In this quote, Chopin uses flashback to show how secluded women were during the period of oppression. The use of flashback shows how Edna suffered even as an innocent child with masking her true identity to please society's expectations, which emphasizes how harsh conditions were for women. The theme of identity is clearly revealed through the contrast of the “outward existence which conforms,” and the “inward life which questions.” These two separate lives foreshadow Edna's driving conflict throughout the novel, which is finding one's true identity through self expression. Edna was forced to live her “own small life all within herself,” because when she would express herself, the people around her would make her stop, thus resulting in isolation from the world. This separate life was vital to the well being of women, because it was the only possession they had that could not be controlled by other people. With the use of foreshadowing, the audience is able to see how Chopin feels that women are silenced and forced to “conform” to the gender barriers that are set up by the men in charge of the government. Chopin uses foreshadowing to make the audience question the concept of a “dual life” and empathize with Edna's never ending oppression.