The Awakening: Edna Pontellier's Spiritual Awakening Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening relates the emotion-driven story of Edna Pontellier. Her story is a happy one. Not because of some typical fairy tale ending where they all live happily ever after, but in that she accomplished her goal in life. She never “sacrifice[d] herself for her children.” (p. 115) Edna Pontellier remained an individual. She achieved her goal of being a free spirit through her death. To Mrs. Pontellier, “the children appeared before her like antagonists who had overcome her; who had overpowered her into the soul’s slavery for the rest of her days.” This is the complete opposite of