The awakening.

Edna Pontellier is a wife, a mother, and a member of the Presbyterian Church, but has never felt comfortable being defined by any of these roles.

Edna yearns for freedom, independence, and self-fulfillmentall of which seem antithetical to the life she has fallen into.

When she departs to Grand Isle with her husband and children for a vacation, Ednas quiet dissatisfaction becomes more problematic, as she gets a glimpse of what life free from obligation and social constraints could be like.The Awakening is one of the earliest examples of feminism in literature, and the books criticism of acceptable female social roles and emphasis on womens sexuality caused it to be received with a mixture of praise and criticism.

Set in Louisiana, The Awakening is also an early example of Southern literature, a category which would later be made popular by authors like William Faulkner and Tennessee Williams.HarperPerennial Classics brings great works of literature to life in digital format, upholding the highest standards in ebook production and celebrating reading in all its forms.

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