As I mentioned in my blog last week,
this is the second time that I have read The
Awakening. Therefore, it did not
take long for me to remember that Edna is one of my least favorite characters
in any novel that I have ever read. I
find her to be immature, careless, cruel, and above all selfish. In fact, Edna remains selfish throughout the
entire novel, even to the point of taking her own life. I feel that the only real defense that she
has is that she is part of a time in which women were extremely limited in
their personal choices and individuality.
However, little blame can be placed on her husband.
While Mr. Pontellier may be possessive,
and a product of his time, he showed no aggression toward Edna throughout the
story. In fact, other women who knew him
“declared that Mr. Pontellier was the best husband in the world” (Chopin
7). Mr. Pontellier’s only real criticism
of Edna is in regards to their children.
He believes that “his wife failed in her duty toward their children”
(7). It is hard to disagree with Mr.
Pontellier when the children are hardly present throughout the entire
novel. Edna constantly has someone else
looking after them. Also, once she begins
her inner awakening, she shows little to no concern for anyone but herself. Thus proving Mr. Pontellier’s point that she
is not a “mother-woman” (8).
I acknowledge the fact that the
Victorian era was not a very humbling time to be a woman; however it is hard to
excuse Edna’s behavior. She blatantly
goes against her husband for no reason whatsoever. Mr. Pontellier clearly loves her, and proves
to be beyond patient with her radically new behavior, although this does not
stop her from committing adultery and moving out of their house. Can we as readers really excuse Edna’s adulterous
behavior? Are her actions in any way
tolerable? I for one do not think
so. I am not condemning the need for her
to discover her individuality. I believe
that there was nothing wrong with her pursuing a desire to paint, or to venture
out into the city. However, she displays
constant selfishness by committing adultery, toying with other’s emotions,
neglecting her children, and by killing herself in the end. The novel’s title would be more proper, in my
mind, if it was titled The Selfish
Awakening. After all, that’s all
that Edna proves throughout the entire story.
Even though I've tried to excuse Edna for not being a "mother-woman," and even though I can't entirely excuse Mr. Pontellier because at points it seems that he cares more about the house than about his wife, I have to say that I agree with you. It's tempting to feel sorry for Edna because it seems that she doesn't feel loved, but I don't think that that's an excuse for adultery. Thanks for posting this.
ReplyDeleteI don't know, while the sanctity of marriage is serious business not to be messed with, she clearly had some serious issues. I think that because she was emotionally overcome with whatever was plaguing her, she would have been most likely a lousy mother and wife had she stayed. While the father and children will hurt, they are still very wealthy and relatively young. Her husband will remarry or maybe realize that the children need him and not just their nanny. I think that her decision was a sad, but in her own mind, quite selfless.
ReplyDeleteEven if Edna is not truly in love with her husband, her love for her children should have kept her from committing adultery and eventually suicide. I agree that Edna is selfish, and I may be naive, but I do not think there could possibly be any love greater than a parent would have for their child. Granted, I don't have children, but I just can't see how someone would not give everything to make sure their children are happy, especially at the young age Edna's children are at.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Edna is selfish and she could have kept "herself" without committing adultery. She was painting, going out, and told her husband she was going to do what she wanted when she wanted. Plus, her husband was gone a lot so she basically had the house to herself. I do not know why she felt the need to cheat on her husband. You can be yourself and still keep the promise you make to your spouse when you get married. It's not like she married Mr. Pontillier thinking he was a certain way and then he changed; he stayed the same and did everything he knew of to be a good husband, Edna apparently wasn't happy enough with that.
ReplyDelete"I feel that the only real defense that she has is that she is part of a time in which women were extremely limited in their personal choices and individuality."
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned in class on Friday, if you can use the world "only" in that sentence, then you'll never really have an ounce of sympathy for Edna.