The Awakening (Ch. 10-14)

Edna had been trying to learn how to swim all summer, but had not yet been successful. This time, she tries again and "A feeling of exultation overtook her, as if some power of significant import had been given her soul. She grew daring and reckless, overestimating her strength. She wanted to swim far out, where no woman had swum before." She pushes herself out of her comfort zone, which leads to a moment of panic when she realizes how far out she, even though she really wasn't out that far. Robert walks home with Edna and she tries to describe the emotions she's experiencing.
Mr.Pontellier comes out asks why Edna is not inside and he tries to convince her to go inside, but she doesn't. She would usually follow his requests willingly, but this time is different. Edna is starting to experience an awakening. The narrator says, "She wondered if her husband had ever spoken to her like that before, and if she had submitted to his command. Of course she had; she remembered she had. But she could not realize why or how she should have yielded, feeling as she then did."
Edna meets Mariequita, who has a sense of freedom and vitality based on her physical appearance. She's friends with Robert, but not a member of Creole society. Edna gets jealous. Robert can have Mariequita because she's not a part of Creole society, but he can't have Edna. Robert says he can’t be interested in her, like he's playing Edna and Mariequita against each other. He turns his attention away from Mariequita and back to Edna.
When they return home, Robert says goodnight and Edna mentions that they have been together all day. She feels changed after her day at Grand Isle and she wonders why Robert had left her, not taking into consideration that he might be tired of her after spending the whole day with her. Robert is triggering her awakening and she has never been part of a mutual attraction and this is powerful to her. But it's not just Robert who is triggering her awakening. She's starting to recognize her own interests, such as art and music, that have never been developed.