Music and Edna’s Awakening

In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, the romantic and lyrical nature of Frederick Chopin’s Impromptu, as well as its originality, are the vehicle by means of which Edna realizes her love for Robert and her desire to be free and self-determined. Chopin’s Impromptu arouses "the very passions ... within [Edna’s] soul"(p.34). The harmony, fluidity, subtle rhythm and poetic beauty of the Romantic composer make Edna loose herself in the music that stirs …

…acquire the skill to deal with her new emotions in life explains the dramatic conclusion to the journey and exploration of the passions that begin on the island. Creating and appreciating music requires much skill, but as this appreciation occurs often unmediated by thought, the soul is touched and emotions, unmolested by controls of the mind, of society, of anything, are brought up within the person, often opening the way to change and greater freedom.