Edna and Icarus

In ancient Greek mythology, there is a story about a son named Icarus. Icarus’ father, a genius inventor named Daedalus, created to sets of wings made of feather, wood and wax. Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun, but as Icarus was flying, he became to bold. Icarus ignored the warning, his wings melted, and he plummeted to his death.

The story of Edna greatly reminds me of the story of Icarus. While the two stories do not hold the same meaning, Edna also became too bold. In the final scene of the novel, Edna got too far out into the sea and drowned. This scene begins with a: “A bird with a broken wing was beating the air above, reeling, fluttering, circling disabled down, down to the water” (300-301). This quote is what drew me to recall the story of Icarus.

Even though the two stories hold one main similarity, I believe that the author is trying to push an opposite meaning. While both the Greek myth and the story of Edna end in death, Edna’s death feels more as a liberation. Because of this, I believe the author is condoning boldness, unlike the story of Icarus.