Forbidden Love

Edna is a woman who never seems to know what she wants. Even if she does know, she hides it from herself. In Chapter 7, she talks about how she got married to Mr. Pontellier and about becoming a mother. Before they got married, Edna was interested in him because of a ‘forbidden love’ factor. “Add this to the violent opposition of her father and sister Margaret to her marriage with a Catholic, and we need seek no further for the motives which led her to accept Monsieur Pontellier as her husband” (Chopin 19). I think that she could desire Robert in this same way, or even Adele. Because their love would be forbidden, she craves that. As we saw earlier in the book, Edna isn’t the best mother, she doesn’t seem to know how to act with them and doesn’t seem like she should have had children in the first place. When she describes the time when her kids went to their grandmother’s for the summer she says, “Their absence was a sort of relief, though she did not admit this, even to herself” (Chopin 20).

To be a Mother or not to be?

From the beginning of the novel, we already know that Edna Pontellier isn’t close with her children and she doesn’t take up the role of a mother. As we discussed in class, we saw the foreshadowing where they were introduced as the “Pontellier children” rather than introducing them by their actual names. Farther in the novel it says, “She would sometimes gather them passionately to her heart; she would sometimes forget them” (Chopin 25). From this, it’s clear that she would often love them and genuinely care, but other times she would forget their existence and her role as a mother for her children. She should not have had children since she is too narcissistic to take on the responsibility that come with having children. 

Foreshadowing?

After Mrs. Pontellier and Madame Ratignolle are finished socializing at the beach, Madame Ratignolle warns Robert about Edna on page 26. "Do me a favor, Robert," spoke the pretty woman at his side, almost as soon as she and Robert had started their slow, homeward way... 'She is not one of us; she is not like us. She might make the unfortunate blunder of taking you seriously." (Chopin, 27) The fact that Madame Ratignolle is catching on to Edna's inside thoughts is terrifying and worrisome. Anyways, the warning from Madame Ratignolle angers Robert, who defends himself and Edna. He proclaims that Mrs. Pontellier does take him seriously and for he's not a clown or comedian. Madame Ratignolle is only trying to help out Robert, warning him if he courts with any married women, his reputation would be ruined. Could this incident be foreshadowing? Robert was warned, but with his impatience of Creole women, he brushed it off and continued. Will this affect Robert later in the book? To be continued. 

Edna's Guardian Angel

In chapter 4 of The Awakening by Kate Chopin, another character steps into the scene: Adele Ratignolle. Madame Ratignolle is adored by Edna, and she loves Edna just the same. She is seen as a perfect, saintly type person. My belief is that Ratignolle is a guardian angel, or perhaps a “reincarnation” of Edna’s late mother, who, “...died when [she] was quite young” (pg 23).

For one,  Mrs. Pontellier says that Adele has, “...spun-gold hair… blue eyes that were like nothing but sapphires…” (pg 11) and that she was, “...growing a little stout…” (pg 11). This description very much reminds me of a cherub: one of the little baby angels often seen in renaissance era paintings which further proves my thought that Chopin made Adele a symbol for a guardian angel.

Another example of Madame Ratignolle’s guardian-like appearance is her outfits. Chopin always seems to write Adele wearing white. For example, on page 16, Chopin says she is wearing, “...white skirts…” and on page 19-20, “she was dressed in pure white…” White clothing is often what angels are pictured wearing, which I believe is no coincidence, but instead purposely done by Chopin.

    Lastly, Edna continuously refers to her as a, “...Madonna” (pg 14&15). To refer back to the renaissance, a painting of the “Madonna” was usually a painting of Saint Mary, the virgin mother of Jesus Christ. Not only does Edna see her as this pure, saintly being but now she also sees her as this perfect example of a mother. Chopin makes Madame Ratignolle the mother Pontellier never had and the mother she wants to be.

