In Kate Chopin's novel The Awakening, Edna uses painting to mature and awaken. She always loved painting, but she was always insecure about her painting skills. Over time, she became more confident in her skills, which helped Edna gain confidence in herself and her sexuality as a woman. She begins to ignore her duties as a mother because she believes that it is of no use and takes up what she loves, painting. The transformation of Edna's works, as her talent and passion grow, represents the transformation of Edna herself from an ordinary housewife to a passionate person. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Edna uses painting as a form of personal expression. Before, she was always very upset because she didn't find something that could make her happy and she couldn't express herself freely. Additionally, expressing how they truly feel is frowned upon in their society, making it difficult for Edna to truly express herself. However, she feels restrained when she begins to paint: “She handled her brushes with a certain ease and a certain freedom that came to her” (11). She is able to free herself from the constraints of society, and this freedom comes with painting. She also first awoke when she picked up a paintbrush because she “felt in it a satisfaction of a kind that no other employment gave her” (11). She didn't feel up to her duties because her mother was capable of satisfying her, she always wanted something more. However, she is not sure what that something is, which is why she is never completely happy. Then when she started painting, she realized that she was really passionate about it and was also very good at it. She is able to use art as a form of self-expression which can also be seen as a form of rebellion against social norms. This also caused her first awakening when she realizes that she is living in a dream and not doing what she truly loves. Edna neglects her duties as a mother to pursue her love of painting. She started as an ordinary housewife, then when she discovered her love for painting, she began to ignore her duties as a mother more and more. However, being able to find something she enjoys also helps her in her duties as a mother, Léonce noted that “she worked with great energy and interest” (57). She is able to bring the happiness she gets from painting into her daily work and even if "without accomplishing anything" (57) she can still have fun, this "satisfies her even to a lesser extent" (57). she is also able to realize that it is okay for a woman to have fun, which caused the next awakening. She also shows cold-bloodedness by ignoring her duties as a mother. In the past, women in the family were seen as property who had to function in the house and did not have their own opinions. Edna shows that she has her own pleasures and does not belong to anyone or any family. It is her form of rebellion against society's expectations of a woman. Edna also discovered her sexuality and her pleasures as a woman. She began spending "much of her time in the water since she had finally acquired the art of swimming" (45), using "art" and "swimming" together, this compares her love for painting with its rediscovery of sexual pleasures. It was in swimming that Edna rediscovered sex, and it was.