Of all the characters in "The Awakening" the one that stands out the most is the mysterious lady in black who primarily lurks around the lovers while she reads her prayerbook or counts beads. I'm still trying to figure out her significance. It is interesting that the only description Chopin gives of the woman is she is dressed in black and she carries religious items.
She first appears at the beach with Edna and Madame Ratignolle and the two young lovers.
Then she follows the two lovers into the grounds of the pension. "The lady in black, creeping behind them, looked a trifle paler and more jaded than usual" (21). She follows them to mass. "The lady in black, with her Sunday prayer-book, velvet and cold-clasped, and her Sunday silver beads was following them at no great distance" (32).
Her characteristics imply that she represents death and oppression. In that case, why would Chopin incorporate a character like the lady in black into scenes that portray love between two individuals? Maybe she using the lady in black to imply that love is oppressing and can slowly kills who you are? Happy thought for the day :)
I also have been trying to figure out what this character's significance might be. She is may have something to do with religion and faith, or death and quiet. Maybe the lady in black is the physical manifestation of Edna on the inside! Whoa!
ReplyDeleteGood post! Bring it up in class, okay???
ReplyDeleteI too was thinking a lot about the woman in black. My opinion is that she foreshadows what is to come later in the novel: death. It also may be symbolic that she is a woman who is wearing the color of mourning. In many ways Edna mourns her loss of opportunity, or freedom and individuality, throughout the entire novel. Her inability to cope ultimately leads to her suicide near where this woman in black is initially seen. In that sense, the idea of mourning comes full circle.
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