Why does chopin build a realist novel around a protagonist who cheats on her husband, leaves her children, and ultimately takes her life rather than submit to her prescribed social roles?

Because she wants to question the concept of feminine personality. loss of self, view of womanhood. The novel argues that male-dominated society legitimates the victimization of women, creating a sense of selflesness.

The purpose of her narrative was to show how the traditional role of women was restrictive to their individuality.  

Explanation: In "The Awakening" by Kate Chopin, the boundaries set on women to be good mothers and wives was harmful and required that women sacrificed their own identity in order to meet society's expectations. Instead letting society punish her for not being a true "mother-woman", Mrs. Ponteiller  resorts to taking her own life as a means to gain autonomy.

the answer is d: message a character's thoughts

- "the die is cast; i have consented to return if we are not destroyed. thus are my hopes blasted by cowardice and indecision; i come back ignorant and disappointed. it requires more philosophy than i possess to bear this injustice with patience. i have lost my hopes of utility and glory; i have lost my friend."