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Edna Pontellier's Expectations Of Women In The Awakening

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In the Awakening Edna Pontellier was an unstable character, she upsets the expectations of the nineteen century women’s role. Chopin focuses on two females that influence Edna`s life and help her in what we see are her awakenings Both of these characters will represent the role of women’s in the nineteen century. Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz are the examples that the men around Edna contrast her with and who they obtain their expectations for her. Edna begins to see that the life of freedom and individuality that she wants goes against both society and nature. She cannot free herself not even through suicide. From these two women’s Edna awakens and feels and understands the women or motherhood image she just does not see the male figure. Both of these characters will represent the role of women’s in the nineteen century.

The Awakening is a novel that brought Kate Chopin, although not during her life time, the fame of an advocate of women’s rights (Wolff 449). THESIS STATEMENT: In The Awakening, Edna’s …show more content…

Musical strains, well rendered, had a way of evoking pictures in her mind.” This quote Chopin states in page 26 shows how Mademoiselle Reisz not only showed Edna values of being an artist but also made Edna`s inside passion, shows how it makes Edna think more than she used to, which show that she control`s Ednas life through music. As Showalter states in page 316 “Chopin becomes the code word for a world of repressed passion between Edna and Robert that Mademoiselle Reisz controls.” This statement is very strong it agains shows that Mademoiselle Reisz is just a motherhood role for Edna which is trying to guide her in a path of her own and it has influence in Edna and Robert. Also showing that is Chopin showing her way of thinking using Reisz as a voice to talk for herself. Also let us know the view she has for the arts. Chopin is showing us the differences of mothehood that is in Ednas

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The most rewarding attributes of this experience for Edna would be the feeling of satisfaction of conquering something in a world where woman are seen as nothing; much like a child’s excitement at their newly gained knowledge. In Chopin’s own word she describes “A feeling of exultation overtook her as if some power of significant import had been given her to control the working of her body and her soul” (page27). Although she is not ashamed of who she is becoming there is still a need to hide which is greatly caused by her surroundings. This can be seen when Edna takes her turn reading a shared book that has been passed around the cottages. Reading this book left her wonderstruck

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Edna from Kate Chopin’s “The Awakening” can be perceived as morally ambiguous because of her affiliations with other men, and role-defying actions; however, both contribute to “The Awakening” as a whole. Due to Edna being romantically involved with Robert, she can be perceived as morally

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Mother and wife are also not her will; she feels restrained and loses her liberty of being that. After she heard the playing from Adele, she feels the solitude and loneliness, it seems same as her position in this era, no one understands her and feels depress toward the people, the family she encountered. On the contrary, she is touched after hearing the pianist Mademoiselle Reisz plays. It is full of power and passion, and Mademoiselle is a woman that she wants to be, independent with alternative performance in this society, she is separated and not the one of them. Edna wants to know more about her and try to be like her, but the most essential element that a independent artist should has is bravery, this is what the pianist told Edna.

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In The Awakening, Edna represents desire, impulse, and rebellion. While Adele represents the socially accepted woman, she is submissive, obedient, and a homemaker. This drastic contrast facilitates Chopin's emphasis on Edna’s rebellion, and how drastic it was for the time period. “Edna's experience of self-discovery, "tangled" and chaotic and therefore "vague" or hard for her to comprehend, touches upon a core issue, of individual variation and the uncertainty involved in its creation, expression, and consequences.” (Glendening).

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Within the novel, The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Madame Ratignolle’s character possesses traits that emphasize, by contrast the characteristics and behavior of Edna Pontellier. Despite being close friends within the novel, Adele and Edna have contrasting views and behaviors that illuminate the theme of female freedom and the tradition of female submission and male domination. Madame Ratignolle and Edna Pontellier are close friends, but their views toward raising children differ fundamentally. Madame Ratignolle would sacrifice her identity to devote herself entirely to her children, household, and husband, whereas Edna would not. Besides their views towards raising children, how they raise their children also differs.

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