Kate Chopin perfectly integrates the plot with the setting in her novel The Awakening. Various locations transform Edna Pontellier into a bold transgressor of obsolete social conventions and enable her dynamic growth. Edna becomes accustomed to the relaxed ways of the Grande Isle and gradually transitions into a more independent state. Chênière Caminada represents for Edna a refuge from all family obligations. However, the rigid schedules and structures of New Orleans prevent Edna from continuing as harmlessly as she did on Grand Isle or on the Chênière, and she therefore begins to actively rebel against the Creole lifestyle. Distinct environments shape Edna's personality, each arousing different emotions and moods in her. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay The relaxed atmosphere of Grande Isle allows Edna the freedom to develop her opinions and desires regarding her current life. Edna experiences life without her husband, Léonce, and the children who bind her, and begins “to loosen a little the cloak of reserve that [has] always shrouded her” (14). When society does not impose a role on Edna, she gains the ability to truly value her life. Edna nervously realizes that her children's absence “frees her from a responsibility she had blindly assumed and for which fate had not prepared her” (18). Edna soon acquires a rudimentary stubbornness, demonstrated by her refusal to join Léonce one night. She refuses to obey her husband for the sole purpose of asserting her independence, but her simple act demonstrates her growing confidence and defiance. Furthermore, Léonce's absence allows Edna to gradually ignore Creole ideals and accept Robert LeBrun as a romantic partner. Initially, she rebuffs Robert's advances, deciding that "there was no reason why she should submit" (11). However, after the confrontation with Léonce, Edna recognizes the futility of pursuing a relationship that she knows is lifeless. Edna reveals her acceptance of Robert by inviting him to the Chênière, because "she had never sent for him before... She never seemed to want him" (33). Fittingly, Edna's physical departure from Grand Isle accompanies her emotional departure from her husband. Edna travels to Chênière Caminada, a remote island that serves as a refuge from the suffocating Creole lifestyle. Normally, it is the usual chores of a woman-mother that dictate Edna's schedule; now, Robert tells Edna, “We will go wherever you want…We won't need…anyone” (35). Robert offers Edna complete freedom and does not expect her to conform to the image of the woman-mother. Likewise, as Edna physically flees the land, she also flees spiritually. Edna feels “as if [she was] being carried away by an anchor that had held her fast, whose chains had loosened” (34). At the home of a Chênière native, the luxury of resting “in a strange and picturesque bed” pacifies Edna, for the simple cottage presents a calming contrast to her structured domestic life (36). Edna falls into a deep and peaceful sleep, only to experience one of the many awakenings referenced in the novel's title. Upon awakening, Edna remarks to Robert that “the whole island seems changed. A new race of beings must have arisen” (37). Edna's sleep allows her to become increasingly aware of her desires. Edna can finally “realize that she herself – her current self – was somehow different from her other self” (40). This revelation pushes Edna to consider losing “that external existence that conforms” and begin pursuing “the internal life that questions” (13). However, the austere conditions of New Orleans force Edna to accept one of two extremes: one,.