Friday, February 12, 2016
Sea Compared to Loneliness
Chapter 10 is where you first start to understand how Edna feels alone
and different from everyone else at Grand Isle. Robert has been giving Edna
swimming lessons all summer. When they all go to the beach, Edna is the only
one that decides to swim far out in the ocean. “But to her unaccustomed vision
the stretch of water behind her assumed the aspect of a barrier which her
unaided strength would never be able to overcome,” (Chopin 37). The barrier is
the water that separates her and the rest of the people in Grand Isle. She doesn’t
feel like she can overcome the barrier because she isn’t happy. She doesn’t want
to be a part of the life that’s lived in Grand Isle. She’s not happy with her
kids or with her husband. When she is floating in the water she feels alone
because she realizes how different she is. She feels like she’s drowning
because that isn’t the life she wants. The person standing in this picture reminds of Edna. The person looks so small compared to all this water surrounding them. Edna feels small compared to all these people that hold expectations for how she needs to act.
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I agree with what you said about Edna feeling small and insignificant in Grand Isle. Everyone believes that her and her husband are the perfect, happy couple when it seems that she really doesn't want to be with him at all. I think she is struggling with the decision of being unhappy or letting go of what everyone thinks and doing what she wants to do.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree that the sea can be compared to loneliness I think that Edna feels lonely because she isn't part of the creole community and way of life. I also think that Edna is looked at as an unimportant part of the society that she lives in.
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