Edna or Eve?

Edna's persona in the second half of the novel are highly illustrative of the traditional "Eve" figure: the seductress, the temptress, the alluring female who draws females away from their maternal role and men away from the morals. Edna even identifies herself that this sexual transformation is taking place: "I'm going to pull myself together for a while and think--try to determine what character of a woman I am; for candidly, I do not know. By all the codes I am acquainted with, I am a devilishly wicked woman of the sex" (pg. 79). The fact that others often see Edna as even more beautiful after her "awakening" also assists in creating Edna as Eve; she is continually described as "radiant", and others are more attracted to her after she commits her infidelities. This, perhaps, only fuels her need to commit adultery.  While Edna's sexual escapades are not agreeable with all readers (especially when the book was published), the novel is nonetheless a journey of Edna's self-actualization. Edna realizes her own happiness, yet also can recognize her own mistakes and "wickedness"--even after that, she continues to have affairs. Her sexual involvement with multiple partners also demonstrates that humans may not be monogamous beings, and that we are happier once we have experienced multiple sexual partners (or even concurrent). That may be a far stretch for this novel, but it is an overarching theme that can be considered when analyzing female sexuality. Was Edna's death justified? I think Edna's death does derail some moral codes, but I think that Edna was not able to fully actualize herself, her happiness, or her sexual desires. She was also unable to fulfill both a maternal role and an individual role.