Even as a child, she was aware of the tension between "the outward existence which conforms" and "the inward life which questions."
             During her six years of marriage, Edna did not see herself as an individual with desires and opinions of her own. However, the seeds for her rebellion against social conventions were already latent. Even as a young child, she was aware of the tension between "the outward existence which conforms" and "the inward which questions." Her "awakening" to her own individuality consists of allowing the questioning inner self to direct her actions rather than conforming to outward expectations of feminine behavior.
             Clothing is an important metaphor in The Awakening. It is important to remember that Victorian women's clothing was extremely confining. Therefore, it symbolizes the constraints of socia
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