Read the excerpt from chapter 39 of the awakening.
how strange and awful it seemed to stand naked under the sky! how delicious! she felt like some new-born creature, opening its eyes in a familiar world that it had never known. which best describes the thematic significance of the excerpt?

the clothes represent edna’s love for robert; she discards them along with her lover.

nature is calling edna into the sea; therefore, she must discard all human-made confinements.

edna is returning back to a stage of infancy; she is naked and innocent as a newborn.

by discarding her clothes, she is rejecting victorian convention; thus she is finally free.

The best option is letter D) By discarding her clothes, she is rejecting Victorian convention; thus she is finally free.

Explanation:

"The Awakening" is a book by author Kate Chopin. The main character is a wealthy woman, Edna, who's married and has two children. The story begins in the late 1800's, during the Victorian Era. Edna is still attached to her marriage and social conventions. However, as she meets and gets involved with different people, she awakens a necessity for freedom and true happiness.

Chapter 39 is the book's final chapter. Edna realizes that the people she loved may have been important in her life, but had no claim over her. She has already gone through a painful but beautiful process of individuation, letting go of societal shackles. She separated from her husband, had a lover, went back to painting, moved to a simple and small house. She did find some real-life inspiration in the process, other women who had chosen the same road for enlightenment. Still, her loved ones were unable to understand her needs. When Edna stands naked at the beach, she is finally free from them - people, conventions, expectations. Clothes were the last symbol of imprisonment for her; all else had been let go already. As she enters the ocean and swims, she feels exhausted. It is unclear if she drowns or not but, if she does, it is the final act of liberty for her.