Symbolism in The Awakening

I really enjoyed The Awakening and found a lot of symbolism the is important in the book.The symbols included novel develop subtle hints of underlying points that Kate Chopin is trying to convey. All of the symbols are fundamental to the novel and being able to comprehend the meaning of each is crucial to fully understanding and appreciating the book.

One of the most apparent symbols in The Awakening, in my opinion, is Edna learning to swim. The fact that Edna spends the whole summer in Grand Isle struggling to learn how to swim enhances the significance of her final achievement. Learning to swim symbolizes a sense of empowerment for Edna who actually mocks her own ignorance once she is enlightened.

"'How easy it is!' she thought. 'It is nothing,' she said aloud; 'why did I not discover before that it was nothing. Think of the time before that  I have lost splashing about like a baby!' She would not join the groups in their sports and bouts, but intoxicated with her newly conquered power, she swam alone."

This excerpt indicates an initial "awakening" for Edna. She enjoys the independence that she feels while swimming and laughs at the amount time she has wasted. This can be applied to her life as well; Edna embraces her eventual autonomy and liberation but regrets her previous life with Leonce.

Another symbol that I find to be vital in the meaning of the novel is the manner in which Edna dresses. In the beginning of the novel, Edna is usually dressed properly, often in elaborate outfits for the parties that her and Mr. Pontellier attend. As the novel progresses, however, I noticed that when Edna would be described, she would appear in less and less clothes each time. I interpreted this as representing Edna shedding the her old life and her old stress until she is left with simply herself. At the very end of the novel, Edna finally strips even her bathing suit before entering the water. This represents Edna's final liberation from her life as Mrs. Pontellier.

There seems to be a reoccuring symbol of caged birds throughout the novel also. This represents the confinement of Edna's life with Leonce and, on a larger scale, could represent the restricted lifestyle of women in general living in the Victorian era. The "pigeon house" however, is actually an escape for Edna and contradicts the caged birds that are depicted in the novel. At the very beginning of the novel when the parrot was speaking it says,

"Mr. Pontellier, unable to read his newspaper with any degree of comfort, arose with an expression and an exclamation of disgust."

This statement leads me to think that if the birds are representing Edna or other women in society, then any out of ordinary behavior or ideas, even being their own person, would cause a reaction like this one.