Awakening Ch. 25-29

In chapters 25-29, Edna becomes even more of a rebel. She starts seeing another guy named Arobin even though she is still in love with Robert. She starts seeing Arobin shortly after Robert leaves. They talk and are flirty with each other. They hold hands and at the end of the section Arobin kisses Edna. This awakens her senses, but it also causes her to feel irresponsible. She regrets kissing him because she did not love him and he didn’t mean anything to her. The kiss happened mostly because of her emotions and her sexual desires.

In addition, Edna moves out of her house into a cottage which she calls the “pigeon house”. This shows she is becoming more independent and free. She moves so the place can be hers, not her husbands. She does not want to feel like she belongs to anyone but herself. This will probably make everyone suspicious. Furthermore, this could be a place in the future where she can be private with Robert without having to worry about her husband.

Also, in this section there is mentioning of birds. Edna’s new house is named after a type of bird. In addition, Mademoiselle Reisz checks to see if Edna’s shoulders, or wings, are strong enough. She is comparing Edna to a bird and how a bird would need strong wings to soar. This is showing that Reisz knows that Edna will need to be strong to put with society’s criticism because she will be on her own. She will not be doing what is expected of her and will be going against the traditional customs. She will not be able to be weak or else she will break down.