Part one of term paper
What is suicide? "(Suicide is) the act of self-destruction by a person sound in mind and capable of measuring his (or her) moral responsibility" (Webster 1705). "No one really knows why human beings commit suicide. Indeed, the very person who takes his (or her) own life may be least aware at the moment of decision of the essence of his (or ...

Part two of term paper
... of themes of The Awakening. The possibility of suicide and even the idea of death darkens the story, making Edna's emotional ups and downs dangerous - her occasional misery leads her to subconsciously think of suicide. She holds the hopelessness at bay by moving out and getting her own apartment, while trying to find a man who will accept her, but in the end she succumbs. Edna's closest physical brush with death occurs one night at the beach, when the summer residents decide to take a midnight s ...