Parenting In Kate Chopin's The Awakening

When a woman becomes a mother she is obligated to convey her definite love and support towards her children. In Kate Chopin’s novel, The Awakening, Edna Pontellier, a wife and mother of two, lives in New Orleans during the late 1800s. Edna is very different compared to the other married mothers in New Orleans due to her inability to satisfy society's standards of motherhood. Edna commits a disloyal act of performing adultery against her husband which goes against all of the traditional societal moralities. Edna strongly believes in freedom and affection, regardless, Edna’s mothering style is bad due to how she views her children negatively and her inability to prioritize her children’s needs by neglect and abandonment. Edna’s mothering style

Another mother in the neighborhood, Madame Ratignolle, speaks with Edna about what the standards are for mothers and married women during this time. Madame Ratignolle believes Edna is “not a mother-woman [because] … they [are] women who idolize their children” (Chopin 10). Edna’s poor mothering is very noticeable to those around, especially Madame Ratignolle. Edna begins disagreeing with Adele, another mother in the neighborhood, and explains she would give up her unwanteds but not sacrifice herself for her children. When Edna says this about her children proves she would instantly prioritize herself over her children if it came down to it. Any mother is meant to help and support their children before themselves or other concerns. Soon, everything becomes too much for Edna to handle and she decides to take her life. Edna “want[s] to swim far out, where no woman ha[s] swum before” hoping she would not arrive back on the shore (Chopin 37). When Edna leaves the world, she also leaves her children with no mother to look up to. Edna has a few mental concerns, but decides to take her life instead of trying to become stronger for her children. Although Edna is located in a place where you cannot express independence freely, she is still defined as a bad mother due to her incapability to prioritize her children