Who Is Alcee Arobin In The Awakening

The novella The Awakening tells the story of a women, Edna, realizing her independence as a women. Over the course of a summer on La Grande Isla during the late 1800s, Edna falls in love with Robert Lebrun. Robert is responsible for her awakening but he suddenly leaves to Mexico. This bothers Edna and she finds someone else, besides her husband Leonce, to continue her independence needs. She meets Alceé Arobin and the two have an unorthodox relationship. Alcee has a reputation to have been with lots of women in the town. Alcee flirts and uses his charming ways to make Edna like him and is also kind of obsessed with her. The character Alcee is introduced while Edna is at Grande Isla but Edna doesn't show interest in him until they go to the horse races in New Orleans together. He has a reputation for being a familiar figure at the races. He is known for being with many women and his charm helps him do it. “Her talk grew familiar and confidential. It was no labor to become intimate with Arobin. His manner invited easy confidence”(Chopin 82). While at Edna’s house, Edna starts becoming intimate with Arobin because of the confidence that he gives her. It is easy for her because she has already underwent her

“‘Don’t. What’s the use? Why should you bother thinking about it when I can tell you what manner of women you are.” His fingers strayed occasionally down to her warm, smooth cheeks and firm chin, which was growing a little full and double,’(90). He uses is touch as a way of flirting with Edna and she likes it. He feels like he understands her and the type of women she is because of the relationship that they have. “They continued silently to look into each other's eyes. When he leaned forward and kissed her, she clasped his head, holding his lips to hers,”(91). The constant flirting causes the first kiss to happen between the two. Alcees many days of flirting with her have finally payed