Within the School of Myth, many critics have associated Chopin's Edna Pontellier with the mythical figure Psyche. The Greek word for “psyche” translates to “soul” or “butterfly.” Both words insinuate a change or awakening. A soul continually learns, transforms and adapts to its revelations and, like the soul - or the butterfly, more amazing than ever - emerges from a cocoon after being in a dormant phase for an extended period of time. An online article describes the analogy beautifully: Say No to Plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”?Get an original essayThere is no illustration of the immortality of the soul as striking and beautiful as the butterfly, bursting forth on its brilliant wings since the grave in which he slept, after an existence as a boring and crawling caterpillar, to flutter in the flame of the day and feed on the most fragrant and delicate productions of spring. The psyche is therefore the human soul, purified by suffering and misfortune, and thus prepared to enjoy true and pure happiness.1 For readers of The Awakening, we have a glimpse of an awakening that affects many levels (emotional). and sexual) with Edna, a woman who once conformed to the two-dimensional way of seeing the world and herself. In comparison to Psyche, Edna's butterfly soul breaks free from a confining cocoon through jets of sleep and other external triggers such as music and knowledge. In Greek mythology, Psyche's tale consists of trials and triumph. She must pass each test that Aphrodite, her lover's mother, subjects her to receive acceptance and forgiveness for her madness. Although love is not Edna's overall goal (rather, identity is her ambition), Edna goes through difficult times that arouse her husband's disapproval. She leaves the old house to extricate herself from her old self. She abandons her cocoon to replace a new one. She does not care whether Mr. Pontellier approves or not, but performs the act of personally giving herself acceptance. Sleep is another integral element in Psyche and Edna. The moments of awakening after rest are essential to the development of both characters. Psyche falls asleep crying over her misfortune at being left on top of a mountain, but she finds herself luckier than before when she wakes up; she now resides in a magnificent palace with an unidentified sweet and loving husband. Expecting to be lulled into an imaginative dreamlike state when Mademoiselle Reisz plays the piano, Edna is shaken by a sudden emotion imposed on her by the musical notes; “the very first chords that Mademoiselle Reisz struck on the piano caused a sharp tremor in Madame Pontellier’s spine” (34). Chopin describes her reaction as follows: "It was perhaps the first time that she was ready, perhaps the first time that her being was tempered to take the imprint of the immutable truth" (34). She is shaken by reality and no longer indulges in the usual fantasy. Her flat character slowly becomes more three-dimensional as she awakens with new perspectives. She feels powerful emotions, sees things as they are, recognizes her sexual attraction to Robert, and begins to form her own identity. Many believe that Chopin's ending is similar to when the ambrosia cup of the gods is given to Psyche, an act which rewards her with immortality. Although suicide is generally considered a weak escape from life, Chopin wants his readers to see Edna's death not as a wrongful act, but as a triumph and her final awakening; of this.1., 1995.