Edna Pontellier In The Awakening: Adele Ratignolle And Mademoiselle Reisz

Edna Pontellier in the Awakening represents a woman who stands out from her comfort zone and awakes to realize she is not happy with what everybody else believed was correct or acceptable for society . In this journey of discovering her individualism and independency two important persons helped her to shape this new concept about life; Adele Ratignolle and mademoiselle Reisz. The close relationship that Edna formed with these two women is the key to her awakening. The nineteen century’s women considered friendship as a very important aspect of their lives. The Smith-Rosenberg describe in her article how important was the bond that women created between them and how intimated they were. We can say that Edna and her friends shared

Mademoiselle not just was a talent pianist, but she represents the person that Edna would like to become late on in her life. Mrs. Reisz is a person devoted only to her music. She was not a married woman, therefore did not any children. Edna seem in Mrs. Reisz that independent person that she wanted to be, and she found in her that support that she did not find in Adele. Mademoiselle encouraged Edna to fight for her freedom and share with Edna her most intimate secret. When Robert departure to Mexico, Mademoiselle was who keep Edna informed about Robert’s feelings for her. In those difficult moments Edna found comfort in Mademoiselle as this quote shows “It was written about you, not to you. `Have you seen Mrs. Pontellier? How is she looking?’ he asks. ‘As Mrs. Pontellier says or as Mrs. Pontellier once said.’ ‘If Mrs. Pontellier should call upon you, play for her that Impromptu of Chopin’s, my favorite. I heard it here a day or two ago, but not as you play it. I should like to know how it affects her,’ and so on, as if he supposed we were constantly in each other’s society

Women in the nineteen century were supposed to be obedient and virtuous. In order to be virtuous, they need to be married and devoted to their husbands and children. These are the reasons why Mademoiselle was not accepted by society. Mademoiselle was the opposed to a virtuous woman, in fact she was an isolated person as we can see reflected in the following quote “I sometimes thought: `She will never come. She promised as those women in society always do, without meaning it. She will not come.’ For I really don’t believe you like me, Mrs. Pontellier (Shopin).” She is evidently surprised about the fact that Edna was actually visiting her and wanted to see her. I believe that the desolation these two women felt was the primary reason for the connection. Edna did not have a very deep relationship with Mademoiselle as she did with Adele, but created a special bond with Mademoiselle. It is evident that the relationship with Mademoiselle pleased Edna and helped to create her new concept of