An Appalling Mother

Edna is a very complex character. She longs for her own rights, but also mistreats others in her same situation, her children. In the time that Edna lives she (a women) as well as children are characterized as a lower class than men. We can see how horribly she treats her children littered all throughout the entirety of the novel. A prime example is when Mr. Pontellier says to Edna, “It seems to me the utmost folly for a women at the head of a household, and the mother of children, to spend in an atelier days which would be better employed contriving for the comfort of her family” (Chopin 76-77) He says this when Edna is not looking after the children (her job), but rather wasting her days painting away. What mother would neglect her children such as this? Again in the novel we see Edna’s neglect when it states, “… she would sometimes forget them.” (Chopin 25) Good mothers do not just forget about their children. The children should be the center of her life. Although, to her they are just a nuisance. Lastly, when Mr. Pontellier requested Edna to look at her child’s fever, she was adamant about not attending her child. The novel says, “Mrs. Pontellier was quite sure Raoul had no fever. He had gone to bed perfectly well, she said, and nothing had ailed him all day.” (Chopin 7) Edna would not even check for a moment to make sure her child was in fact not sick. She was completely neglecting her child’s health. Edna is a horrible mother who seeks her own pleasures in life. Completely disregarding everything in her path, she looks beyond her children, neglecting them.