Kate Chopin’s The Awakening deals with a young wife living in common days and times. Where every man works and provides for his family and the woman’s primary focus was the care of her children and other household duties that women were responsible for in those days. The main character of this novel, Edna Pontellier, struggles from day to day to try and establish herself as an individual in the midst of women following tradition and who were satisfied with being a mother and a wife. In every instance that Edna was awaken to what she thrived for out of life, her husband, her friends, or the society in which she dwelled tried to find a way to relinquish her dreams and bring Edna back down to the other common wives and mothers. Through all of the efforts made to keep Edna a commoner, it opened her eyes to what she was aspiring to become and how her children, husband, or frie
As stated before, the society in which Mr. and Mrs. Pontellier lived was one that had little to no variety saying that men worked and women stayed at home. Madame Ratigonelle and Madame Reisz were the true believers and followers of keeping the woman in her place. I believe that they did not want to risk the ruining of their reputation and did not have the strength to try and make a change. The beliefs they had were passed down from generation to generation and so even if they felt like Mrs. Pontellier they would not admit it and risk being looked down on by the others on the Isle.
nds would not prevent this from occurring.
Mrs. Pontellier had been through some situations that really strengthened her mind, spirit, and well being. Even though it was her own husband and friends that put her through most of these circumstances it made hunger and thirst for that person she wanted to become and do whatever it c
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