Love is
supposed to be felt and chosen by your heart, not by another person’s desire.
And it is evident in The Awakening by
Kate Chopin that the arranged relationship and marriage between Mr. and Mrs.
Pontellier is nowhere near a perfect match. One of the key factors in a happy
and healthy relationship is communication and common interests. And in the
Pontellier relationship, neither of these characteristics are visible. “He
thought it very discouraging that his wife … evinced so little interest in
things that concerned him, and valued so little his conversation” (Chopin 48).
When in only few pages before, Chopin discusses Mrs. Pontellier’s engrossing conversation
with Robert Lebrun, “Each was interested in what the other said.” (Chopin 46). It
is ironic that Mrs. Pontellier converses with a young stranger with whom she
seems to possibly be attracted to and get along well with, rather than speaking
a word to her husband, with whom she shares a family and a home with.
The
real question is, what is running through Mrs. Pontelliers mind? And with her
being such a strong and independent female character, what will these possible
positive feelings for Robert and extreme negative feelings toward her husband lead
her to do?
Yes this is exactly what I was thinking. I know it's hard for women to leave their husbands during this time period but I don't think she should cheat. She should find a way out first if she is truly unhappy.
ReplyDeleteAlso Mr. Pontellier seems to have the same kind of relationship with his sons. He cares about them a bit, just as he does Edna, but he also sees them as something Edna should be worried about, not him. Whereas Robert plays with the children and has a good relationship with them, much like how he has a friendly relationship with Edna.
ReplyDeleteI don't think that Edna doesn't love Mr. Pontellier. I think it's more of a love that is there because of their children. The children are a big part of the reason of why they are still together. That doesn't mean that just because she doesn't have the best relationship with her husband that she would cheat on him, but that doesn't mean she won't.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Ken cause swag. I think she definitely has the right to maybe see things with Robert because her husband sees her as a lesser individual. She and independent woman who doesn't need that negativity in her life.
ReplyDeleteIs it possible for her to be able to do anything. With her being a woman of this period she might just have to deal with and accept this man she was forced to marry. If not there could be dire consequences.
ReplyDeleteIs it possible for her to be able to do anything. With her being a woman of this period she might just have to deal with and accept this man she was forced to marry. If not there could be dire consequences.
ReplyDeleteMaybe there was more of a relationship between them before. They had children and seem to have been together for a while. But maybe they just no longer hold previous feelings for each other if they were there.
ReplyDeleteMaybe there was more of a relationship between them before. They had children and seem to have been together for a while. But maybe they just no longer hold previous feelings for each other if they were there.
ReplyDeleteI agree that this isn't a very healthy marriage. Mrs. Pontellier even mentions that her marriage to Mr. Pontellier was an "accident." She basically only gets married to him because she wants to piss off her family.
ReplyDelete