Motifs of "The Awakening" by Katherine O'Flaherty Chopin

A motif is a "usually recurring salient thematic element." In other words, a motif is a dominant idea or central theme. One of the many and diverse motifs in The Awakening is the sea. The sea, in the story, represents Edna's rebirth. In chapter ten, Edna takes her first swim in the sea. The sea is an unexplored and uncharted realm where no one dares to venture out into. It's a realm where one can …

…unlike the rest. "A quick vision of death smote her soul, and for a second of time appalled and enfeebled her senses... she managed to regain the land... She made no mention of her encounter with death..." The sea foreshadows Edna's eventual death at the end of the novel. The sea is used repetitively in the novel to emphasize its importance to the reader. The sounds of the sea constantly seduce Edna throughout the novel.