Mr. And Mrs. Pontellier's Relationships In The Awakening

Born in 1851 to a wealthy family, Kate Chopin was an unconventional woman. She dressed in strange clothing, smoked, and went on unaccompanied walks, something unheard of during this time period. In the 1890s, Chopin turned to writing after an emotional breakdown due to the death of her husband. Her writing generally received good reviews from critics, but nothing brought widespread public attention until the publication of her second novel, The Awakening. Published in 1899, the story of Edna Pontellier’s sensual awakening and abandonment of her family was just as unconventional as Chopin herself. It was met with harsh criticism and surrounded by controversy. Sensitive to the pushback, Chopin retreated into the background, publishing few more

Mothers are pictured as the care giver of the families and the ones who love their children unconditionally no matter the situation. They’ll do anything to support their family and raise their children right. In “The Queen of Mold” by Ruth Reichl, the mother in the story is pictured as the one who makes a meal almost out of nothing, just to provide and have something on the table for her family. Even though the food she cooks is moldy, this is how she demonstrates her motherly love.. In “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker, the mother is portrayed at first as an over excited mother waiting for her over achieving daughter Dee. As the story progresses the excitement for the daughter starts to go away and her motherly love towards Dee becomes complicated because Dee thinks she is greater and much smarter than the rest. Both of the stories depict complex motherhood, in Reichl story her mother’s love becomes complicated when she cooks food for the guest and her daughter tries to save the guest from being killed, while by the end of Walker story she only has love for the one daughter that has always been by her side and that’s Maggie.

No one in life has gotten to where they are without some sort of sacrifice. It is just common human nature that we must give up one thing, in order to acquire another or appreciate something else. Edna Pontellier from The Awakening is no different as her sacrifice ends up opening her eyes and changes her very nature and values.

It would have been unacceptable and annoying”(541). While still completely sane, she admits that her feelings for Robert are nothing more than a friendship but changes her mind once she decides she no longer wants to be tied down to anyone. She becomes extremely flustered when she finds out about Robert leaving for Mexico she states “The idea of Robert starting of in such a ridiculously sudden and dramatic way!”(568). This is where “she recognized anew the symptoms of infatuation”(569), basically admitting that she had no serious thoughts about him, just an infatuation which she blows way out of proportion while he is away, so much so as to think she is actually in love with him when he returns. Possibly though, a big reason as to why she begins to feel that way is because she envies his ability to just pack up and leave on a moment’s notice. She already has begun to long for a change in her life, and something like that would not only be adventurous to her, but also fulfill her longing for something different than the life she is stuck in. She tells a story to her husband and the Doctor while dining one night “of a woman who paddled away with her lover one night in a pirogue and never came back”(589), how so then, would this be any different. She only wants something new, and

Restrictions imposed by society foster the circumstances that hinder people from their full potential. Edna Pontellier lives among a high society of Creoles with her husband Leonce, on Grand Isle in the Gulf of Mexico. Her interactions with key characters on the island stimulate an awakening in which she opens her eyes to a new lifestyle. She steps outside of the typical expectations by defying her marriage and falling in love with Robert Lebrun. This relationship sparks Edna’s interest in becoming an independent woman and guides her awakening. When Edna realizes what her life has become, the awakening comes to a halt. Full awareness of her situation induces Edna’s final decision of suicide. The sense of confinement in society’s implications

The people and culture of 1899 New Orleans dictate how things should be done. Edna rejects the image of the idea women and wife, most of which is caused by the factor in her marriage. In Chapter One, Chopin displays the faults in the Pontellier’s relationship, where Edna takes off her wedding rings, Leonce insists not to stay for dinner, and Edna goes spends time on the beach with Robert while her children are left to the nanny. Mrs. Pontellier has rejected her position as a mother and the idea of her children, “If one of the little Pontellier boys took a tumble whilst at play, he was not apt to rush crying to his mother’s arms for comfort,” (Chapter 4). In Chapter 16, Chopin creates suspense when Edna admits she would give up her money

The pressures and expectations of society can be truly grueling; at times it may seem there is only one way to escape these pressures. The Awakening follows the transformation of a simple and obedient housewife, Edna, into a self-actualized, empowered woman—or so it seems. In an epiphany, Edna realizes the only way for her to truly escape the oppression she feels from society and her husband, is to commit suicide. At the beginning of the novel Edna is afraid of water, at the end, it is her escape. Edna realizes that her biggest fear of overcoming society's expectations is inescapable and these expectations literally and metaphorically drown her.

