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Foils In The Awakening

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In literature, characters that are foils contrast with each other, a reader may associate this definition to the relationship between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort in the Harry Potter books because Harry Potter is the protagonist that fights for the sake of the good, whereas Lord Voldemort is the antagonist who tries to impose the darkness across the Harry Potter universe. Foils can be used by the author to create character development in their protagonist, such as in The Awakening, Kate Chopin sets Edna Pontellier and Adéle Ratignolle as foils so that she can develop the plot by illustrating their differences in appearance and character throughout the story. By doing so, Kate Chopin juxtaposes the perfect example of a woman that Adéle represents …show more content…

This scene emulates the height of Edna’s character development because she announces her independence from Léonce and moves out from his house: “There was something in her attitude, in her whole appearance when she leaned her head against the high-backed chair and spread her arms, which suggested the regal woman, the one who rules, who looks on, who stands alone” (120). This passage suggests that Edna has become a ruler of her own, freed from rule by others, from her marriage with Léonce, and from her two children. Her “regal” appearance presents Edna as this monarch that deserves respect for breaking away from the patriarchal society that forces her to be a “mother-woman.” On the other hand, Adéle is not present for this moment, since she is described as “the last degree souffrante and unpresentable” (Chopin 116). Adéle is unwell and unpresentable because Edna is clawing away at the foundation what Adéle represents. Edna is becoming autonomous, and rebelled against Léonce, which is completely opposite to Adéle’s submissiveness and dependence to her family. Furthermore, Edna reached her apex, whereas Adéle is at her lowest in the entire book. This further illustrates Edna’s character development throughout the book because it shows her willingness to separate herself from something that oppresses

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Edna is struggling to choose a identity between a mother, wife, lover etc. She seems to not want to be subject as the possession of anybody. She focuses on independence even denying Robert of her love towards him which if she chose to stay with him, she would be associated with him and therefore labeled. She looks up to Madame Reisz as an independent woman, pursuing her passions and doing as she pleases. "I would give up the unessential; I would give my money, I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn 't give

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As the book travels on Edna defines this role less and less, as well providing several thoughts formally against it. Other characters in the Awakening such as Mademoiselle Reiz, also do not stand well as perfect examples of how 1800th century women were supposed to behave. Adele was written by Chopin as a friend, alone, in concept that she would provide readers with the standard for American women during this era. Adele loves her life and “She is what all women in her society should be like; she puts her husband and children first, centering her life around her family and her domestic duties(Miller).” Adele is also perceived as woman of self-sacrifice showing almost no interest in her own ambitions, or her own cares.

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In the late 1800s society assigned to women a specific role to play. The role included bearing children, caring for them, and honoring their husbands. People saw women who took jobs outside of the home or who never married as deranged. Kate Chopin highlights the female duties of the time in her novel, The Awakening, through the use of foils Edna and Adele. Adele represents the model of how an ideal women of the 19th century should behave and feel.

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"(Chopin 10). Edna does not idolize her children, nor does she worship her husband. In chapter one, she leaves her son alone, sick in bed with a high fever...forgetting to check on him. She also has affairs on Leonce. Edna realizes motherhood and family life is not for her.

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And with Leonce and the children’s absence, Edna branches off even further buying her own house and sustaining herself with a small income from her paintings. This allows Edna to gain even more independence from her household, children, and spouse, to the point that she has gone against the female submission rule in societies conventions. On the other hand, Adele is obedient and submissive to her household, husband, and children, rarely leaving the premise of her house. Because of Adele being the “mother-woman”(p.8) and following societies conventions, she is granted very little freedom as she can’t leave her house because of the duties she is expected to complete on a day to day basis. Adele’s obedience and Edna’s defiance contraste each other, effectively highlighting the themes of female submission and female freedom within the

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