The Awakening is written by Kate Chopin; it tells the story of a female protagonist trying to find an independent identity outside of societal norms and failing to do so. Throughout the book, we see her in the eyes of everyone but herself. In the first introduction to her character, she is not introduced by her name but by her husband, Pontellier, as if she were just an extension of him. Not only that, but she is also viewed as a prized possession by her husband. As he talks to her and Robert, he scolds Edna: “You are burnt beyond recognition,” he added, looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of property that has suffered damage.” (Chopin 31) Lenoce’s perspective and thoughts on his wife are clear; he views her as his personal belonging that needs to be maintained. Her motherly and wifely duties start to be neglected, which is when he begins to feel as though she is becoming an “issue.”
The conversation between the doctor and Lenonce addresses her well-being, but it doesn’t seem to come from a place of pure concern but instead from the inconvenience that it poses on the husband’s behalf. During their talk, the doctor mentions, “Women, my dear friend, is a very peculiar and delicate organism…require an inspired psychologist to deal successfully with them.” (Chopin 114) This hints to the reader that she is more relatable to a machine on the fritz rather than a sensible person. The changes in her mental state are more of just a phase that should pass and she will eventually return to her previous role as the dutiful wife. There was no passion in their relationship and it seemed almost contractional which is when I believe he started taking issues with her behavior. She no longer chose to be subservient like a cog in a machine but couldn’t quite be free as a bird-like she longed for. Her actions left her relationships and marriage in shambles.
The inability to fit into a box-like her companions Adèle Ratignolle; the ideal dutiful wife, or Mademoiselle Reisz; the free musician, left her feeling lost. Along the journey of self-discovery, the feeling of alienation starts to fade only if you start to immerse yourself with people of like-mindedness; however, she never had the opportunity. Thus, in the end, she wasn’t necessarily a failure, independent, or a conformist- just alone. A human being that was consumed by pain that left her alone never to be understood by those around her.