The Confluence
Student Type
Undergraduate
Document Type
Article
Abstract
In recent research of American literature, many scholars have read Kate Chopin’s The Awakening and construed the novel’s ambiguous ending as an indication that the protagonist, Edna Pontellier, commits suicide after the ending. Scholars have developed this hypothesis due to contextual evidence, societal expectations at the time Chopin wrote the novel, and Edna’s perceived development of identity over the course of the novel. In this paper, I analyze the popular theories arguing for Edna’s suicide or survival and then examine those articles in conjunction with my own analysis of The Awakening. By doing so, I aim to prove that, contrary to popular scholarly belief, Edna Pontellier does not commit suicide after The Awakening’s conclusion.
Recommended Citation
Budd, Amber L.
(2024)
"The Making of a Survivor: Chopin's Use of Identity and Rebirth in The Awakening,"
The Confluence: Vol. 3:
Iss.
2, Article 6.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.62608/2150-2633.1057
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.lindenwood.edu/theconfluence/vol3/iss2/6
Date
April 15, 2024
Author Bio
Amber Budd is a fourth-year undergraduate majoring in English Creative Writing. After graduation in May 2025, she intends to pursue a MFA in Creative Writing at Lindenwood University, and then a PhD in English Literature. She plans to be a fiction author and college professor once she has finished her education.