The Awakening ends somewhat abruptly as Edna kills herself. She does this to escape all her troubles. The readers can deduce this because in reference to my first blog post, where I concluded that Edna regards the water as a means of escape from being a mother, a wife, and also an outsider in the society, she also commits suicide in water. However, Edna has some seconds thoughts about suicide as she thinks, “Perhaps Doctor Mandelet would have understood if she had seen him—but it was too late…” (Chopin 176). These second thoughts still don’t affect her resolve for escape, showing that she is much stronger than the last time she tried to escape her troubles through water.
Regardless of this, her actions can be considered selfish because she has children. These children will now have to grow up without a mother. Although she wasn’t the best of mothers to them even when she was around, they still need a mother figure. But she thinks solely of herself as she begins to regard her kids as “antagonists… who had overpowered and sought to drag her into the soul’s slavery for the rest of the rest of her days” (Chopin 175). This is only because she has chosen never to let her children or let anyone else come before herself. She is now finally free.
I agree with your point of view on the ending. She can be considered selfish, but I think she was more rash than anything else. She wanted freedom, and I think this was her easiest way to get it.
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