`The Awkening` a book by Kate Choplin

A Woman 's Self-Realization Women are continually exposed to subjugation in a patriarchal society This marginalization makes itself known in all aspects of her life -- economical , political , social - where for the longest time the woman has been relegated as the Other , a second-class citizen . Of course , with the dawn of postmodernism and feminism , a lot has changed in the plight of women from olden times . Women have earned their rights and their place in society . We now have women politicians and lawmakers , women astronauts and engineers , women doctors and specialists . But

is this to say that women now stand on equal ground with men ? It seems that more than just the public arena , women have yet to conquer and gain their freedom and rights in the private abode , in the realm of relationships For it is in relationships that women most often find themselves losing their identity in giving their best effort to the loved one Kate Chopin 's novel , The Awakening , was written in the 19th century but its theme of women subjugation and quest for freedom still rings true today . The story takes place in a time period , where women were considered property of their spouses . Being confident of his power Leonce expects Edna 's full compliance to the social norms but simultaneously refuses her aspirations and in fact does not take her seriously . He loves her but he intensely searches for the mother-woman ' characteristics in her . For Edna , the situation is painful and his attitude towards her is unacceptable . Edna realizes that although her husband provides for her needs and takes care of her and their family , it comes with a price : her freedom . Since she has no money of her own , she becomes dependent on her husband to provide for her . She realizes that her existence means very little , that she is in fact just a shadow , an object , Leonce 's whim . Thus , she is no more willing to live under his authority which grants her safety , and she tries to find herself , to be in control of her own person . She learns how to swim . For the first time , she moves on her own accord , depending only on her own limbs for survival . She has discovered her endless potential , as endless as the sea . She is no more feeling desperate and powerless . She engages in a gradual self-realization process , and she experiences such an extreme transformation that she shows a complete act of defiance against society In discovering her identity , the ocean plays a crucial role . In the story the ocean symbolized her freedom - a freedom that is boundless . In the beginning , the personification of the sea was used to mirror her self-awareness . The ocean calls to Edna : The voice of the sea is seductive never ceasing , whispering , clamoring , murmuring , inviting the soul to wander for a spell in the abysses of solitude to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation (Chopin , 25 . Edna found affinity in the ocean , and desired its boundlessness , its...