"Illegal mixing of the sexes leads to arrests of violators and criminal charges" is just one example of how Saudi Arabia's they are "protecting" the country's women ("Eleven things women in Saudi Arabia can't do" 1). Throughout history, women have been considered inferior to their male counterparts, and this direct belief is represented in Saudi Arabian law, as female ones are currently fighting for their individual rights, rebelling against the fact that they are limited because of their place. in the gender-based society they live in. Women have repeatedly rebelled against the restrictive laws of their environment, finally being able to vote in metropolitan elections in the last year; however, Saudi Arabia's laws are still consistently restrictive towards women (1). In a country where a rape victim will be punished in court because of women's "vulnerability to sins", where women who stubbornly fight against the limitations that surround them are told to "accept simple things" and where women must enter a separate entrance from that of men, the repressive approach towards the female gender is what individuals struggle with today (2). As the world develops, women will also develop and fight for their inalienable rights. This idea of ​​the limitation of women in society is one that Kate Chopin explores in her writings. In The Awakening, Chopin uses characterization and symbolism to represent the theme that women have only two possible and inevitable roles in society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayRoles for WomenChopin uses the characterization of Adele Ratignolle as the foil to Edna Pontellier to represent women's first role in society, the ideal that Edna is supposed to embody and duplicate. When first introduced in the novel, Adele is presented as the image of a "mother-woman" as she embodies the mentality of "idolat[ing]" her children and "adore[ing]" her husband (Chopin 16 ). Not only is she the representation of what a maternal figure should be in a family, but from her initial entry, she is characterized as the embodiment of beauty, a woman who "has nothing subtle or hidden in her charms" (17 ). The reader is told that there is nothing to hide her charm, and that instead [her charm] is “flamboyant” and “apparent” (17). This glamorization of Adele serves its purpose as the conjunction between her capacity as a woman-mother and her beauty emphasizes the idealistic form that she embodies and Edna must emulate. However, Edna is seen as a wife who has “failed in her duty to [her] children” as she is routinely perceived as neglecting them (16). Unlike Adele, who lives for her children as a mother, in a life that requires altruism, Edna sees motherhood as a sacrifice. She clarifies her position during an argument with Adele, stating that she “would not give herself” for her children or anyone else (Stange 6, Chopin 80). Schweitzer elaborates on Edna's position towards her children, stating that "being a mother involves sacrificing herself, her desire and her freedom to an imposed responsibility, a social convention, a suffocating respectability and a domestic life " is exactly why Edna is incapable of developing into the role played by Adele (6). This limitation she would have felt is further expanded during Edna's dinner with Adele and her husband, in which, after seeing the“small glimpse of domestic harmony”, “gave her no regrets, no desires” since their relationship “is not a condition of life that suited her, and she could see it as nothing other than a frightening and hopeless boredom” ( 93). This comparison shows Edna's rejection of Adele's role as a woman who sacrifices herself for her husband and children. Edna is unwilling (and perhaps unable) to give up herself for a marriage she considers “purely an accident.” Furthermore, she is unwilling to sacrifice herself for her children from whom she feels disconnected (32). Chopin reveals to the reader an important theme of the novel with this rejection of the only "acceptable" role that society has attributed to women. Chopin then uses the characterization of Mademoiselle Reisz as Edna Pontellier's foil to show women's second role in society, "the outcast." This is a role that Edna initially believes she can personify. Unlike Adele, Reisz embodies the anomaly of a woman in society, neither a “woman-mother,” nor beautiful, Reisz represents the only other option for Edna. Reisz's first impression is that her role is that of being rejected, portrayed with terms like "clumsy," "rusty," and "artificial." She is presented as a pariah who enjoys being isolated and described as an “imperious” individual who assumes power and authority without justification (43). However, as a pariah, she is also independent with her autonomy intact, living alone through her piano, without a husband or children. Reisz represents everything Edna longs for: the lack of responsibility and/or obligation to care for others, the ability to escape the social confines of her gender, and the ability to enjoy herself through art that is only for pleasure individual. Reisz's influence on Edna begins to contradict who she was just years ago, as before "she, out of habit, would give in to his desires," but instead Edna openly disobeys Leonce in a way she has never done before (52) . Leonce believes she is becoming someone other than herself. He even visits a doctor to discuss the problem he believes is plaguing Edna. Although Edna is becoming more and more like Reisz, she is unable to truly mirror Reisz, as there is not only an "unpleasant impression", representing how "Edna is both attracted to Reisz and repelled by her", but also the question of what makes the two so different (Chopin 98, Schweitzer 6). Although Edna delights in her art, she is unable to truly become an artist like Reisz, as Reisz states that an artist must be a "bird that flies above the level of tradition and prejudice" and "to be successful , [that] the artist must have a courageous soul” (Chopin 106, Chopin 138). Edna realizes that although Reisz is autonomous, she is also alone, and Edna does not wish to be completely isolated without anyone. around, and that's why she spends her time with Robert and Alcee Arobin - unable to achieve independence at the expense of intimacy. Despite the need to free herself from social pressure, Edna is not willing to isolate herself from society Chopin describes Reisz as a nonconformist, she still places herself squarely within the mold of society, which can only represent two types of women: the domestic and the hermit In search of freedom Chopin uses the sea as a symbol of freedom in the only freedom Edna can achieve is through her own death. From the beginning of the novel, Chopin describes Leonce's ownership of Edna, as he "looks at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of property" (7). As property, Edna is unable to escape from her husband and society, which represents her lack of freedom. With the dependence she is forced to have on her husband,.