As the heroine, Edna Pontellier, awakens to her own desires, she begins to question her ideas about marriage, motherhood, society, art, and the nature of love itself.

A milestone in American fiction, The Awakening is an unforgettably poignant story of self-discovery that has inspired generations of readers. It's blend of realistic narrative, incisive social commentary, and psychological complexity makes The Awakening a precursor of American modernist literature.