The theme of self-discovery in Awakening and A Doll's HouseIn Chopin's Awakening and A Doll's House 'Ibsen, the main characters each experience an awakening. Even though they lead different lives, the respective awakenings of Nora Helmer and Edna Pontellier are caused by similar factors. From the beginning, neither character fits the standard stereotype of women in the society in which they lived. Another factor that influences Nora and Edna's awakenings is their marital relationship. Neither Nora nor Edna are treated equally by their husbands. When every woman realizes that she is unhappy, she understands that she must leave her position and her role in life to find herself fully. Nora and Edna are not perfect models of the late 19th century woman. At that time, women were under the control of either a father or a husband. Every woman was to become a wife and mother. Both Edna and Nora have nurses to care for their children, taking on the role of mother. In The Awakening, Edna is described as a woman who is “not a woman-mother” (Chopin 10). During the summer on Grand Isle, the other mother-wives carefully watch their children, dress them, bathe them, and take care of them. Unlike the others, Edna walks on the beach while her children are protected by their nanny. Edna's feelings toward her children are best described in Chopin's account: “She loved her children in an impulsive and uneven way. She sometimes gathered them passionately against her heart; she sometimes forgot them” (24). Anne-Marie is the nurse who watches over Nora and Torvald's three children. Anne-Marie is more of a mother to the children than Nora. For example, when the... middle of paper ...... announces their respective awakenings. Edna and Nora are not typical 19th century women when it comes to their roles as mothers and wives. They both have marriages in which true love does not exist. Later, each must leave their lives behind to discover the woman hiding inside. Works cited and consulted: Chopin, Kate. Awakening. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. Ed. Nina Baym et al. 2nd ed. Flight. 2. New York: WW Norton & Co., 1985. Durbach, Errol. A Doll's House: Ibsen's Myth of Transformation. Boston: Twayne, 1991. Ewell, Barbara C. Kate Chopin. New York: Ungar, 1986Henrik Ibsen, A Doll's House. Dover Thrift Edition, 1992 Martin, Wendy, ed. "Introduction." New Essays on Awakening. New York, NY: Cambridge UP, 1988. Templeton, Joan. “The Doll House Backlash: Criticism, Feminism, and Ibsen.” PMLA (January 1989): 28-40.