Social Expectations In The Awakening

Social expectations of women affected Edna and other individuals in Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening. The protagonist, Edna Pontellier, struggles throughout the novel in order to become independent and avoid her roles as mother and housewife in American Victorian society in 1899. This was because women during the 19th century were limited by what society demanded of them, to be the ideal housewives who would take care of their families. However, Edna tries to overcome these obstacles by exploring other options, such as having secret relationships with Robert and Arobin. Although Edna seeks to be independent throughout the novel, in the end she has been awakened but has not achieved independence.
Throughout the novel The Awakening, Edna discovers her own identity, independent of her husband and children, and realizes that she is discontent in her roles as wife and mother. According to BBC, “During the reign of Queen Victoria, a woman's place was in the home, as domesticity and motherhood were considered by society at large to be a sufficient emotional fulfillment for females.” There were very few women who were working elsewhere besides at home, because in society the husbands were the breadwinners in the family. A man’s job was to earn money

and be able to protect his family, which is shown by the character Leonce Pontellier. These Victorian values and gender roles were also shared by American society.
Although Edna had struggled because of her role as a mother and housewife in American Victorian society, she tried to overcome these obstacles by exploring different options such as having secret relationships with Robert and Arobin. Edna’s husband Leonce Pontellier is a good example of a husband during the 19th century. He had expectations of Edna, and he believed she was an important part of his life. Leonce believed a wife has to act in ways that will be beneficial to her husband’s business, and should live for their families’ well-being. This can be evident when Leonce talks to Edna, “He reproached his wife with her inattention, her habitual neglect of the children. If it was not a mother's place to look after children, whose on earth was it? He himself had his hands full with his brokerage business"(Chopin 637). Also, because Leonce was the head of the household, Edna had always done what was expected of her from her husband.
However, Edna never felt comfortable in her relationship with Leonce because she was treated as property.

This can be shown when Leone says, “ ‘You are burnt beyond recognition’, he added, looking at his wife as one looks at a valuable piece of property which has suffered some damage” (Chopin 2). Throughout the book, we also see that Leonce does not really pay enough attention to Edna. We mostly see him reading newspapers and being busy with his work. “Edna marries a man she does not love, “closing the portals forever behind her upon the realm of romance and dreams” (Wolkenfeld 245). As a result, she realizes that Leonce was not the man for her, and that she must find another way in order free herself from such

misfortune.
Because Edna realized that Leonce was not the man who would make her happy, she fell in love with another man named Robert Lebrun. Unlike Leonce, Robert gave her time and was someone who understood her concerns. When Edna meets Robert, she starts to realize what she had been missing with Leonce. She realizes that she wants passionate love and affection that her husband fails to give her. “Through Robert she hopes to actualize her romantic need for Oneness in the act of sexual consummation” (Wolkenfeld 245). This can be evident when Robert leaves for Mexico, and Edna’s starts to feel different towards him. “For the first time she recognized anew the symptoms of infatuation. . . to torture her as it was doing then with the biting conviction that she had lost that which she had held, that she had been denied that which her impassioned, newly awakened being demanded” (Chopin 44). Edna thinks that she in a way gains independence from her husband when she pursues a romantic relationship with Robert. By pursuing an affair and having mutual feelings with Robert, the sense of love makes her a more appreciated person rather than being treated property. Because Edna feels appreciated, it gives her a sense of freedom and confidence to be able to do what she wants.
Even though Robert loves Edna, he soon realizes that he cannot have a secret relationship with her. This is because like Leonce, Robert also wanted a traditional wife, a woman who follow her duties as a mother and wife. Robert did not want to be with a married woman, instead he wanted Edna to leave Leonce and marry him. This can be shown when Robert says "I forgot everything but a wild dream of your some way becoming my wife” (). Because Edna does not choose to marry Robert, Robert leaves her.
The letter that Robert leaves Edna shows her that her role in society will always be the same. Roberts tells Enda that she was not free, that she was Leonce Pontellier’s wife (). This indicates that Robert also considers Edna as Leonce’s property. Edna, “For the first time in the haze of her awakening she realizes that it is impossible for her to live outside of society completely, to be herself and have what she dreams of, and it is this that eventually leads her to commit suicide”(Smith 1). Robert proposal and Edna's rejection sums up the unstable nature of her mentality of what she wants. As a result, Edna realizes that she can never be independent, rather only awakened.
Another male character who Edna starts to have a secret relationship with is Alcee Arobin, who is well known for his playboy reputation. While Robert is in Mexico for business matters, Arobin satisfies Edna's physical and sexual desires. For example, when Arobin kisses Edna, “It was the first kiss of her life to which her nature had really responded. It was a flaming torch that kindled desire” (). Arobin was one of the people Edna sought out, in order to be a man. Males had the sexual freedom and Edna wanted to explore that kind of feeling which helps her become free and become an individual.