Essay Blog Post

I chose the thesis: "By rebelling against social norms through a series of 'awakenings' Edna is able to gain a sense of freedom that she was never before able to experience."

While Edna is sleeping outside in chapter eleven, she is showing her first signs of defiance towards the stricter social norms set for her gender that block her from gaining independence. She argues with her husband that she wants to stay and sleep outside; this is one of the first times she is arguing with Leonce over his asserting dominance in her life. He is clearly frustrated with her defiance."She perceived that her will had blazed up, stubborn and resistant. She could not at that moment have done other than denied and resisted." (31) Edna is slowly "awakening" to the social norms that have confined her for so long, alongside the fact that she realized she wishes to have more freedom in her otherwise confined life. Although she goes inside later, this argument in the quote aforementioned gives her a taste of the freedom she wants but seems to never, or seldom, achieve in her life.

Edna  has been gradually awakening to the social norms that bind her into ultimate unhappiness and lack of freedom, and is therefore fighting against these norms. She hopes to leave her home so as to not be so confined to her husband's pressure of staying within female social norms. "Without even waiting for an answer from her husband regarding his opinion or wishes in the matter, Edna hastened her preparations for quitting her home on Esplanade Street and moving into the little house around the block." (84) By leaving her home to go live on her own in the little house, she is making a big step towards her own freedom. By taking herself away from her husband's constant pressure consequently not enabling her to independently flourish, she is allowed to take more control of her life. She is ultimately searching for freedom by going against the social norms women in her generation have become confined to, allowing her to gain more independence.

Edna is working towards gaining a sense of independence as she defies many social constructs set for women that she has become more aware to not only their existence, but how they affect her life. Throughout the novella she begins to realize not only that she is unable to control the majority of her life due to these constructs, but that this makes her unhappy. In the final chapter, Edna makes the decision to take her own life, which finally breaks her away from the social norms she has grown up initially not noticing. "She looked into the distance, and the old terror flamed up for an instant, then sank again." (116) Edna is finally freeing herself from the constant social norms that take away her sense of freedom throughout the story. Her fear drops due to the fact that she realizes her death will allow her to not feel constantly forced to fit into the tight set of guidelines set for women that she questions and defies against leading up to her death. Her swimming away, most likely committing suicide, is ending the constant feeling of her being forced into the social norms dictated to her gender.