Throughout time, women have been oppressed, taken advantage of, and treated miserably. Kate Chopin portrays a very good example of this idea in her second and final novel, The Awakening, through its main protagonist, Edna Pontellier. Edna resembles a "beautiful, sleek animal waking up in the sun" as she comes to realize her trapped state in society and awakens to a new freedom of expression, sexuality and self-confidence. In her marriage, she is perceived as an object by her husband, Leoncé, and receives only the same respect as a possession. In addition, Edna discovers that her role as a mother also makes it impossible for her to continue development as an autonomous individual. The lack of freedom and sense of identity also causes a metamorphosis in Edna as a person. Her whole experience as a woman who is subordinate to her husband and children signifies the importance of equality between the sexes and their right to have freedom and independence.
             The society of nineteenth century New Orleans defines the role of wife as full devotion towards and to self-sacrifice for their husband. However, Edna does not adhere to this definition and sees how unhappy she is with these expectations held by society. She had taken "her place with a certain dignity in the world of reality, closing the portals forever behind her upon the realm of romance and dreams." Basically, once she marries, she loses any other opportunities for her future. Her father even tells Leoncé that "the only way to manage a wife" is to have "authority [and] coercion" over her. Although Leoncé feels that Edna is "the sole object of his existence," he does not even notice his wife's independent nature. Therefore, Edna feels like a caged bird that is waiting to achieve the liberty that everyone deserves.
             Furthermore, in this era, people in general e
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