An overview of the historical context of "The Awakening" provides me with ample evidence to reinstate the thesis statement: Edna Pontellier does not reject her children; she only neglects her image as a woman/mother. The novel "The Awakening" was written at the end of the 19th century, fundamentally characterized by change the old and the new the time of industrialization, urbanization which contributed great impetus to socio-political and cultural change It was a period of transition provided by emerging trends such as Darwin's theory of evolution, higher criticism of the Bible, continuous movement for women's suffrage these emerging trends began to question the fundamental assumption that society believed to be universal truth and value (Wyatt, 1995). The novel is set in a cultural context where women had every reasonable freedom to talk about their marriage and children, but could not carry on what they found good and reasonable because they were constrained by social constructs. Women were tied to their husbands and children and were religiously conditioned to many dos and don'ts. However, a critical look reveals that women were conceived as mere objects of entertainment, possessions cared for and displayed. They were expected to be subordinate to their husbands and children (Wyatt, 1995). It is in this context; Chopin introduces a character named Edna Pontellier. She is portrayed as a passionate and unconventional female protagonist of the novel "The Awakening". She interprets marriage as the end of passion and the beginning of a life of responsibility, since the cultural context expects her to behave in a... middle of paper... The caged bird also symbolizes the pressure and control that individuals and society have on Edna. Initially, he conforms to the image of the green – and – yellow bird by pandering to the implicit rules of society and pandering to the crowd, but later, when he realizes his inner desire for passion and sensuality, he contradicts this image and detests it (Kelly, 2001). When she detests the image of the parrot, she finds expression in the Mockingbird hanging on the other side of the cage, idealized by Mademoiselle Reisz, the only character in the novel, who truly understands Edna's inner feelings and desire for freedom and independence. Obedient housewives are idealized as angels and would never think of deviating from social norms. They must always be at the service of their husbands and children (Kelly, 2001).