Edna Pontellier's Dichotomy

Kate Chopin’s The Awakening takes places in the social world of New Orleans, in the 19th century, were the notion of motherhood and femininity was controlled and enforced fiercely. Women could not own property, vote or work. The only use society had for them was to stay at home and take care of their husbands and children. Motherhood is displayed through three characters in the novel: Adele Ratignolle who is the symbol of The Angel in the House or the mother woman, Mademoiselle Reisz who although physically old represents the new woman, and Edna Pontellier who is stuck in between motherhood and her thirst for independence.

There is an interesting dichotomy between Edna Pontellier, the woman who feels deprived and repressed and Adele Ratignolle

She found a way to exist outside of the roles society had sets for her. In addition, Mademoiselle Reisz is not shy or bubbly, but is rather unpleasant. For all these reasons, Edna finds herself drawn to her, the old independent musician. She is the only character in the novel who seems to understand what Edna is trying to accomplish, because she was also a woman of the creole’s society after all, and had already chosen a path of her own "...when I left her today, she put her arms around me and felt my shoulder blades, to see if my wings were strong enough she said. 'The bird that would soar above the level of plain tradition and prejudice must have strong wings'" (Chopin 83), by saying that Mlle Reisz gave Edna a hidden warning about what will be to come. Both women have similarities through their desire to free themselves from the chains of their narrow-minded society, however one crucial distinction between the two women is that contrary to Edna, Mlle Reisz never married and never had children. This distinction made things much challenging for Edna who could never completely relate to the decisions and challenges faced by the older lady. Edna ended up taking her own life as a final gesture towards gaining her own independence and preserving her essence in a society in which she was unable to find her true