Greta Mahoney’s Reviews > The Awakening > Status Update

As of now, I am on page 71 of The Awakening. A current theme developing is finding one's identity. As the text states, "She grew daring and reckless, overstimating her strength. She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before" (Chopin 49). This displays a search for identity as Edna Pontellier had never been able to swim. She found strength in learning to do what other women couldn't and was empowered.

The main character Edna Pontellier displays a key symbol when she puts on her wedding ring. As the text states, "She silently reached out to him, and he, understanding, took the rings from his vest pocket and dropped them into her open palm" (Chopin 3). Within her society at the time, women were viewed as less than and to serve their husbands. Her wedding rings are a physical reminder of her marriage constraints.