Edna’s denial for society’s motherly-woman role demonstrates the feministic values of individualism. Mrs. Pontellier prohibits Léonce from having any more control over her life while expressing her desire to keep her individuality at all costs. An example of this is when she rejects to welcome her husband’s guests during the reception day in Chapter 17. Edna begins to break free of her family’s suppressions to express her independence as well as creating her own decisions. Another example is when Edna discusses with Madame Lebrun on her feelings of herself. In this conversation, Edna finally reviews how much her self-expression means to her more than to her children. This scene studies Edna’s morals on expression of one-self, as she values

One thing that everyone needs to do throughout their lives is discover their true selves. Some people take years to figure this out, some take decades, and others never truly discover the person they are supposed to be. In the story “The Awakening” Edna Pontellier has chosen the domestic lifestyle and, in doing so has lost sight of who she is. “The Awakening” is about her journey in attempt to discover the person she is supposed to be. Edna’s search for her true identity is respectable; however she does not go about doing this in the right way. In her quest to find her true self, Edna begins to emulate other people’s lives rather than discovering her own. This ultimately leads to Edna’s suicide due to the fact that she was living a life

One of the most traditional roles to be assumed as women, is to embrace the role of motherhood, but as of the 21st century, many women are deciding to do both, facing criticism for doing both or one of the either (The Glass Ceiling Effect*).

In the novel, Edna Pontellier opposition to her marriage with Mr. Pontellier is unheard of in that time period and many people did not understand her point of view. Specifically because Mr. Pontellier was not a bad husband and tried to shower Mrs. Pontellier with gifts thinking that the materials would brighten up their marriage. Although Leonce Pontellier is very materialistic and does not understand why Edna does not appreciate the presents for her or the children, all of the other women in chapter three tell Mrs. Pontellier that she has the best husband and she agrees, but Edna still does not love Mr. Pontellier and starts to fall in love with Robert Lebrun, her companion in Grand Isle, after he announces he is leaving for Mexico. The other

Being a mother is one of the proud feeling because she can give life to another human being. Mothers have a special place on everyone’s life. In the United States,

From the film No woman No cry, it has shown me the reality of the Womanhood and how hard it is to become a mother. In Korean culture, we also have the similar perspective on mothers like most places in the world as it shown in the film. Many people do believe that role of the mothers are to let go of their true identity as themselves and to be someone who is willing to sacrifice themselves for their child in order to earn the title a mother. In many cultures, even in western countries where it seems to be more developed and women seemed to voice out their opinions more, many women do go through the constructed mindset that our social institution have formed on the word Mother. Before watching this film, my perspective of mother was

“With a writhing moment she settled herself more securely in the hammock. She perceived that her will had blazed up, stubborn and resilient. She could not at that moment have done other than denied and resisted. She wondered if her husband had ever spoken to her like that before, and if she had submitted herself to his command. Of course she had; she remembered that she had. But she could not realize why or how she could have yielded, feeling as she then did.”

According to the Oxford Dictionary, “Mothers are women who inhabit or perform the role of bearing some relation to their children” (1). Although various circumstances can arise, a mother may or may not be the biological parent of the youngsters. Adult females can be considered mothers because of having given birth, by nurturing their children, supplying their ovum for fertilization, or some combination thereof. For example, Suleyma Umana, a single female at the age of eighteen migrated from her native country of El Salvador to the United States in search of a better lifestyle. Once Suleyma arrived in the United States, she came across a young man named Francisco. In addition, the two-loving individuals decided to construct a house for the future children to come. Throughout the years, the couple decided to have four brilliant children named Steven, Michael, Jason, and Christopher. Suleyma Umana, currently a stay-home mother of the Umana family, strikes on the substantial responsibility of establishing a united family by setting fundamental values, enlightening vocational activities, and examining past experiences. Since childhood, Suleyma always thought it was important to incorporate several positive beliefs and values into the Umana family.