Complex sentence: He becomes genuinely confused at his wife's gradual desire for emancipation, as it goes against all the social conventions of the time, and his absence on an extended business trip to New York City provides Edna the room to reconsider her situation.
Split into simpler sentences: He becomes genuinely confused at his wife's gradual desire for emancipation, which goes against all the social conventions of the time. His absence on an extended business trip to New York City provides Edna the room to reconsider her situation.