Saturday, February 6, 2016

What is an ideal marriage?

In the early stages of the novel that Chopin is setting for us, it is pretty obvious to gather that Mr. and Mrs. Pontellier do not have what is seen to be the ideal marriage for this time period. However, there are some key factors to analyze as to why this is. First off, as demonstrated on page 8, Mrs. Pontellier is weeping on the porch essentially because she feels the absence of her husband's kindness, after she only gives him half answered responses in regards to her children's well being. This leads me to believe that they don't necessarily have an argumentative marriage, rather there is just simply a lack of effort being put in. Especially regarding Mrs. Pontellier and her children, because the last time I checked, your children are a pretty big deal to you, and when one of them does not feel well, such as Raoul who claimed to have a fever, you should be more worried about that then Mrs. Pontellier is. In my opinion, this marriage is like trying to put two positive ends of a magnet together, it just won't happen.

4 comments:

  1. I agree, Edna doesn't seem to feel comfortable with an ideal marriage. She would much rather be free to do what she wants to do. She feels like she is trapped in some kind of a prison and cannot get out of it.

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  2. It's a very good perception of her marriage. Even though she is married, to her it seems like a burden; all of the duties and responsibilities that she can not bear to do. She would much rather be in New Orleans as a city girl

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  3. I can agree, mostly because it seems like Edna is longing for a partner in her relationship that puts effort into the relationship, and it seems like Mr. Pontellier doesn't put forth the effort that she is looking for. It is almost saddening to see that he doesn't care for his kids in the way that he should, mostly because, when you have kids, they are yours and no one elses. Hopefully we will see a change in his behavior towards his wife and kids.

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  4. It does show the contrast between a trying marriage and a hopeless marriage because most couples who fight usually care for each other, but couples like the Pontelliers may be considered worse. There was never much room for improvement in the marriage because there was not much they could do, they simply do not love each other enough to be married.

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