In "Mademoiselle" I believe that the main character was not struggling with a gender crisis. I believe his struggle was against society and the way people like him were treated for being different. In this story it shows just how quick society is to judge someone on appearance. I believe that he continued to dress as a woman to show these people how masculine he really was and to show them how incorrect they were for judging him.
In general, people tend to judge masculinity but acting tough and not showing weakness. We tend to think that men are the stronger gender and should never show any signs of femininity. Cross-dressing is one of the biggest things that people notice when judging how masculine someone is. In most people's eyes, wearing a dress or walking like a woman is a sign of being a woman or a homosexual. And people are afraid of anyone different from themselves and tend to discriminate against anyone who falls into that category.
In this story, it showed that people judged you as being masculine or feminine solely on your appearance. It also showed how people have a hard time adjusting to change. A good example of this would be when Mademoiselle decided to finally dress as a man and take a walk down the street. All his life, he was known for being the man that looked like a woman. Society had already judged him based on the way he chose to represent himself. When they finally saw him as a normal person, they did not know how to respond. They were threatened by the fact that now Mademoiselle was just like them. They did not know what to think. This just proved that he had been already characterized as a cross dresser the first day he showed up in drag.
I believe that Mademoiselle was challenging society when he first started acting like a woman. It could have been his way of pointing out the major flaws of society. He wanted people to see that it really takes masculinity to do what he did.
The first teacher was Mademoiselle Cote. ... Very loyal to the British Empire and the United Kingdom, she degraded all that Mademoiselle Cote had taught the children about the French. ... In the end, they appreciated her teachings, but she was not as well remembered as Mademoiselle Cote. ...
The characters of Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz represent what society views as the suitable and unsuitable women figures. Mademoiselle Ratignolle as the ideal Grand Isle woman, a home-loving mother and a good wife, and Mademoiselle Reisz as the old, unmarried, childless, musician who devoted her life to music, rather than a man. ... In contrast to Adele Ratignolle, Mademoiselle Reisz offers Edna an alternativeto the role of being yet another mother-woman. ... Mademoiselle Reisz's loneliness makes clear that an adequate life cannot build altogether upon autonomy. ... What Edna c...
Mademoiselle Reisz is another of Edna's good friends, and she is essential to Edna's "awakening." Mademoiselle Reisz is the old, unmarried, childless, musician who devoted her life to music instead. ... Mademoiselle Ratignolle is the ideal Grand Isle woman, a home-loving mother and a good wife. ... Mademoiselle Reisz's most drastic influence upon Edna is the recognition of her awakening. ... She tries to explain the connection she and Mademoiselle Reisz share. ...
Just as Edna starts to open her eyes as to who she is, a person of a lower class, Mademoiselle Reisz, helps to enlighten her as to who she really is and opens her eyes to the world outside of the class system. ... Mademoiselle Reisz is most likely the biggest catalyst in Edna's process of awakening. ... Mademoiselle Reisz can sense the artist inside Edna and knows that she can let it free, she can feel that Edna is not like the others just as Madame Ratignolle had mentioned to Robert. ... When Mademoiselle Reisz says to Edna "And, moreover, to succeed, the artist must possess the courageo...
Despite her avant-garde principles, Edna not only recognizes Mademoiselle Reisz musical talent and enjoys her lifestyle but is also strongly influenced by it. ... Mademoiselle Reisz comments that, "You are the only one worth playing for. ... She is thoroughly enamored with the idea of being an independent woman, a direct result of her interaction with Mademoiselle Reisz. ... Edna Pontellier could choose to live as Mademoiselle Reisz did, in isolation from the rest of society and without men in her life. ... However, while Edna sought to emulate Mademoiselle Reisz's nonconformity, she ha...
be more like Mademoiselle Reisz that pull her out of a typical normative role. Robert writes to his friend Mademoiselle Reisz regularly, sometimes mentions Edna. Edna will visit Mademoiselle Reisz to hear her play piano and read these letters. ... Mademoiselle Reisz is an artist who lives alone, and it cannot be merely coincidence that Mrs. ... These choices definitely move her further from Madam Ratignolle and put her closer to Mademoiselle Reisz. ...
Mademoiselle Reisz is similar to Robert in that she serves as an inspiration to Edna. Edna is moved by Mademoiselle Reisz's piano playing and visits her quite often. ... Another way Mademoiselle Reisz contributes to Edna's independence is by encouraging Edna. ... Adele is a foil to Mademoiselle Reisz, representing the ideal Victorian woman. ...
In The Awakening one of Edna's role models was a lady named Mademoiselle Reiz a pianist and artist. Mademoiselle widely misunderstood just like Edna. Both Mademoiselle and Edna are eccentric, bold and non conforming to the Victorian standards of what a woman should be. ...
