Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
We think Freud would approve: cigars appear over and over in The Awakening as a symbol of masculinity and traditional manhood. Edna's hubby has a penchant for stogies, smoking them frequently and even flexing his independence by staying behind and smoking when he wife wants him to come in and go to bed:
Edna arose, cramped from lying so long and still in the hammock. She tottered up the steps, clutching feebly at the post before passing into the house.
"Are you coming in, Leonce?" she asked, turning her face toward her husband.
"Yes, dear," he answered, with a glance following a misty puff of smoke. "Just as soon as I have finished my cigar." (11.20 – 11.22)
And the charming Robert isn't immune to the allure of those manly cigars. In the beginning of the novel, we learn he smokes cigarettes because they're cheaper. But after he makes his fortune in Mexico, he's suddenly puffing away like Groucho Marx. This sudden change in smoking habit coincides with his asking Edna to marry him: with a stogie in his mouth, he adopts the behavior and desires of traditional manhood, circa 1890.
It's worth noting that women at the time were encouraged not to smoke—it was seen as unladylike. Interestingly, Kate Chopin herself defied this restriction by smoking often in public. She was ostracized for her behavior.