The Awakening
(Kate Chopin)

Houses

One of the ways the books notes that Edna is progressing is through her movement through houses. She begins in the cottage of a wealthy resort as a conventional woman of her time. Following the night she night she begins her awakening and defies her husband’s demands, she spends the night at Madame Antoine’s. Returning to New Orleans, Edna continues her character growth in her mansion- a juxtaposition that points out Edna’s individualization even more. She finally moves to the “pigeon house” close to Reisz, signifying another shift.

The Cost of Independence

Towards the middle and onward, the book focuses on how Edna has to reconcile the cost of being an independent woman in a world that wants to keep her dependent. Her friends and husband disapprove of her and even her own father taints the memory of his visit to her as he leaves and scolds her for not going to her sister’s wedding. Though Reisz reminds Edna about these issues through the metaphor of being a bird, it isn’t until Adele asks her to “think of the children” that the cost becomes real to her. Edna knows that she will leave an indelible mark on her children’s lives if she leaves and is thus tied down by them.