Figuring Out Edna

Who is Edna Pontellier? Dreary as it is, she is a woman in a not so great marriage, a woman who does not cherish her children with the same conviction as other mothers, and a woman who usually keeps to herself in most situations. No one can deny that she isn't happy with where she is with her life. She doesn't marry for love, that much is obvious. But there lays the question: does Edna even recognize what love is? "She was fond of her children in an uneven, impulsive way. She would sometimes gather them passionately to her heart; she would sometimes forget them... she did not miss them except with an occasional intense longing. Their absence was a sort of relief..." (Chopin 25). It's reasonable to infer that the reason she can't take care of her own children is because she does not have the ability to love and care for them like a mother should. She's had her life paved out for her, or at least, denied of the simplest but most important pleasures such as love. She describes her marriage as "purely an accident" She goes on to say "[Leonce] fell in love, as men are in the habit of doing... his absolute devotion flattered her. She fancied there was a sympathy of thought and taste between them, in which fancy she was mistaken" (Chopin 24). Edna used to believe that Leonce had committed acts of flattery in order to woo her because he truly cared. But the problem is, even if he did do it out of "love", Edna wouldn't be able to recognize it. Edna's mentality is that of a caged animal, not caring or taking note of surroundings, only of the need to escape. Edna wants out, badly, and she pays no regard as to how this affects her husband or children. This is not to say that Edna is a bad person, but the idea that Edna doesn't even recognize or experience love is totally plausible.

This is a pretty accurate representation of Edna's feelings