"The Awakening" by Kate Chopin.

Symbolism in The Awakening In The Awakening Kate Chopin makes excellent use of symbolism. Everything she puts into the novel is there for a reason and has a distinct purpose in the development of the story. The various houses that Edna resides, her painting, the sea, and the birds, all have much significance in the Awakening. The houses in which Edna stay throughout the novel represent her progress as she undergoes her awakening. In the …

…notices a bird with a broken wing plunging toward the water. This symbolizes her inability to escape the limitations and boundaries in her role as a woman. Throughout the Awakening Kate Chopin is constantly making use of symbolism in an effort illuminate and better explain her dynamic character, Edna. Many of the minute details that a casual reader may overlook or take as simply irrelevant details are actually very important parts of the story's development.