In Kate Chopin's lifetime, women did just what they were expected to do by fulfilling the role of the good housewife and good mother. A woman was expected to move from the protection of her father's roof to the protection of her husband. It was not appropriate behavior for a woman to do as she pleased or to have freedom from family, as in society today. In The Awakening Edna seems not to fit the stereotype that was expected of her and this eventually makes her husband seek help from Doctor Mandelet. It is here that Edna Pontellier says words that define The Awakening, "I don't want anything but my own way. That is wanting a good deal, of course, when you have to trample upon the lives, the hearts, the prejudices of others..." Edna awakens to what true happiness can be, but it is whether or not she is strong enough to pursue her quest for fulfillment.
             In the beginning of the story, Edna is a married woman with two children who seems vaguely satisfied with her life. Leonce, her husband, believes that Edna should be the stereotyped housewife that does all things that satisfy her husband's standards. However, when Edna does not seem to do as her husband pleases and does not abide by this Creole social code, Leonce reveals his frustration with Edna. For example, when Edna is sunbathing at the beach on Grand Isle, her husband approaches her and says, "What folly! To bathe at such an hour in such heat! You are burnt beyond recognition." Kate Chopin adds that Mr. Pontellier looks at his wife "as one looks at a valuable piece of property which has suffered some damage." As a result of little negative comments that Mr. Pontellier uses towards his wife, seem to drive her towards a better security, happiness, and love that she begins to find in another person. This is where Edna meets the young man by the name of Robert Lebrun whom she seems to respond to with great intense ...