“I would give up the unessential; I would give up my money, I would give up my life for my children; but I wouldn't give myself. I can't make it more clear; it's only something I am beginning to comprehend, which is revealing itself to me.†― Kate Chopin, The Awakening
The Awakening by Kate Chopin is a landmark story of early feminism and a look at a 19th century woman who struggles to embrace her duties as a wife and mother in the American South. This book is required reading in many high school and college English courses.