Reading Chapters 16–28 of The Awakening by Kate Chopin, I feel like this is where Edna starts to become her own person, and in my opinion it’s empowering for her. I feel like when she tells Adele, “I would give my money, I would give my life for my children but I wouldn’t give myself,” that’s the most honest she’s been so far. In my opinion, that line proves she isn’t a “bad mother” like society would probably label her and how I feel like the book even tries to label her at points. I feel like that quote is her biggest sign of growth and “awakening” yet. When she moves out of the big house, I feel like it was a bold move for her, and a decision that was needed. I saw that as it was not just about leaving Leonce physically, it’s her finally claiming space for her identity and independence.
I also want to mention how this spoken confession is kind of ironic and definitely has a symbolic meaning behind it. I feel like Chopin purposely sets up this contrast. Adèle is the perfect “mother woman,” as the book constantly repeats, and Edna is a woman who refuses to “efface” herself. I feel like that conversation shows how far Edna has grown because she is no longer quietly different; she is openly saying she is.
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