The seeming vs. being dilemma present in The Awakening involves a couple of characters who feel forced to see, something they're not in order to prevent rejection and cirticism from society.
The sardonic relationship between Robert and Mrs. Ratignolle is a clear demonstration of how Robert is, or was, actually in love of Adele, but his constant declarations and claims for love trascend the boundary of reality and exaggeration. The violation of this limit is perceived by Edna as the following:
She never knew precisely what to make of it; at that moment it was imposible for her to guess how much of it was jest and what proportion was earnest..." (pg. 31)
A deeper example of seeming vs. being is Edna's relationship with Mr. Pontellier and her status as a mother-woman. Even though society expects her to be devoted entirely to her children and husband, Edna is aware that her sole purpose in that is different from that, hence she feels frustrated and impotent when restrained to it. In this aspect, Adele Ratignolle serves as a foil de Edna Pontellier since she fits perfectly the profile of a mother-woman, as established on page 21.
The effects of Edna's struggles for covering her identity are evident on the following page when she leaves the house and bursts down into tears in the middle of the night. This is not the first time it occurs, and Chopin uses this constant explotion of feeling to show the risks and dangers of oppressing oneself.
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