Edna Pontellier Is Not A Good Mother

The Failed Women-hood

Common signs of bad parenting are as follow: abandonment, under involvement, negative attitude, and selfishness. Edna Pontellier was a mother, and wife, in an upper-class family, in the late 1890s. Even with her two children, she was not much of a mother-woman, never doing anything with them and often forgetting about them. She wished for the freedom to find her own identity and path in life that satisfied her as a person. In Kate Chopin’s The Awakening, Edna Pontellier was not a good mother because she often abandoned her children and acted irresponsible and childish. Edna was not a good mother figure because she would often abandon her children and put herself before them. While at Grand Isle, their vacation house that

The first sign of immaturity was the jealousy she admitted about the girl Robert met in Mexico. While in Mexico, Robert receives a beautiful tobacco pouch from a Vera Cruz girl, which Edna immediately starts questioning him about. She wants Robert just for herself, causing her to be incredibly envious and selfish. Even though she had her own children and husband to care about, she was always so obsessed with the other relationships in her life, leaving her absent. In addition, she behaves in an unpredictable and careless way, much like a child would act. Madame Ratignolle, tells her, “In some way you seem to me like a child, Edna. You seem to act without a certain amount of reflection which is necessary in this life” (Choplin 130). Edna was often so self-absorbed that she did not think about the consequences of her actions, resulting in childish decisions. She did not have her priorities straight, her children and husband were the last worries on her mind. Edna was never mature enough to think about the big picture in life, but only the small things that directly affect her. As a mother, Edna should have been blessed to have her children with her happy and healthy. For Edna, “The children appeared before her like little antagonists who had overcome her; who had overpowered and sought to drag her into soul’s slavery for the rest of her days.” (Choplin 155). Edna selfishly showed that having her children was just a burden to the life she longed to have, and the idea of having responsibilities for her family and house is seen as unnecessary. Instead of owning up to her responsibilities, she acts childish and only thinks about what she wants. The pigeon house is one instance where she only thinks about what she wants and not what is best for her family; she removes herself from connections and duties. Edna has character traits that cause her to be an