Internal Conflict In The Life Of Edna

In this book, the audience follows a Victorian Era New Orleans resident, Edna. Nevertheless, throughout the story we see that Edna is struggling between two desires; the desire to be loved and the desire to be free and independent of men. This conflict of desires illuminates the meaning of the work to show that in that time period, a woman’s independence or love both come at a price, and that they were mutually exclusive.

This specific internal conflict is important because it highlights the preconceived notion that a good woman has to have a husband to whom she is loyal and dependent upon. We see this when Leonce hides the fact that Edna had moved by having the house renovated, and when Robert leaves for Mexico to hide the fact that he loved her. Both of these actions were done to try to retain her reputation as a good woman in society. For had she sought true independence, she would be forced to give up her status, family, and several friends who followed the social normalities of what is deemed an appropriate member of that society. On the other side, if she were to seek love, she would be throwing away her morals out the window to be trapped into

In the situation of her following her head, she knows that she would be happy to be independent, but she would make her name deplorable and she herself unsociable, as seen with the treatment of the lonesome widow and Mademoiselle Reisz, both whom were ostracized by many. If she were to pursue love, she is gaining independence from her previous loveless marriage, but falling upon dependency of her new lover, which would make her dissatisfied in the long run. This is significant because it shows the tragic nature of the story, because no matter which way she she turns, there is a possibility for unhappiness, and that she would have to relinquish something because love and freedom are incongruent of one