Edna Pontellier's Role In The Awakening

In her late 19th century novel, “The Awakening”, author Kate Chopin asserts that traditionalist attitudes about motherhood and “The Cult of Domesticity” ideology restricted the lives of then modern women, prohibiting their freedom of expression and self-actualization. She reinforces this claim by chronicling the life of Edna Pontellier, a typical Victorian housewife, whose views of her position in society begin to transform when she falls in love with the handsome Robert LeBrun while vacationing in Grand Isle. As Robert departs for Mexico, she begins to question her loyalty to her husband and children, and eventually moves into her own house, begins drawing and painting, and commences a purely physical affair with local wife-seducer Alcée Arobin.

By detailing protagonist Edna Pontellier’s journey from devoted housewife to unbridled individual, Chopin purposes to outline the limits that Victorian society set on women, creating one of the earliest landmark feminist works, though it was widely seen as controversial at the time. Using a realistic tone, detailed illustrations of traditional society and culture, complex and dynamic relationships between characters, and the internal conflict of Edna Pontellier, the novel exposes the improper treatment of women in the 19th century, and even in the modern era.
The realistic and naturalistic tone of the novel conveys a sense of openness and honesty in order to validate the author’s claim; the verisimilitude of the plot reinforces that the flaws in Victorian society are real and prevalent. Chopin constructs characters and settings that a large portion of her audience can identify with, as the story centers around a middle class family living in the American south. As in most familial environments, the father is regularly preoccupied with his business, and, when he is not, dotes on his wife for her service and obedience. The mother is expected to care for her children and be loyal to her family. Similarly, the plot centers around the universal themes of love and loyalty, and each character exhibits typical human flaws, as opposed to the heroic and virtuous personalities detailed in many classic epics. On a smaller scale, Chopin uses her diction to create a sense of realism by detailing not only the overarching concepts of each scene, but the actual tangible imagery in order to create this sense of realism. She describes the objective appearance rather than the emotions attached to it, offering the reader a chance to draw their own conclusion from the facts presented (a hallmark characteristic of realism). One of the most significant is her detailing of the protagonist: “Mrs. Pontellier's eyes were quick and bright; they were a yellowish brown, about the color of her hair... Her eyebrows were a shade darker than her hair. They were thick and almost horizontal, emphasizing the depth of her eyes. She was rather handsome than beautiful. Her face was captivating by reason of a certain frankness of expression and a contradictory subtle play of features. Her manner was engaging.” (Page 7). This description is able to simultaneously illustrate the appearance of the main character (as somewhat plain) and portray subtly hints as to her personality; bright yet deep-set eyes that indicate alertness and curiosity contrasted with wisdom and introspection, handsomeness and frankness to portray her serious and slightly unorthodox nature. All of these details about Edna family life and her as an individual serve to enhance the believability that this woman and her family indeed could have existed, and the struggles that Edna faced were perfectly present and valid.
Chopin meticulously illustrates the details of this traditionalist society in order to intensify the genuine quality of the novel. She emphasizes key characteristics of the culture (the tendency for summer vacations filled with afternoon teas, balls dances and other social events, the expectancy for the women to visit solely each other to make casual conversation, the duties of the mother as caretaker and guardian, etc.) in order to indicate that Edna Pontellier is the only Victorian housewife, hypothetically or actually, who might become confined within the limits standard etiquette. Chopin also uses Madame Adèle Ratignolle as a stark contrast to Edna’s discomfort, the former being the quintessential Victorian woman, wife, and mother, in order to fully embody these accepted attributed and further physicalize the conflict between Edna and society. Chopin describes women like Madame Ratignolle as “motherwomen” who “seemed to prevail that summer at Grand Isle. It was easy to know them, fluttering about with extended, protecting wings when any harm, real or imaginary, threatened their precious brood. They were women who idolized their children, worshiped their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow wings as ministering angels.” (Page 10). Her characterization of these women not only emphasizes the near ridiculousness of societal standards but ties them in with religious culture as well. She describes the women as overprotective angels, using diction such as “fluttering” to almost affect an air of absurdity and words such as “idolized” and “worshipped” to convey the fact that themselves and society perceived the “motherwoman” to be inferior to the husband and child.In this fashion, Chopin accuratly depicts the values of Victorian society whilst making a mockery out of the unrealistic ideals and expectations of the mother.
Not only does Chopin’s tone and diction function as a device to ridicule Victorian ideals, but the relationship between the characters purposes to illustrate the conflict between society and women.

