The Awakening - Alternate Ending

A Story by joeyd219

In the book The Awakening, Edna is a feminist who commits suicide (through drowning) because she refuses to be controlled by anyone. In this ending, Edna finds a way to escape her controller's grasp.

"The children appeared before her like antagonists who had overcome her; who had overpowered and sought to drag her into the soul’s slavery for the rest of her days. But she knew a way to elude them. She was not thinking of these things when she walked down to the beach.”

“Vous voyez enfin, vous voyez vous!

Vous voyez enfin, vous voyez vous!”

The song of the birds overpowered the atmosphere inside the church. The majority gave little attention; even if they paid mind to the message, the language would escape them. It is not that they are ignorant, but that they are bred so that the tune will not ring in their ears.

The funeral proceeded as any other would. Some tears were shed, though not an inordinate amount. Leoncé, though distant from his spouse in the end, gave a eulogy as moving as his heart would allow for. He described her as a fantastic nurturer, who gave herself wholeheartedly to her husband and children. There was no mention- though it was on the minds of all but one- of Edna’s deteriorating mental health in her later years. It was well documented that the poor woman had delusions about a utopian society, causing her to feel disdain for the reality around her. Although the drowning was of course an accident, some were led to wonder if these delusions led to her eventual demise.

Sitting in the back row of the church was a woman who bore a striking resemblance to the woman being kissed goodbye. She looked remarkably beautiful in her gown which displayed well-toned arms and legs. Her hair flowed majestically as though not constrained by earthly laws, and her eyes twinkled as though they were shone upon by angels. Though she wore no guise, no one seemed to notice this woman who looked so remarkably like Edna. Of course, this woman is not the woman who wandered into the sea. This woman, who left in a cursory manner as quickly as she came- stopping by the holy water as she did so- is much stronger and more aware than the one being mourned.

Leoncé remarried quickly enough after the tragic loss. His new wife, Virginia, is beloved equally by him and his children. She, too, seems to be happy in this lifestyle. It is an enigma to her why someone was so unhappy with this life; though, she is quickly reminded that the woman was mentally unstable. Robert returned to his habits with women, as did Alcée, though neither ever pursued another woman with any degree of seriousness. Life had regained it’s normal routine within time. Edna’s grave was adorned in no special manner, and her memory soon faded. The mysterious woman in the back of the church, however, proved silently that no building is inescapable if the victim retains the will to change or leave the infrastructure which leaves instruction useless.