Edna's Awakening

As I read The Awakening, I realized that Edna was on a journey towards finding independence and happiness within herself. She slowly progressed through this journey with each new experience. One experience that seemed to impact Edna occurred in chapter 24. Leonce had just left for New York, and Edna was getting a taste of what her life would be like without him. The book states that, “when Edna was at last alone, she breathed a big, genuine sigh of relief. A feeling that was unfamiliar but very delicious came over her,” (69). Edna appeared to be comfortable with this feeling, but soon experienced mood swings that left her melancholy one moment, and at ease the next. Her change of mood might come from the attachment she still had to her husband even though he was away on a trip. Edna was experiencing independence while he was gone, but she was aware that he still had authority over her as her husband. On page 70, Edna explains her sadness. “It was not despair; but it seemed to her as if life were passing by, leaving its promise broken and unfulfilled.” I thought this line represented Edna’s feelings about her marriage to Leonce. She felt trapped by her husband and would not truly be happy until she could feel independent and at east within herself.