What are the main conflicts in The Awakening by Kate Chopin?

I think that the main conflict in this story, in relation to Edna, is external rather than internal. The whole point of the story is that she has begun to 'awaken', to become dissatisfied with her life so that she starts taking steps to remedy the situation, as she sees it. She is not really in conflict with herself but with others, with society at large. She may often feel and act vaguely, she may not have a clear view of what exactly she should be doing, but this does not spring from internal conflict or confusion. From early in the novel she has decided she doesn't want to fit in with society's expectations of her as a wife and mother any more. Therefore, her external conflict with the societal roles thrust upon her becomes the most important.To sum up, she wants to be her own person entirely and this, in the end, leads to her committing suicide, because she finds it is impossible to live the life of pure independence that she craves.

Another conflict in the novel is embodied in Mme Reisz: the conflict between art and convention. Mme Reisz, who appears as a rather lonely, embittered, and unglamorous figure, disdains society, ordinary life, and love as she pursues her artistic ideals of self-expression to the utmost. Edna is beguiled by her example for a time, but ultimately finds this path unsatisfying also. Edna does not want to dedicate herself exclusively to art any more than she wants to lavish her entire being on her husband and children (as Adele Ratignolle does). She wants to commit only to herself.