In The Awakening Kate Chopin makes excellent use of symbolism. Everything she puts into the novel is there for a reason and has a distinct purpose in the development of the story. The various houses that Edna resides, her painting, the sea, and the birds, all have much significance in the Awakening.

The houses in which Edna stay throughout the novel represent her progress as she undergoes her awakening. In the cottage on Grande Isle and the big house in New Orleans Edna is expected to be the perfect "mother woman" and the perfect hostess. While in these houses she stays within the limits of these traditional roles. When Edna stays at Madame Antoine's house a shift begins. It is here that Edna experiences a newfound world of freedom. On the new island Edna can create her own new world and forget about the other people around her...