In The Awakening and Jane Eyre novels, the authors argue that feminism is moral and just. The theme of independence emphasizes significantly in Chopin and Bronte's novels. They believe that women have the rights to pursue freedom, independence, and happiness. However, they vary greatly in their approaches on how women should pursue their dreams.
             Jane Eyre and Edna Pontellier each represent women struggling for independence. They both also have great desires to pursue true love, happiness and freedom from social conventions. They rebel, in part, shows strongly through their relationships with various men. For instance, Jane leaves Mr. Rochester when he pressures her to become his mistress. Jane also rejects St. John when he forces her into a loveless marriage. By the same token, Edna in The Awakening leaves her husband when she realizes their marriage is a loveless one. Later on, Edna rejects Alcee's proposal and also refuses to become Robert's possession. This is a very strong characteristic of feminism that highlights both women's intense emotional capacity. The difference in the way Jane Eyre and Edna Pontellier approach romance is that these women do not need men to fix their lives or save them. They are independent women who have the ability to function on their own. For example, Jane states, "I am not bound to stay with her: let the worst come to the worst, I can advertise again"(533). When Edna says, "I have a little money on my own from my mother's estate, which my father sends me by driblets. I won a large sum this winter on the races, and I am beginning to sell my sketches"(1073). These statements show that they not only determine to be independent but also declare their freedom. Throughout the novels, the authors also emphasize their protagonists' great pa
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