Each character’s role can be broken down into a basic archetype: Edna Pontellier represents the standard “every(wo)man” housewife whereas Adèle Ratignolle represents the innocent and immaculate facsimile of a Victorian woman, wife, mother, and caretaker of all. Mademoiselle Reisz represents Edna’s mentor and an image of what Edna might have become had she remained unbridled and independent, while Robert Lebrun represents temptation and the lover she could have had, both characters serving to catalyse Edna’s awakening. As Edna’s attitudes towards each character metamorphose throughout the novel, her perspectives towards, society, her desires, and herself as an individual transform accordingly: Edna begins as a close friend to Madame Ratignolle and adheres to societal standards regarding fidelity and loyalty to her husband and family. As she begins to develop feeling for Robert Lebrun, she starts to value her desires more than that which society expects from her, regularly visiting Robert even whilst society dictates that this is unacceptable for a married lady. When Robert departs for Mexico, she begins calling upon Mademoiselle Reisz; these visits catalyze the formation of a more independent self, as Edna takes up residence in a home separate from her husband’s and begins

painting and sketching. Through this we might conclude that each of these characters symbolises Edna’s valued principles: Madame Ratignolle represents Victorian society, Robert Lebrun represents sexual desire (which purposes to bridge the gap between society and self), and Mademoiselle Reisz represents self-actualization and expression. This is the struggle that most married or unmarried women face not only in the era in which Chopin wrote the novel, but in the modern era as well. Directly after she moves into the “Pigeon House”, the compact house down the street from her husband’s, Edna remarks that “There was with her a feeling of having descended in the social scale, with a corresponding sense of having risen in the spiritual. Every step which she took toward relieving herself from obligations added to her strength and expansion as an individual.” (Page 77) Not only does this signify that growing closer to Mademoiselle Reisz has strengthened Edna’s sense of self, but also indicates that Edna’s separation from her husband has increased her independence as well as overall satisfaction in life.
However, Edna’s conflict is not solely between her and the characters who represent society and self.

She must debate herself internally in order to ultimately decide whether the prosperity of her social status and security or well-being of her mind and body should triumph (this struggle eventually leads to her demise). She must constantly battle the “ennui” of her everyday life, and sometimes crippling depression that accompanied it, or relinquish her self restraint to be shunned by neighbors and even friends. Thus her environment certainly propels her internal conflict, though she, herself, is the driving force. Chopin clearly illustrates the effects of this struggle, characterizing Edna’s habits and moods in stark contrast to each other, almost affecting a bipolar tendency: First it is said that “there were days when she was unhappy, she did not know why —when it did not seem worth while to be glad or sorry, to be alive or dead; when life appeared to her like a grotesque pandemonium and humanity like worms struggling blindly toward inevitable annihilation. She could not work on such a day.” (Page 49), and then soon after remarks that she “seemed palpitant with the forces of life. Her speech was warm and energetic. There was no repression in her glance or gesture...some beautiful, sleek animal waking up in the sun.” (Page 59). This detailing of changes in mood emphasizes and illustrates the effect that the limits of society were having on Edna’s emotional and mental

state, almost affecting an air of insanity. The constant conflict within Edna’s mind highlights the ill effect of Victorian society on the woman psyche.
The essence and purpose of Kate Chopin’s classic feminist novel, “The Awakening”, is to criticize the restraints that Victorian society, and society in general, places on women as individuals, and using the struggles of an ordinary housewife to find any inkling of satisfaction in her monotonous life, she executes her purpose quite effectively. Chopin details the unrealistic expectations of mothers to devote their entire lives to their children and husbands with no regard to their own happiness using objective diction to convey a sense of verisimilitude; she employs symbolism in characters that represent the society, the self, and individual desires, all to fuel the raging internal conflict of the protagonist. This limitation of self expression is still a prevalent issue in modern society (though not as prevalent), and the questions raised in Chopin’s novel still carry relevance in today’s society: What should be expected from a woman by society, if anything? Can a woman truly be happy with themselves if they also seek to fulfill cultural expectations? However, though the story seems heavily focused on feminine injustices, Chopin’s predominant moral is applicable to everyone, no matter their age, sex, gender, or sexual orientation: Chopin’s most significant message to the audience is that you can not achieve personal happiness unless you are able to realize your “position in the universe as a human being” and to recognize your “relations as an individual to the world within and about” you.