The Awakening is a novel by Kate Chopin first published in 1899. The main character, Edna Pontellier, faces many issues considered taboo at the turn of the 20th century century. Women were supposed to have and raise children and that was their only goal. Men, on the other hand, had to work and provide for their children. Edna's problems, seen today, are not atypical. She struggles with her happiness and wishes to have her own identity besides that of a wife and mother, which she could not do due to the gender bias of the time. These are very modern issues in the Victorian era. Kate Chopin, very successfully, captures the struggles of a woman from the 1900s facing issues that are quite common today. The women in The Awakening face issues that can be recognized as issues that women face today and are faced with issues that were important to that time period. . The main character, Edna Pontellier, is married to Léonce Pontellier and together they had two sons. Edna admits in the novel that she married Léonce just to spite her father. Their marriage was very typical of the time. Léonce was the main breadwinner, while Edna stayed at home, ran the household and hosted a weekly entertaining day. Even though she has two children, they are mainly taken care of by their nanny. Edna has little interest in her children and only spends time with them when it is convenient for her or whenever she is overcome with emotion towards them, missing them and periodically longing for their presence. Edna seems quite happy on the outside, but on the inside she is very dissatisfied with her life. At one point in the novel, she expressed her desire to become a painter to Mademoiselle Reisz, an eclectic and independent pianist... middle of paper ... frowned upon in Victorian era society. If Edna had lived in modern times, she could have quite easily divorced and then married Robert. If she found herself unhappy in her marriage to Robert, she could have divorced again and married Alcee if she wanted. Women today have more freedom than ever. They can be their own person. They don't have to hide behind their husband's identity. Women can work and support themselves without help from family or husbands. Today, women also have more sexual freedoms. Women can have sex with whoever they want and are not considered “impure” or damaged and used. Chopin's view of women's issues was quite relevant. Many women of Edna's era surely struggled with the same demons as Edna, but they just didn't act the way Edna did. Even though she committed suicide, she was freed from her struggles.