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 the way she feels. Edna does love her children, but they are one burden that is suffocating her. When Edna left the children after a visit to Leonce's parent's house, "she carried away with her the sound of their voices and the touch of their cheeks" (Chopin 90). This heartfelt emotion shows how much she truly cared for them. If Edna were able to only visit her children every now and then without the full responsibility of parenthood perhaps she could go on with her life with one less burden. Unfortunately the children are bound to come home sooner or later.
             Edna wasn't a bad mother, but she lacked one imp...