Kate Chopin's success as a writer plummeted after the release of The Awakening. It has been noted that contemporary critics were shocked at the way Chopin portrayed Edna Pontellier. Edna's character violated the codes of the behavior of nineteenth-century American women. The criticis...

The end of Edna's Life Upon reading Kate Chopin's The Awakening, the first thought that entered my mind was, "why did this woman, Edna Pontellier, kill herself? Did she commit suicide because she could not be with her lover, Robert?" At first, I thought the leaving of Rober...