Edna's Roles In The Awakening

Because she was drugged during the delivery of both her sons, Edna never truly experienced childbirth. She didn’t realize the overwhelming natural force of bringing a child into the world. When she witnesses the birth of Adele’s child, it is brought to her attention that the female body is designed for childbirth, and she has already committed herself to this purpose by becoming a mother. Her mindset is all wrong for a mother, she sees children as just one more life to populate the world, yet nature has decided that this is her purpose in the world. Edna’s realization about her natural position of woman and mother in combination with the societal position she’s expected to fill drives her to suicide.

Her devotion to piano outweighed her willingness to stay with her family, a quality that few possess. This fifteen-year-old girl was willing to remove herself from her social life, free time activities, and even her family in order to further her piano career and thus earn the coveted respect of her Tante. That requires an immense amount of devotion, likely even more than some adults have. Hannah was so absorbed in her piano studies that “sometimes it seemed that there was nothing else in the world but Tante Rose and me and Tante Rose’s piano” (3). She saw nothing but what was necessary for her goal of becoming a concert pianist.

After being an orphan, Cosette, was raised by Valjean by the demand of her mother. Valjean both helps and hinders Cosette as she blossoms into an adult. Although Valjean raised Cosette to be a respectful and caring young lady, Valjean does not let Cosette go out and see what the entire world has to offer. By shielding Cosette from society, Valjean equally helps and hinders her in many different ways in her adult life. Valjean does not ever give Cosette any time for herself.

A motif that was in infiltrated in the story was the motif of her children. We see multiple perspectives on how children should be raised, or what type of mother a women should be throughout this story, but Edna does not allow others opinions to affect her emotions on the situation. Edna makes it clear that it is not the lack of love she has for her children that causes her actions, but the fear of losing herself. Edna does not want to be seen as “property” of her husband, or a stay at

Edna’s refusal to follow and obey social conventions, allows her to spend her time on painting and sketching. 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.

This novel, The Awakening, is about a woman named Edna Pontellier learns to think of herself as an independent human being. Also, Edna Pontellier refuses to obey against the social norms by leaving her husband Leónce Pontellier and having an affair with Robert Lebrun. Kate Chopin describes societal expectations and the battle of fitting the mold of motherhood in the Awakening by how Edna Pontellier and Adele Ratignolle contribute to their family in different ways. Edna Pontellier’s attitude toward motherhood is that she is not a perfect mother-women. Adele Ratignolle’s attitude toward motherhood is that she is a perfect mother-women.

She admits, “Her marriage to Leonce Pontellier was purely an accident, in this respect resembling many other marriages which masquerade as the decrees of Fate…closing the portals forever behind her upon the realm of romance and dreams” (Chopin 18). In marrying Leonce, Edna abandoned her hopes for love and adventure. Although she thought that she would outgrow her childish desires, Edna still yearned for something more in her life. She did not fit her role as a housewife, “In short, Mrs. Pontellier was not a mother-woman…They were women who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands” (Chopin 10), Edna is not one of them. She is unapologetic when she chooses how to live her life.

Katniss' mother is not accepting the death of her husband by blocking out everyone, which is almost exactly the same response as Geneva to her situation. Both Geneva's and Katniss' mother's responses influence their daughters in ways that they will never forget in their lifetime. Because Geneva is so caught up in her own mess and doesn't recognize reality, a Saranell is deeply

The women go off and marry so they can be free from their parents, but not necessarily free from their husbands. Alicia in Alicia Who Sees Mice dreams of a life not behind a rolling pin that doesn't involve a factory. Alicia with no mother was pushed into the mother scene very young and she simply fears her father as she says on page 31. Yet there is a tone that seems to reveal that this hopeful life isn't as likely as she hopes, but she wouldn't want to live any other way. Sally also shows these same trends of being forced to be a caregiver.

In “A Respectable Woman” by Kate Chopin, Mrs. Baroda struggles with her desires of wanting to be free from her marriage, but she doesn’t want to break society’s role for her. For example, her house guest Gouvernail was sitting next to her alone one night, and “the stronger the impulse grew to bring herself near him, the further. . .did she draw away from him” (Paragraph 27 Chopin). Mrs. Baroda fights with her internal desire of longing to be with him, yet she feels