Two Faced Relationship

Mrs.Pontieller is acting like she doesn't like Robert Lebrun, but this is in direct contridiction with how she was acting at the beginning of the book. She puts on a show when she is in front of her husband and then when he isn’t there she acts like he doesn’t exist and that goes to show how two faced she truly is. She doesnt make herself very likable to the readers from her non mothering instincts to having her two-faced relationship with Robert Lebrun. “During his oblivious attention he once quietly rested his head against Mrs. Pontellier's arm. As gently she repulsed him. Once again he repeated the offense. She could not but believe it to be thoughtlessness on his part; yet that was no reason she should submit to it. She did not remonstrate, except again to repulse him quietly but firmly.(Chopin)” she rebuffs him like she doesn’t know him or that she has no relationship with him at all, but she had just been on the beach laughing and giggling with him the day before. So what is the real relationship between the two? Then she contradicts herself again when he asks her to go to the beach with him, but she refuses at first and then she eventually goes with him. “"Are you going bathing?" asked Robert of Mrs. Pontellier. It was not so much a question as a reminder.” "Oh, no," she answered, with a tone of indecision. "I'm tired; I think not." Her glance wandered from his face away toward the Gulf, whose sonorous murmur reached her like a loving but imperative entreaty.” "Oh, come!" he insisted. "You mustn't miss your bath. Come on. The water must be delicious; it will not hurt you. Come." “He reached up for her big, rough straw hat that hung on a peg outside the door, and put it on her head. They descended the steps, and walked away together toward the beach. The sun was low in the west and the breeze was soft and warm.”

Enda Pontellier's homosexuality is becoming more evident. One obvious sign is her shown affection towards Adele Ratignolle. Chopin discusses Edna's possible relaization of her love interests, and goes on to discuss who exactly her love interest pertains to. "That summer at Grand Isle, she began to loosen a little the mantle of reserve that had always enveloped her. There may have been-- there must have been-- influences, both sublte and apparent, working in their several ways to induce her to do this; but the most obvious was the influence of Adele Ratignolle" (Chopin 18). This quote is saying that Edna is at first opening up her eyes to what exactly she is feeling, and she then asks herself why she feels this way, and after pondering, she comes to the concluson that she takes obvious interest in Adele Ratignolle. To further this, females like herself have been understood to become homosexual because of their failure of love with men. Edna clearly indicates her struggles with male relationships. "Her marriage to Leonce Pontellier was purely an accident, in this respect resembling many other marriages which masquerade as the decrees of Fate. It was in the midst of her secret great passion that she met him. He fell in love, as men are in the habit of doing, and pressed his suit with an earnestness and ardor which left nothing to be desired" (Chopin 23-24). This quote is revealing that, she does show interest in men, but she demonstrates, in this case, that there was 'nothing to be desired' within that relationship. Leonce was one of several other male relationships that ended in failure for Edna, which leads us, as readers, to believe that Edna realizes her failures, and branches out to 'explore' a love interest with her own gender, which is subtle, but definitely present.

Maternal Instincs?

A conflict that arises when Mr. Pontellier returns from a day at the hotel, of gambling and drinking with the other men of the resort occurs when he returns to check on the two boys whom are fast asleep and feels that one of them has a fever. “Mr. Pontellier returned to his wife with the information that Raoul had a high fever and needed looking after (Chopin, p. 7).”, but she does nothing about this and continues to lie in bed. “Mrs. Pontellier was quite sure that Raoul had no fever. He had gone to bed perfectly well, she said, and nothing ailed him all day. Mr. Pontellier was too well acquainted with fever symptoms to be mistaken (Chopin, p. 7).” This alone goes to show that Edna the main character has no relationship with her husband nor her kids, since she continued to lay in bed, until her husband forces her to go and check on her children. This also shows that Mrs. Pontellier doesn’t have any maternal instincts or if she does she isn’t showing them, but not only that she says that nothing ailed him all day but how would she know if she spent her day walking the beach with the young Robert Lebrun and the boys were with the nanny all day?