The social norm tells her that she should be a dutiful wife and mother. This isn't what he wants. He longs for happiness, without really knowing what happiness is or where it comes from. His identity is lost. She was her father's daughter, her husband's wife, and the mother of his children. There was no room for the real Edna Pontellier to shine through. She may have been happy with this situation until Robert Lebrun won her heart. It made Edna want to be herself. He realized that he had passions outside the walls of his family, however he felt that these passions had come too late. She was torn between the life she was used to and the life she wanted to live. This confusion eventually leads to her