The Awakening starts out in the summer at a summer vacation complex on the beach. Chopin describes the great lengths Edna goes to to learn how to swim-everyone tries to teach her how to swim, without success. Edna feels she can't learn to swim because she is physically incapable of the act and begins to give up. Then one night, she is suddenly able to swim, without anyone saying a word or lifting a finger to help her. After Edna realizes she can swim, she becomes addicted, making it her new favorite pasttime. Even as Edna changes as a person, swimming remains one thing that can keep her happy. This could possibly be explained by saying that her newly acquired ability to swim may have triggered her change in attitude, giving her the confidence she needed to break through the boundaries around her and become her own person.