Léonce Pontellier plays a critical role in Kate Chopin’s novel “The Awakening.” While it is possible to view him as an oppressor, this would not do justice to the complexities of his personality. Mr. Pontellier’s physical presence in the story decreases as Edna seeks to distance herself further and further from him, but the his effects on her continue to be highly visible. Léonce’s character is significant because he represents someone who has fully bought into the expectations and roles to be played by a man in the Victorian Era, providing contrast to Edna as she rejects those constraints. Léonce is somewhat older than Edna, “A man of forty, of medium height, and rather slender build; he stooped a little” (Chopin, 3) He is dignified, and