The Awakening is a story based on a woman, Edna Pontieller, in the 19th century, who decided that she was not like all the other women in her life because she was questioning her life. her ambitions and dreams and realizes that she does not fit into the usual role of wife and mother. The Awakening begins in Grand Isle, an island off the coast of Louisiana, then in the state of Louisiana, then the story ends in Grand Isle. This story focuses on the metaphors, symbolism, difference, and personal struggles that a woman may face in the 19th century, where men are the dominant force and women stay at home to raise the children. Edna lives in this world where women have firm guidelines on how to live and present themselves to humanity and throughout the story she begins to struggle with these guidelines and begins to "awaken" to love, life and its contentment. There are many ways to read this story, for example with a feminist perspective that would compare and distinguish gender roles and the impartiality of men and women or through a past perspective that would show how the Victorian era shaped people's lives and how much people feared their outward appearance. Edna begins her inner struggles in Grand Isle and ends them in Grand Isle. The sea and all that it begins to mean to Edna can be seen as the beginning of her journey towards self-discovery and final rebirth from an unfulfilled life on this earth. Originally published in 1899, The Awakening was written by Karen Chopin. who some describe as a feminist before her time. The Victorian era was a time when women were seen and not heard, which made publishing this book difficult since it was about a woman who...... middle of paper .. ....In the end, Edna feels that she is the real winner and that society has lost. It is possible that Chopin felt the same way while writing such a controversial literary work and this was his way of living his dream through Edna. Chopin was an author who believed in herself and her writing shows this to her readers. It is a story that can be applied to any era as it encompasses the human spirit and its inner desires. Suicide may not be the answer, but it showed readers how unhappy Edna was with her life and the restrictions placed on her. Her suicide could be seen as a cowardly act or a triumph for Edna. Ultimately, it is still misunderstood. Works Cited Chopin, K (2011) the Awakening in DL Pikes and AM's Acosta's (Eds), DP (2011) Literature: A World of written stories, poets, and essays [Vital Source digital version]. Boston, Massachusetts.