The Awakening (Ch. 25-29)

Edna goes to the races with Mrs.Highcamp and Arobin. Edna spends some time alone with Arobin and becomes involved with him. He kisses her hand and she "felt somewhat like a woman who in a moment of passion is betrayed into an act of infidelity". She's more concerned about what Robert would think than her husband because she's still in love with him.
Edna decides to move out of her house into the pigeon house because she wants to be free. Another example of bird imagery is when Mademoiselle Reisz puts her arms around Edna to see if her shoulder blades, or wings, are strong. She also admits to Madamoiselle Reisz that she's in love with Robert.
Edna begins to cry after Arobin leaves. She feels guilty about all the material possessions that her husband has provided and realizes she has been irresponsible. However, "There was Robert's reproach making itself felt by a quicker, fiercer, more overpowering love, which had awakened within her toward him." She's been awakened and "she felt as if a mist had been lifted from her eyes, enabling her to look upon and comprehend the significance of life, that monster made up of beauty and brutality." The only regret she feels is that her involvment with Arobin was not because of love.