The Awakening and other Selected Stories (Reader's Library Classics)

Edna Pontellier, mother of two and devoted wife, and her family set out for a family vacation in Grand Isle. There, Edna meets Robert Lebrun, and the two fall in love, but their love is short-lived as Robert hastily leaves Edna. After the vacation, Edna goes back home to New Orleans, Louisiana, only to discover how she longs for her own independence. Thus, she begins to focus on her happiness at the expense of her maternal duties.Solitude, social constructs and attitudes, and gender roles were all controversial themes at the turn of the 20th century. The Awakening explores many of these prevailing social attitudes. Included are eight other short stories written by Chopin.