In discussing Kate Chopin's novel The Awakening, critic Susan Rosowski classifies the novel as "the novel of awakening" and differentiates it from the bildungsroman , the apprentice novel. , in which the usually male protagonist "learns the nature of the world, discovers its meaning and pattern, and acquires a philosophy of life and 'the art of living'" (Bloom 43). In the coming-of-age novel, the female protagonist similarly discovers the world, but for the heroine the world is defined in terms of love and marriage, and "the art of living" is accompanied by the realization that such art is difficult, if not impossible; the price of art is often a tragic end. Rosowski calls this feminine awakening “an awakening to the limits” (Bloom 43). Rosowski's reading of the novel emphasizes the role that gender plays in shaping a masculine versus a feminine narrative. If it is interpreted as a suicide, Edna Pontellier's last swim is the consequence of her awareness of the limits of her femininity in a society dominated by men. But on a metaphysical level, particularly from a Buddhist perspective, the final scene of The Awakening can be seen as Edna's final gesture in attempting to grasp the essence of her being. In my research, I found nothing linking Buddhism to Enlightenment. There are, however, some things written about the book based on Christian theology. The criticism is that Kate Chopin's novel glorifies extramarital sex, relegates humans to amoral animals, and generally denies the supreme importance of the role of Christian doctrines in one's life. While I shook my head at the idea that religion can be taken so seriously that literature is only seen in the narrow light that a god casts... middle of paper ..., and first reincarnation . It is as if Edna is retracing her reincarnations to return to the empty space from which her first attachments came and were created. Thus we come to the end of Edna's spiritual journey. Works Cited Bercholz, Samuel and Shearb Chödzin Kohn, ed. Getting into the Flow: An Introduction to the Buddha and His Teachings. Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc., 1993. Bloom, Harold, ed. Kate Chopin. Modern critical views. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987. Chopin, Kate. Awakening and selected stories. New York: Penguin Books, 1986. “Nature.” The New Shorter Oxford English Dictionary. 1993 ed. Saddhatissa, Hammalawa. Buddhist ethics: the path to nirvana. London: Wisdom Publications, 1987. Schuhmacher, Stephan et al., eds. The Encyclopedia of Oriental Philosophy and Religion. Boston: Shambhala Publications, Inc..., 1989.