Right
from the very beginning of Kate Chopin’s The
Awakening, it is evident that Robert and Leonce treat Edna differently.
Even though Edna is married to Leonce, she has a stronger emotional connection
with Robert. These contrasting relationships serve to point out how women are
viewed and treated differently from men. While Robert still has a somewhat stereotypical
male role in his relationship with Edna, he is not so overbearing to confine
Edna in any way, whereas Leonce’s marriage with Edna serves to represent
classic gender roles which limit Edna’s spirit of individuality. At the top of
page 3, it even says Leonce “[looks] at his wife as one looks at a valuable
piece of property which has suffered some damage.” Yes that’s right—“property.” Crazy right? A clear
difference between the two men’s relationship with Edna is seen throughout page
3 of Chapter 1, when Edna and Robert arrive from the beach together full of
laughter and Leonce is condescending and disconnected. The difference in Edna’s
relationship with each man is clearly seen just by the way she approaches them:
she does not even talk to Leonce and instead “silently reaches out to him” to retrieve
her wedding ring, whereas with Robert she “[looks] across at [him] and [begins]
to laugh” as if they have an inside joke. Following that interaction, Leonce
asks what is so funny and Edna and Robert struggle to share their amusement
with him. This immediately shows that Leonce is more of a “third wheel” in this
trio, despite his marriage with Edna. After Leonce becomes bored with Edna and
Robert’s laughter, the text says, “‘Come go along, Lebrun,’ he proposed to
Robert. But Robert admitted quite frankly that he preferred to stay where he was
and talk to Mrs. Pontellier. ‘Well send him about his business when he bores
you, Edna,’ instructed her husband as he prepared to leave.” This interaction
places tension between the two men because Leonce realizes he has the lower
hand so he tries to exercise control by splitting up Edna and Robert, and then
when that plan fails he tries to put Robert down by implying he is boring. It
should also be noted that when Leonce addresses Robert, a fellow male, he is “proposing”
an idea to him, but when he is speaking to Edna, he is “instructing” her. Leonce
fills the stereotypical male role of superiority which imprisons Edna. On the
other hand, Robert respects Edna and enjoys spending time with her, treating
her as an equal human being rather than an object.
In
Chapter 3, Leonce has left for a trip and sends Edna a box full of treats and delicacies,
which cause all the women to “[declare] that Mr. Pontellier was the best
husband in the world.” In response, “Mrs. Pontellier was forced to admit that
she knew of none better. (III. 9.)” Leonce is viewed as the perfect husband
because he provides for his family financially and showers them with material possessions.
He satisfies the male gender role of “the provider” almost without flaw. This
is an issue for Edna because it confuses her definition of love and makes her
feel guilty for wanting something more. Edna struggles with not knowing what
love is, because society keeps telling her that her marriage has it. But Edna
struggles to admit to herself that she wants real love—a meaningful emotional
bond. Edna and society’s conflicting definitions of love fill her with guilt and
confusion—so much so that she cannot understand the reason behind her reoccurring
tears every night. She mistakes Leonce’s superficial ways of showing love for
genuine “kindness and uniform devotion. (III. 8.)”
Throughout
the passage, the sea is a common motif for freedom. The ocean is vast and
boundless, which Edna finds appealing because it differs from her reality of oppression
and confinement by the boundaries of gender roles. On page 18 in chapter 6, Edna
is having another midnight breakdown as she begins to gain insight about her
purpose in life. She looks toward the sea as describes it, saying “The voice of
the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting
the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude; to lose itself in mazes
of inward contemplation. The voice of the sea speaks to the soul. The touch of
the sea in sensuous, enfolding the body in its soft, close embrace.” Edna views
the water as a symbol of desire, freedom, independence, and comfort. The sea’s
symbolism is most evident in Chapter 10, when Edna first learns to swim.
Throughout page 37, it repeats that she feels empowered and strong. Once they return
from the water that night, Edna acts much more independently—developing her
relationship with Robert and acting defiant for the first time with Leonce.
Throughout
the text, Edna struggles to define romance and marriage. In her mind, the ideal
wife is represented by the character Mrs. Adèle Ratignolle. In chapter 4 on
page 10, it says “There are no words to describe her save the old ones that
have served to often to picture the bygone heroine of romance and the fair lady
of our dreams.” Adèle represents the perfect fulfillment of the typical female
gender role: a woman who “idolizes [her] children, worships [her] husband, and [esteems]
it a holy privilege to efface [herself] as [an individual] and grow wings as
[a] ministering [angel].” Part of Edna wants to believe that a marriage will
flourish with romance and happiness if the wife is able to satisfy this role.
Edna often idolizes her because she is the model for the female mold of
society. However, the other part of Edna knows that a relationship that
confines her to that specific role does not lead to love or happiness. This is
the part of her that married Leonce as an act of defiance against her father
and because she was “flattered” by his “absolute devotion (VII. 24.)” At the
point in time when she married Leonce, she had a secret love for a tragedian,
but she says, “The acme of bliss, which would have been a marriage with the
tragedian, was not for her in this world. As the devoted wife of a man who
worshiped her, she felt she would take her place with a certain dignity in the
world of reality, closing the portals forever behind her upon the realm of
romance and dreams.” Because society had told her all of her life that she was
inferior to men, she believed that Fate had decreed that she had to give up her
romance for a man’s. In short, Edna believes marriage endues specific roles to
the wife and the husband that prohibit real romance. So marriage is more of a
social contract rather than an act of romance.
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