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Kate Chopin - The Awakening


A reader could compare Mr. Pontellier sending Edna those treats to a person polishing off their trophy. There really is not much sentiment value behind it but it gave Mrs. Pontellier momentary happiness and it made him look well in front of her company. .
             Mrs. Pontellier is described to be "the sole object of [Mr. Pontellier's] existence " but she does not feel the same towards him (Chopin 1256). Mrs. Pontellier sees her marriage as "purely an accident ". Chopin goes on to say "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 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 " (Chopin 1267). Edna saw her marriage to Léonce as an end to her life of passion and the beginning to a life of unwanted responsibilities. .
             Throughout The Awakening the marriage between Edna and Léonce is constantly compared to that of the Ratignolles, as well as other marriages but primarily theirs. William Blackstone, a celebrated 18th century jurist, stated "By marriage, the very being or legal existence of a woman is suspended, or at least incorporated or consolidated into that of the husband, under whose wing, protection, or cover she performs everything" (Offen). AdÃle Ratignolle, Edna's close friends, represents the mother-woman, the deal woman. She idolizes her children and worships her husband. She centers her life around caring for them and performing her domestic duties. Mr. Ratignolle. "was one of those men who are called the salt of the earth. His cheerfulness was unbounded, and it was matched by his goodness of heart, his broad charity, and common sense If ever the fusion of two human beings into one has been accomplished on this sphere it was surely in their union " (Chopin 1297). While Madame Ratignolle's lifestyle and attitude contrast with Edna's increasing independence, AdÃle unwittingly helps facilitate Edna's transformation.


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