Suicide in The Awakening
- This is a preview of the essay.
To view the full text you must login!
Suicide in The Awakening.
The ending of The Awakening causes much controversy among its readers. The question of whether or not Edna commits suicide in the end can be debated from both sides with moderate success. However, I am going to prove that suicide was foreshadowed in the novel and that Kate Chopin implies that ending.
The sea is a strong symbol in The Awakening. It is weaved in and out throughout the entire text, taunting Edna with freedom and escape. In the beginning of Edna's awakening, Chapter VI, she takes a walk to the beach with Robert. She is in deep contemplation and just beginning to realize her place in the universe when she describes the sea she is looking at: "The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude; to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation. The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace...