Kate Chopin boldly discovered a feminist attitude towards an ignorant society in her novel The Awakening. Her excellent work of fiction was not recognized at the time she wrote it because feminism was not yet widespread. Chopin rebelled against the societal norms (as did Edna) of his time and composed the novel The Awakening, using the characters' pro-gender attitudes, main character variations, descriptions, and Edna's suicide to show her feminist situation. During Chopin's time, society viewed women as a weak and dependent gender whose place was nothing above maternal roles and housekeeping. In L'Eveil, Chopin expresses society's simple attitudes toward women primarily through his characters Léonce, Edna, Madame Ratignolle, and Madame Reisz. She uses Léonce and Madame Ratignolle to describe examples of what was considered adequate in society. In a critical essay written by Emily Toth, she states that “The Awakening is the story of what happens when a woman does not accept her place in the home. The novel moves us because it illustrates the need for psychological, physical, social support, and sexual emancipation - the goals of feminists in the 20th and 19th centuries” (Toth). However, Chopin takes into account the opposing characters of Edna and Madame Reisz in a desire to express desires and desires concealed by the feminine gender. Léonce Pontellier, Edna's husband, is portrayed as the classic man of the time and a "twelve-year-old businessman". his eldest” (Toth). To Léonce, Edna is nothing more than one of his fancy objects and a companion who must be ready and enthusiastic to speak at his level, at all times. At the beginning of the novel, Leon... middle of paper ... the only way for her to free herself from societal limitations was to completely withdraw from society and end her life. Edna did not obey the morals of her peers, Kate Chopin defied her own peers by writing the novel The Awakening. She uses the attitudes of the characters in her novel, Edna's changes and ultimately her suicide to express her own feminist assertions. Chopin was shunned from society because of her resilient feminist views and her great ability to show them through her writing. In an article written by Katherine Patterson, she explains: “Edna Pontellier ultimately fails to overturn the crushing burdens of a patriarchal society because she fails to look inwardly and take responsibility for her own identity; instead, she simply seeks to escape the oppression she so intently observes” (Patterson).