In Kate Chopin's The Awakening, the protagonist, Edna Pontellier, longs for something more. She wants a freedom from gender roles that, at the turn of the century, was not socially acceptable. She can earn money by selling her artwork, but can never be truly financially independant. If Edna lived today, she would be free to choose to have a career or a family. Many women in this day even manage to have both. Even as women with families, they manage to retain their own identities.