The Importance of the Sea in Awakening In her novel, The Awakening, Kate Chopin uses symbolism and imagery to portray the main character's emergence into a state of spiritual awareness. The image that appears most throughout the novel is that of the sea. “Chopin uses the sea to symbolize freedom, freedom from others, and the freedom to be oneself” (Martin 58). The protagonist, Edna Pontellier, longs for that freedom, and with the imagery of the sea, Chopin shows the awakening of Edna's desire to be free and her eventual attainment of that freedom. Edna's awakening begins with her beach vacation. There she meets Robert Lebrun and develops an intense infatuation with him, an infatuation similar to those she had in her youth and which she renounced when she married. The passionate feelings that begin to overwhelm her are both confusing and exciting. They lead Edna to start reflecting on what her life is like and who she is as a person. The spell of the sea influences these feelings which invite “the soul…to lose itself in the labyrinths of interior contemplation” (Chopin 57). Edna begins to fall under the sea's spell and begins to evaluate her feelings about the life she lives. During the summer of Edna's awakening, the influence of the sea increases as she learns to swim, an event that has far more significance than that of her fellow vacationers. realize. “For his friends, he accomplished a simple feat; for Edna, he performed a miracle” (Showalter 114). She has found a peace and tranquility in swimming that gives her the feeling of freedom. The narrator tells us that as he swims, “he seems to be looking for the limitless to lose himself in” (Chopin 74). He sees freedom... middle of paper... goes out into the ocean for the last time, finds his ultimate freedom. Ultimately, the sea symbolizes freedom for Edna. He will never treat her like property like her husband did for so many years. It won't require all of your time and attention like your children do. He will never abandon her like Robert does. He will envelop her "in his soft and tight embrace" (Chopin 176) and allow her to experience the vast range of feelings that her life has forbidden her to experience. The sea will allow her to be free. Works cited and consulted Chopin, Kate. "The awakening." 1899. The Complete Works of Kate Chopin. Ed. For Seyersted. Baton Rouge: Louisiana State UP, 1969. 881-1000.Martin, Wendy, ed. New essays on awakening. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1988. Showalter, Elaine. "Tradition and female talent: the awakening as a solitary book." 1993