Machiavelli, a firm believer that man is inherently evil, once wrote, "Everyone may begin a war at his pleasure, but cannot so finish it." Had The Awakening been written in the time of Machiavelli, the political genius would have found his prime subject in the form of Mrs. Edna Pontellier. As the book progresses, Edna becomes deeply entangled in a forbidden relationship, which contributes to her awkward character change, and she is affected constantly by her fellow peers.
Robert Lebrun begins the novel as a friend and a daily acquaintance of Mrs. Pontellier. Upon his sudden departure, the…
