-woman" would have had a much harder time. Leonce expected Edna to be in the same condition as she was the last time he saw her. This expression of emotions is expressed by "the first kiss of her life to which her nature had really responded. With this out of the way, Leonce ceases to be as important to her. If each problem had occurred at a different time in her life, Edna could have possibly ignored them individually. If Leonce found out about Edna's love for Robert, there is no telling what he would do. There is no way for her to go back to her old self. Edna's last "plunge" in the end was her only way to truly "elude" the feelings she would always have for her children. Edna may have wanted to protect Robert. Her fling with Alcee is sort of short and sweet. Edna does love her children, but they are one burden that is suffocating her. A third reason she chooses death over life is her new awakening to the world. It is not just one, but the combination of these three things that causes Edna to end her life.
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Acceptance Essays
