1. Introduction
Kate Chopin‟s the Awakening and especially its ending has been interpreted primarily in two different ways: There are those who believe that the ending, Edna‟s suicide, is Edna‟s final awakening (among them inter alia Rosowski, cf. “The Novel of Awakening.” p.47) and there are those who argue that the ending is Edna‟s final realization of her failure to find a place in society (for example Lattin, cf. “Childbirth and Motherhood.” p.44; Solomon cf. “Characters as Foils to Edna.” p.119). But beyond these contrasting angles of interpretation, there is one common belief: The Awakening is Edna‟s struggle to find her own identity, her genuine place in society or, in short, herself:
One of these days […] I‟m going to pull myself together for a while and think try to determine what character of a woman I am; for, candidly, I don‟t know. By all the codes which I am acquainted with, I am a devilishly wicked specimen of the sex. But some way I can‟t convince myself that I am. I must think about it. (p.103)
As the figures of Adèle Ratignolle and Mlle. Reisz show, it is, after all, possible for women to find an identity of their own. Patricia Hopkins Lattin and Deborah E. Parker have argued that these two women serve as role models for Edna. But both Lattin and Parker fail to give a role model-based explanation of Edna‟s failure to find her place in society. The question that shall be examined in the following is therefore the contribution of Edna‟s role models to her failure. It shall be analyzed why Edna, unlike Adèle and Mlle. Reisz, does not succeed in finding her place in society, and why she also does not succeed to model herself on Adèle or Reisz. In order to answer this question, especially the differences between Edna and each of her role-models shall be examined. Since many research papers have argued that Adèle Ratignolle and Mlle. Reisz serve as Edna`s role models, this view will not be verified in the following.
First of all, Edna‟s relationship with Adèle and, afterwards, with Mlle. Reisz will be examined. It will be analyzed to what degree Edna imitates these role models. By doing so, the discrepancies between the characters of Edna and Adèle Ratignolle and Edna and Mlle. Reisz will be presented, and it will be examined to what degree Edna would be able to lead the same life as her role models do. The last task will be to point out to what extend it is due to these role models that Edna fails to find her place in society.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Edna’s role models
2.1. Adèle Ratignolle as a role-model for Edna: The mother-woman
2.1.1. Adèle Ratignolle and Edna Pontellier: Differences
2.1.2. Adèle as Edna’s role model
2.2. Mlle. Reisz: The artist-woman
2.2.1. Mlle. Reisz and Edna Pontellier: Two unlike characters
2.2.2. Mlle. Reisz as Edna’s role model
3. Edna’s failure to find a place in society
4. Conclusion
Research Objective and Key Themes
This study examines the role of Adèle Ratignolle and Mlle. Reisz as primary influencers in Kate Chopin’s "The Awakening" and analyzes how Edna Pontellier’s attempt to reconcile these two opposing, incompatible lifestyles contributes to her ultimate failure to find a stable place within society.
- The characterization of Adèle Ratignolle as the "mother-woman."
- The characterization of Mlle. Reisz as the "artist-woman."
- Edna’s struggle to bridge the gap between social conformity and personal autonomy.
- The impact of conflicting role models on Edna’s identity formation.
- Societal boundaries and their role in preventing non-traditional female identities.
Excerpt from the Book
2.1.1. Adèle Ratignolle and Edna Pontellier: Differences
Edna’s first role model is what the narrator described as “the embodiment of every womanly grace and charm” and a typical “mother-woman” (Chopin, The Awakening Ch.IV, p.26). Adèle grows very fond of Edna, (cf. 27) which is astonishing considering the fact that Edna is very different from her: From the beginning on, Edna is “not a mother-woman” (explicitly stated by the narrator in Chapter IV, p.26). This is why they differ to a great extent in the upbringing of their children. Adèle spends almost all her time with her children; Edna prefers to have a quadroon take care of them (cf. 26) and even admits that she would sometimes forget about her children (37). This is absolutely unimaginable for Adèle. The discrepancies between the parenting styles of the two women are also reflected in the behavior of their infants:
If one of the little Pontellier boys took a tumble whilst at play, he was not apt to rush crying to his mother's arms for comfort; he would more likely pick himself up, wipe the water out of his eyes and the sand out of his mouth, and go on playing. (26)
A further aspect Adèle and Edna differ in is the relationship with their husbands. Adèle is “the embodiment of every womanly grace and charm. If her husband did not adore her, he was brute, deserving of death by slow torture.” (26) Edna, on the other hand, is “not the ideal helpmeet or mother” (Papke 71) and her husband has to reproach her more than once for neglecting the children or for not listening to him (cf. 23f). These discrepancies especially fall into place when Adèle and Edna talk to each other: While Adèle loves to talk about patterns, her husband’s interests or about her “condition”, Edna is rather bored by these topics (cf. 27).
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Presents the research focus on how Edna’s two role models, Adèle Ratignolle and Mlle. Reisz, contribute to her inability to find an identity and place in society.
2. Edna’s role models: Investigates the specific characteristics of Adèle as the mother-woman and Mlle. Reisz as the artist-woman and evaluates why Edna, despite being drawn to them, cannot fully adopt either lifestyle.
3. Edna’s failure to find a place in society: Analyzes how Edna’s attempt to hybridize these two contrasting lives leads to social conflict and ultimately reinforces her isolation.
4. Conclusion: Summarizes that Edna’s failure is not just individual, but a result of society’s refusal to accommodate any identity outside the binary constraints of mother or artist.
Keywords
Kate Chopin, The Awakening, Edna Pontellier, Adèle Ratignolle, Mlle. Reisz, role models, identity, mother-woman, artist-woman, social constraints, femininity, autonomy, self-discovery, character study, societal boundaries.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research?
The work focuses on how the female characters Adèle Ratignolle and Mlle. Reisz serve as conflicting role models for the protagonist Edna Pontellier in Kate Chopin's "The Awakening."
What are the central themes discussed in the paper?
Central themes include the construction of female identity, the limitations of traditional societal roles, the concept of the "mother-woman" versus the "artist-woman," and the protagonist's struggle for independence.
What is the primary objective of the analysis?
The objective is to explain how Edna’s inability to successfully model her life after either Adèle or Mlle. Reisz directly contributes to her failure to find a legitimate place in society.
What methodology does the author apply?
The author uses a comparative character analysis, examining the discrepancies between Edna and her two primary influences, while engaging with existing critical interpretations by scholars like Papke, Lattin, and Skaggs.
What does the main body of the text cover?
The main body breaks down the individual relationships Edna has with Adèle and Mlle. Reisz, contrasting their lifestyles, social interactions, and personal philosophies, before analyzing the broader implications of Edna’s "dual life."
Which keywords characterize this study?
Key terms include identity, role models, social conformity, individual autonomy, mother-woman, artist-woman, and societal boundaries.
Why does the author argue that Edna's relationship with Mlle. Reisz is not a traditional friendship?
The author suggests the relationship is more of a "give-and-take" arrangement: Edna seeks artistic inspiration and a link to Robert, while Reisz desires a visitor and a listener for her music.
How does the author view the "dual life" of Edna?
The author interprets Edna’s "dual life" as a failed attempt to combine the domestic security of a mother-woman with the intellectual and artistic freedom of an artist-woman, leading to internal and societal conflict.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Franziska Müller (Autor:in), 2012, Kate Chopin’s “Edna” in "The Awakening", München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/197346
