Richard Essay, Research Paper

The end of Edna s Life

Upon reading Kate Chopin s The Awakening, the first thought that entered my mind was, why did this woman, Edna Pontellier, kill herself? Did she commit suicide because she could not be with her lover, Robert? At first, I thought the leaving of Robert was the direct cause of Edna committing suicide. Little did I know that it was much more than that. Only after reading two critical essays, one by George Spangler and the other by Margo Culley, did I realize that Edna s suicide had many reasons, not just the leaving of Robert. I would not have tied various other problems in Edna s life, other than her situation with Robert, with her death. However, the critical essays looked at Edna s life from a different perspective, and this provided me with a better picture as to why Edna killed herself.