In Kate Chopin's The Awakening, Edna Pontellier's suicide is an affirmation of her independence and contributes to Chopin's message that to be independent, one must choose between personal desires and societal expectations. Chopin conveys this message through the reasons why Edna committed suicide and how it leads her to complete independence. Unlike other women in Victorian society, Edna is not willing to suppress her personal identity and desires for the benefit of her family. She begins “to become aware of her position in the universe as a human being and to recognize her relationships as an individual to the world around and around her” (35). Edna's recognition of herself as an individual as opposed to a submissive housewife is controversial because it is unorthodox. When she commits suicide, it is because she cannot fulfill her desire to be a person while society looks down on her for not following traditional expectations of women. Edna commits suicide because she has no other choice. She would not be fulfilled by continuing to be a wife and mother and returning to the lifestyle she...