Similarities Between The Awakening And Society's Role Model

Society’s Role Model vs Edna’s Role Model: A Tale of Two Women

In the novel The Awakening, protagonist Edna Pontellier finds herself in constant conflict with the ways of her time. Pontellier is a young 28-year-old woman, a mother of two children and the wife of well-known local businessman Lèonce Pontellier. Taking place around the end of the 1800s in New Orleans, LA, Edna portrays a textbook dynamic character. Edna’s transformation is the focus of the novel, and the name “The Awakening” derives from Edna’s experiences as she discovers herself and her growing passion to be free from the Victorian gender ideals and custom. Early on, Adèle Ratignolle is introduced as one of Edna’s closest friends, Ratignolle is the “perfect” woman for this

society, putting her marriage and family above all else-including herself. Ratignolle is often praised by many people, including Edna’s own husband Lèonce, recognizing the great things she does, how moral she is, how well she listens to her family and their needs. Another prominent character in the story is Mademoiselle Reisz. Unlike Adèle, Ms. Reisz nudges Edna towards everything society views negatively, and due to the combination of being unmarried and clashing with society’s opinions, she isn’t very popular amongst any crowd, as a result the one thing she is valued for is her musical talent. While in very different ways, both Ms. Reisz and Mrs. Ratignolle play equally inspiring roles around Edna that help her to identify and express her inner self; Mademoiselle Reisz and Edna develop and grow to have a strong relationship through their shared views and beliefs of not willing to be constrained by what the outside world says, as well their similar self-expression via arts, contrastingly, Adèle and Edna have a great friendship early on but Edna’s awakening is strongly motivated by the repulsiveness she feels as she observes Adèle’s willing and eager submission to the Victorian Era’s patriarchal rules and predetermined gender roles, ultimately resulting in Edna distancing herself from Adèle.
Mrs.

Ratignolle is the “embodiment of every womanly grace and charm” (667). A woman like Adèle is simply the golden standard of a wife and mother, and any woman that exemplified this was referred to as a “mother-woman”. No matter what the circumstances were, Adèle’s behavior always exhibited and family first-me second characteristic, as many people viewed as the correct way for a woman to act. Whenever capable, Adèle made it a priority to care for her children’s needs, whether preparing for an upcoming winter or ensuring that their everyday needs were met, Adèle always focused on her children. In addition to prioritizing her children, Adèle listened to her husband, regarding his opinion to be superior over anything that she might have a different opinion on. Despite this, Adèle and Edna found great friendship in each other and the women spent lots of time together doing a plethora of different activities together throughout the story. After a while, Adèle’s perpetual lack of uniqueness and her satisfaction with being merely her husband’s possession rather than an equal—regarding her marriage, gradually inched Edna away. Subsequently, Edna knows how Adèle feels and is unable to express her true thoughts and feelings towards the

end.
While Adèle Ratignolle is the ideal Victorian Era woman, another woman named Mademoiselle Reisz is quite the opposite. Everything that society says a woman should be like, Reisz does differently. As a result, Reisz is not well liked and the only thing people appreciate her for is her musical talent. Opposite of Adèle, Reisz cares more about herself and her personal interests rather than those of her husband or children, hence why she does not have a family. Interestingly, Reisz is very approachable for anyone who might think differently from the rules of society. For example, while Adèle tells Robert Lebrun to back off from Edna as they start spending more time together, Robert is able talk with Reisz and discuss his feelings towards Edna without being reproached or judged for it. Furthermore, during the party at which Chopin introduces the reader to Reisz for the first time, Reisz plays the piano in a way that overwhelms Edna’s emotions, making her cry and leave the party. This reaction resulted with Reisz saying to Edna, “‘You are the only one worth playing for. Those others? Bah!’” (681). This interaction is a perfect testimony to the connection between both women’s interest in self-expression and their overall differences from the social-norms. For Edna, experiencing this acted as a huge step towards further identifying who it was she was becoming, and it served it gave a new appreciation of self-expression she witnessed.
Reflecting on the role of these women, Adèle was the role model for society and its expectation of how a woman should live her life, always doing as she is told. But on the other side of things, although she isn’t liked by the outside world, Reisz becomes the role model for Edna. Edna values that and appreciates Reisz’s freedom, uniqueness and power, something so foreign for a woman of this time.
Edna finds inspiration from many conversations and previous feelings all throughout the novel. Some of these include her father’s marriage and his controlling demeanor toward Edna’s late mother, Lèonce’s abhorrent selfishness and lack of empathy towards his wife, Edna’s ability to connect with Robert and enjoy spending all her time with him, Mademoiselle Reisz and her rebellious lifestyle, and more specifically Adèle’s and her husband’s dinner while accompanied by Edna. All these interactions and events played different vital roles that helped Edna dig up her inner rebellious feelings. As a result of these feelings being dug up, Edna find’s her relationships with many people in her life change. Not only did she started falling in love with Robert, Edna grew to have an overall distaste for her husband as well as anyone else who reinforced the society’s expectations for women. Edna also experiences a huge change in her feelings about Adèle after a dinner with the Mr. and Mrs. Ratignolle, Chopin writes:
Edna felt depressed rather than soothed after leaving them. The little glimpse of domestic harmony which had been offered her, gave her no regret, no longing...She was moved by a kind of commiseration for Madame Ratignolle, —a pity for that colorless existence (704).
This is a pivotal moment in the story and the turning point of Edna’s view and friendship between Reisz and Adèle.

In the beginning of the story, Adèle was Edna’s best friend, and other than minor cultural differences, they were just amazing friends. Once Edna realizes how different Adèle is from what she values, it forces Edna to gradually lose the attraction she once felt towards Adèle. Naturally, as Edna veers away from Adèle, she becomes more attracted to Reisz because she can relate to Reisz on a much higher level. Edna and Adèle never grew a dislike for each other, but their fundamental beliefs were on such opposite ends of the spectrum that it was impossible not to lose the closeness of their previous relationship. Towards the end of Edna’s journey, Adèle realizes how much Edna has changed, and she says to Edna quoting a conversation they had in the beginning of the novel, “‘Think of the children, Edna. Oh think of the children! Remember them!’” (746). Adèle’s comment, giving during her birthing of another child, further solidifies the realization Edna had been coming to all along. Edna could not stand how Adèle valued her children and family over her own life, thus the idea that any woman who could say such a thing was extremely repulsive to her, creating even more distance between the women who used to be best

friends.
Throughout the story Edna was able to come to many conclusions about life and her thinking for herself takes on new levels every day. This growth she experiences affects all different aspects of her life. She starts out great friends with Adèle Ratignolle and is living the average life of a women during the Victorian Era, but as she discovers herself, she finds an attraction and unrivaled respect for Mademoiselle Reisz. At the end of her awakening, Edna is far more attracted to Reisz because of the parallels they have with their views social issues and have many common interests regarding a woman’s role in society, additionally Reisz is very approachable and easy for Edna to discuss and explore her wild thoughts, making Reisz like a therapist for Edna. Though Edna never says she dislikes who Adèle was as a person, and they for many years shared a sisterly bond, the awakening Edna experienced changed Adèle from an awesome friend to merely a puppet of societal customs whom Edna felt sorry for.