The end of existence, more commonly known as death, is a unique and moving form of liberation. Death has the power to grant freedom from disease, safety from a dangerous life, and, in the case of Edna Pontellier, refuge from a trapped life. In the novel The Awakening, written by Kate Chopin, the protagonist of the literary work Edna Pontellier struggles to find her identity and sense of identity. Edna struggles to find her place amidst society's expectations and traditions while she herself longs for a life of independence and personal will. Despite her many efforts to find an adequate and fulfilling place in American society in 1890, Edna falls short, is not accepted by her peers, and is incapable of finding true happiness. As Mrs. Pontellier finds that she shares her visions of independence, individual strength, and personal happiness with no one else, the only adequate way in which Edna is able to realize these visions is to fully awaken from a previous life of ignorance and recklessness, it is through death. “Given the choices available to her, the 'satisfaction' of Edna's desire can only be fusion, and presumably death, in the element that first awakened it” (Freeman). Death frees Edna from unwanted responsibilities, from a judgmental society, from the boredom of life, and, above all, from her old self. Because of her death at sea, Edna is able to fully transform and evolve into the woman she is destined to be. In the novel The Awakening, despite her tragic death, the protagonist Edna Pontellier experiences an awakening through her fateful swim, thus freeing herself from a life of entrapment. Edna's death represents personal and individual freedom and a release from the restrictions of society. Edna experiences an unfulfilling awakening and...... middle of paper......, despite her tragic death, the protagonist Edna Pontellier experiences an awakening, a rebirth and a transformation through her fateful swim thus freeing herself from a life of entrapment and oppression. Works Cited Chopin, Kate. The awakening. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 1995. Print.Evans, Robert C. “Renewal and Rebirth in Kate Chopin's Awakening.” Bloom's literature. File, Inc. Web Facts. April 15, 2014. .Freeman, Barbara Claire. "The awakening: waking up at the end of the line." Bloom's literature. File Web Facts, Inc.. April 13, 2014. .Kleypas, Kathryn. "Coming of Age in The Awakening." Bloom's literature. File, Inc. Web Facts. April 15, 2014 .Merriam-Webster. "Liberation." Merriam Webster. Network. January 16 2014. .