Following is Professor Sarah Wyman’s analysis of The Awakening by Kate Chopin, an 1899 novella telling the story of a young mother who undergoes a dramatic period of change.

She “awakens” to her own desires, casting off the restrictions of her traditional societal role as wife and mother, and seeks her full potential as a woman.

Many times, we find Edna Pontellier awake in situations that signify more metaphorical awakenings to new knowledge and sensual experience. Read More→