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…showed last 75 words of 980 total…life. Through this ending, Chopin adds a new element to the novel that deepens its meaning, realism. The reality of Edna's situation sets in when she cannot escape the restraint that her society has on her. With this ending Chopin's novel moves from an inspirational story, rousing its readers to "wake up" to their true selves, to a social commentary, criticizing societies and cultures that don't allow people, and more specifically, women, to do this.