write a short note on 'Symbolism in The Awakening'.
Answers
i am typing only of the 'sea' part
The sea, really, in the Gulf of Mexico, symbolizes freedom, escape, independence. Edna's awakening truly begins in the water - it's where she learns to swim, something she has always previously been afraid of - and after this incident, her mind begins to turn with new possibilities of independence and the future. This is when Edna begins to wonder who she truly is.
Edna also feels very small in the sea, dwarfed by the world and her small place in it. But this is an awakening in and of itself, really, as she begins to contemplate her place in the universe and her significance. It's also a bit of a rebirth, like a baptism in a way, because Edna is awakening to her true desires and beginning to break away from the strict societal conventions imposed on her.