nvince myself that I am. I must think about it" (Chopin 79). Allen specifically rejects the view that the novel is "about" Edna's awakening sexuality or her "biologic functions . . . sex-partner and mother, mere agent to the needs, sexual and nurturing, of others--the real human beings" (Allen 229).
It seems difficult to overstate the social content of Edna's psychoemotional odyssey, whether illicit love affair or a rest in a hammock. Each episode creates domestic tension as others worry what is the matter with her. Resolution of such tension is central to Edna's way of death; it cannot be found in her way of life. Psychically, society requires her to be
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