CHAPTER 10

Summary

At the beach, Robert stays away from Edna.

Edna is still hesitant to join the others in the sea, but suddenly she feels full of confidence and soon she is able to swim freely. She decides to see how far she can swim out from the shore, but after a while, she becomes fearful that she will not have enough strength to return. Exhausted, she makes it back to the shore and immediately decides to dress and walk back to her cottage.

Edna feels inspired by the emotions and experiences she has enjoyed this day.

Robert runs after her and tells her that he understands how she feels. He stays with Edna until her husband returns.

Interpretation

"I wonder if any night on earth will ever again be like this one. It is like a night in a dream."

Edna's lack of fear about the water appears to be the first stage in her awakening. She enters the sea as an apprehensive wife and leaves it as a confident individual. Her confidence is such that she decides to walk home alone to her cottage, and although Robert offers to escort her, she tells him she is not frightened to walk alone.