Throughout history, both men and women have struggled trying to achieve unattainable goals in the face of close-minded societies. Authors have often used this theme to develop stories of characters that face obstacles and are sometimes unable to overcome the stigma that is attached to them. This inability to rise above prejudice is many times illustrated with the metaphor of hunger. Not only do people suffer from physical hunger, but they also suffer from spiritual hunger: a need to be full of life. When this spiritual hunger is not satisfied, it can destroy a life, just as physical hunger can kill as well.

Characters such as Edna Pontellier of Kate Chopin's The Awakening, Hugh Wolfe of Rebecca Harding Davis' Life in the Iron Mills, Jane Eyre of Charlotte Bronte's novel, and the woman being force fed in Djuna Barnes' How It Feels to Be Forcibly Fed all suffer from an insatiable hunger, which, in most cases, ultimately is not fulfilled. Poets such as Anna Wickham also describe the plight of humanity using hunger as a means to illustrate the feeling of deprivation. Although all of these characters come from different walks of life, they share a common struggle. Edna belongs to u

Later on in the novel, when Robert tells of his plans to move to Mexico, Edna quickly loses her appetite during dinner. The same person, who had inspired hunger in her, was disappointing her with the news of his departure. She was no longer able to eat, because nothing could satisfy the void she would feel as a result of Robert's absence.

Later in the story, Hugh was confronted with a moral dilemma. Deborah had stolen a man's wallet and had given it to Hugh, allowing him to escape. As Hugh held the money in his hands, he still felt "mad with hunger" (935). He did not know life outside the iron mills, and this opportunity to break away from that was overwhelming. He wanted so badly to leave, but knew not what to do or how to do it. Also, the idea that his only means of escape was achieved by stealing made his escape all the more difficult.

Robert was not the only person in Edna's life whom she often longed for. When she was left home alone in New Orleans, without her children, she became "hungry for them" (1067). When she finally went to visit them in Iberville, "she looked into their faces with hungry eyes that could not be satisfied with looking" (1085). Their presence was not enough to appease her, nor would it ever be. She loved them dearly, yet could not be the ideal mother she knew they deserved. Although she missed them when they were away, she was filled with satisfaction when she realized she was alone for the first time. She described the feeling as being "delicious" (1068). Suddenly, everything she did was new and interesting, the food she ate was "delicious," and she felt at home.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1865
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)