Essay On Edna Pontellier In The Awakening

In the deep abyss of Kate Chopin’s mind, Edna Pontellier was created. In Chopin’s story, The Awakening, Edna is a married mother of the late 1800s who goes through a series of events that lead up to her final decision; she had a husband who cared for her but was vigilant of her actions, children that did as they pleased because she was carefree, and friends who supported her throughout the whole ordeal by being by her side and trying to understand her standpoint on life. She has a turbulence of emotions throughout the book; she struggles with who she is, what her purpose is, and why she is the way she is.“Self-Reliance” demonstrates the turbulence Enda has found herself on through Emerson’s transcendentalist points of nature. “Self-Reliance”

is an essay of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s thoughts and his notion of the importance of an individual and independent thinking. Emerson’s “Self-Reliance” reflects on Edna’s thinking by stating that you need to listen to yourself, trust yourself, be unique, and come to the realization that only you can make your own satisfaction.
Ralph Waldo Emerson emphasizes that one should listen to themselves and not pay heed to other’s thoughts. “What I must do is all that concerns me, not what the other people think,” (Emerson; Paragraph 4, line 30-31). Emerson’s whole crux of the paragraph is to not let others influence your decisions because you should listen to yourself and to what your heart and mind wants and follow it wholeheartedly. Edna does follow this principle, she begins this nearing the middle of her ordeal, “... she entertained the conviction that she had a right to them and they one one but herself,” (Chopin; page 46). This is when Edna begins to feel deep emotions and starts making decisions that shape the rest of her life by listening to herself wholeheartedly, whether it be good or bad causatum. Edna is conflicted with her thoughts and feelings and she expresses them through tough choices like ignoring her “womanly” duties (page 49), having Robert (a man infatuated with Edna) involved in her spiraling life, and moving out of her house (thoughts beginning at page 76, actual move in is on page 87).
Edna follows Emerson’s idea of trusting yourself by listening to herself and by following her heart.

“Every heart vibrates to that iron string,” (Emerson; Paragraph 2 line 7). Edna avails by this notion when she says she’s not a possession one can dispose of, “... you speak of Mr. Pontellier setting me free! I am no longer one of Mr. Pontellier’s possessions to dispose of or not,” (Chopin; Page 102) Edna speaks about how she no longer is a possession and this shows that she trusts herself enough to take care of herself, at least for the time being. Emerson also states, “Great men... confided themselves childlike to the genius of their age,” (Emerson; Paragraph 2 line 10). Emerson mentions this because as a child, we are selfish or seen as unable to take care of ourselves as was Edna. Madame Ratignolle points out how Edna’s actions resembled one of a child’s, “‘In some way you seem to me like a child Edna. You seem to act without a certain amount of reflection,’” (Chopin; Page 91). Since it was Madame Ratignolle who sees Edna as a child, Edna does not necessarily fit into Emerson’s statement of the “Great men” but she is still seen as childish due to her incapability of taking

herself.
Next, Edna faces being different, a nonconformist, from her lady counterparts.

Another one of Emerson’s convictions is being unique and a nonconformist which is the first word used to describe Edna. She begins to reveal her unparalleled personality very early when Mr. Pontellier was worried that Raoul, their son, had symptoms of a fever and Edna simply brushed off that Raoul did not have a fever, “He reproached his wife with her inattention, her habitual neglect of the children,” (Chopin; Page 7). This quote clearly indicates how Edna is unique compared to other ladies, like Madame Ratignolle, who actually take care of their children, somewhat. After arriving back in Louisiana, Edna decided to be special on her reception day because, “‘I found their cards when I got home; I was out.’ ‘Out!’ exclaimed her husband, with something like genuine consternation in his voice,” (Chopin; Page 49). This shows that Edna is willing to reject social normalities of the late 1800s and take on nonconformist ideas. As Emerson wrote, “the only right is what is after my constitution; the only wrong is what is against it,” (Emerson; Paragraph 3 line 28). Nearing the end of the book, Edna sees that she could have seen the doctor, he would have helped her understand, but instead her “constitution” thought it was best to do what she is doing, thus displaying that losing herself was against her

constitution.
Lastly, Edna comes to the realization that only she holds the key to her own satisfaction. Emerson came to this conclusion in his first paragraph, “no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through the toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given to him to till,” (Emerson; Paragraph 1 line 4-6). According to Emerson, only through one’s hard work will they receive the satisfaction they yearn for in the life they live only once. As Edna says, “I would give my life for my children; but I wouldn’t give myself.” (Chopin; Page 46). She would not give up the life she is living for anyone but herself because she knows it will not satisfy her, she knows she will not be happy. At the end of the book, she realizes she cannot be happy with the life she lives, even though she claim the doctor could have helped, and decides to suicide because the only person she will give herself up for is herself and for her satisfaction.
In the end, Edna did not live up to all of Emerson’s notions; instead she let her emotions drive her off the brink of insanity. Although Edna was a paragon of being unique and listening to yourself, she immersed herself in a tidal wave because she could not be satisfied. The Awakening and “Self-Reliance” share similar notions but also have two different points of view. While Emerson voices the importance of an individual and independent thinking, Edna voices emotional turbulence and self-expression.