growaw Kate Chopins The Awakening - Edna Pontellier’s Awakening :: Chopin Awakening Essays

Ednas Awakening in Kate Chopins The Awakening The society of Grand islet places some(prenominal) expectations on its women to belong to men and be subordinate to their children. Edna Pontelliers society, therefore, abounds with mother-women, who idolized their children, worshipped their husbands, and esteemed it to a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals. The characters of Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz demo what society views as the suitable and unsuitable woman figures. Mademoiselle Ratignolle as the ideal Grand Isle woman, a home-loving mother and a effectual wife, and Mademoiselle Reisz as the old, unmarried, childless, musician who devoted her life to music, rather than a man. Edna oscillates between the two identities until she awakens to the fact that she needs to be an individual, but encounters the resistance of societys standards to her desire. Kate Chopin carefully, though subtly, establishes that Edna does not neglect her children, but only her mother-woman image. Chopin portrays this idea by telling the reader ...Mrs. Pontellier was not a mother-woman. The mother-woman seemed to prevail that summer at Grand Isle. Edna tries on one occasion to explain to Adele how she feels about her children and how she feels about her ego, which greatly differs from the mother-woman image. She says I would give up the unessential I would give my money I would give my life for my children but I wouldnt give myself. I cant make it more clear its only something I am beginning to comprehend, which is revealing itself to me. This specifically contrasts the mother-woman idea of self-sacrificing for your husband and children. Also, the something . . . which is revealing itself does not become completely clear to Edna herself until just before the end, when she does indeed give her life, but not her self for her childrens sake. Although Edna loves her children she does not confuse her own life with theirs. Similarly to E dnas relationship with her children is that with her husband, Leonce. The Grand Isle society defines the role of wife as full devotion towards their husband and to self-sacrafice for your husband. Edna never adhered to the societies definition, even at the beginning of the novel. For example, the other ladies at Grand Isle all declared that Mr.