"The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in solitude; to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation.
   The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of the sea is sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace." (57, Chopin). The sea seems to be a matter of distraction for Edna. The sea represents Edna's desires and things that tempt her.
      Every time Edna is at the beach or near the sea/ocean, it seems that she is with anyone and everyone but her husband. To me, the sea seems to be a place where she allows herself to become seducted by people she may have secret relations with. "Edna Pontellier could not have told why, wishing to go to the beach with Robert, she should in the first place have declined, and in the second place have followed in obedience to one of the two contradictory impulses which impelled her." ( 56, Chopin). In this sentence, Edna explains she has no reason for why she chose to go to the beach with Robert when she knew she shouldn't have, which shows that it was from pure seduction. Once again, on another page, whilst with Adèle Ratignolle, Chopin writes, "The two women went away one morning to the beach together arm in arm, under huge white sunshade." (58, Chopin). Edna seems to be very friendly with Ratignolle, so maybe these connections to the beach and Robert and Adèle symbolize something more. Edna could possibly be bisexual and the connections with the beach could represent her lifelong temptations that she could never live out due to her religion. The sea could symbolize Edna's sexuality and her suffering through the years pretending to be something she is not.