I doubt that my post will live up to the title but, here it goes. During our initial discussion of The Awakening I was surprised at the amount of freedom Edna appeared to have. While she couldn't just take off and not come back for dinner like Mr. Pontellier did, she still goes off to the beach to go swimming (presumably) alone with Robert and she is left to her own devices with this young playboy for quite a while. Is it any wonder that some kind of sparks fly?
While her children do still need her, they are very independent, giving her a significant amount of time to herself. Isn't there some adage about idle women being wicked women or something like that? The thoughts that link idleness and inattentiveness to children leading to infidelity are silly, but if that was an established stereotype, then I can see this novel unfolding into a morality tale. Either way, I like Edna more than Bret. Not sure why, but i'll get a better handle on it as we read.
While I am still an ardent Bret fan, I still am very intrigued by Edna. There is something mysterious about her behavior and the world that she is living in. I can't quite put my finger on it, but I am anxious to see how this story turns out.
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