Finally Edna abandons all the ideals of being a perfect housewife and domestic mother to follow her passions and become an artist. Through these scandalous actions Edna Pontellier charts a path for women to follow in her footsteps towards liberation and individuality. First, Edna frees herself from the rigid patterns of society to find herself, not conforming to the expectations of the men in her life and having the courage to fight for her independence. Throughout the novel, Edna works to find her place in life. The first time Edna begins to “realize her place in the universe as a human being” rather than as her husband's property is during the exposition on Grand Isle, where she spent the summer (17). Although she doesn't fully understand what she feels, she realizes that she doesn't want to be another woman who submits to the power of