The Awakening - Analysis of Edna

1. "How many years have I slept?" she inquired. "The whole island seems changed. A new race of beings must have sprung up, leaving only you and me as past relics. How many ages ago did Madame Antoine and Tonie die? And when did our people from Grand Isle disappear from the earth?" (Chapter XIII) <Tab/>This poem reflects Edna's desire to be isolated with Robert and break free from the restrictions …

…weaklings, but instead of fluttering back to the earth, she fluttered back to the sea, which in the beginning seemed to be what freed her, is now what forever traps her. This poem is almost mentioned verbatim in chapter six, in a context that would lead one to believe that the sea is a baptismal of freedom, opening the door to her sexual and spiritual awakening, instead of becoming the resting place for her defeat.