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Mademoiselle

            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.


Essays Related to Mademoiselle

1. The Awakening by Kate Chopin

... and the super-ego, but wants to go against this with her desire to live for herself, her art and her spontaneous loves; similar to Mademoiselle Reisz and the id's influence. This image of "The New Woman" stirred up questions about women's proper places, and men's proper places as ... common of these times through her example, and she nearly succeeded, but she did not have a strong enough will. She was very much like Mademoiselle Reisz, but she did not possess the strength or understand as well as she could have. Reisz is a character that, because of the similarities she ... shares wit...

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2. the awakening

... to submit completely to his authority and conform to the Victorian ideals of a wife and mother. During a vacation on the Grand Isle, Edna befriends two women, Adele Ratignolle, a pianist, and Mademoiselle Reisz, a childless spinster, who aids Edna Pontellier's "awakening-. The insights imparted by these women introduce Edna to new ideas, influence her perceptions of womanhood, and in essence, starts the " ... ] a disagreeable little woman, no longer young, who had quarreled with almost everyone, owing to a temper which was self-assertive and a disposition to trample upon the rights of oth...

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3. The Awakening by Kate Chopin

... possibility of it tainting Edna's and possibly even her own by association. Chopin also shows that Adele is superficial. Just as the people cheered and praised Mademoiselle Reisz's piano performance, Madame Ratignolle praises Edna's artwork. She complements Edna only because she is being polite and so her praises are generic, empty, ... lows. It seems that because of all of the evils of society, the odds are against Edna. But there is one element on her side, Mademoiselle Reisz. Throughout the story, this woman has been a major catalyst in Edna's journey. It was her piano pieces that move...

  • Word Count: 4173
  • Approx Pages: 17
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4. Awakening

... opposite female archetypes. On one side Madame Ratignolle is the epitome of motherhood and femininity. She has many children, innate maternal instincts, and a voluptuous appearance. On the other side is Mademoiselle Reisz who is very eccentric, not attractive, and irritable to most people, and she lives alone. Since Edna is already married with children of her own, she is assumed to ... have a "role-model" in Madame Ratignolle. However, she also gets along with Mademoiselle Reisz, and she finds herself having things in common with her as well. Seeing her being pulled in two quite differ...

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5. The Awakening

... The Awakening, Edna increasingly distances herself from the image of the mother-woman, until her suicide, which serves as the total opposite of the mother-woman image. Adele Ratignolle and Mademoiselle Reisz, the two important female subsidary characters, provide the two different identities Edna associates with. Adele serves as the perfect "mother-woman in The Awakening, being both married and ... alternativeto the role of being yet another mother-woman. Mademoislle Reisz has in abundance the autonomy that Adele completely lacks. But Reisz's life lacks love, while Adele abounds in it. M...

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6. Edna's Ultimate Awakening

... social obligations, and began to become more and more absorbed by her artistic ambitions and desires. In search of direction for her life Edna seeks guidance from Mademoiselle Reisz. On her quest to locate Mademoiselle Reisz's residence in New Orleans, she visits Madame Lebrun's estate. Edna likens Madame Lebrun's home to a prison, "with iron bars before the door and lower ... ; concept represented by Madame Lebrun (13). Essentially sending the message to Edna that conformity to gender roles is the same as accepting imprisonment over freedom. Edna leaves hastily after receiving Mademoise...

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7. Awakenings

... for and achieving their goal . Throughout the novel, there are particular situations that make Edna start thinking about who she is and who she wants to be. For example, when Mademoiselle Reisz first plays the piano for her, "she trembled, she was choking, and the tears blinded her" (Chopin 48). That was the first time that Edna had been truly moved ... all the news and gossip about the upper class. When Mr. Pontellier leaves for the city Edna begins to take up painting again. She wants to be a real artist when Mademoiselle Reisz tells her that in order to, "be an artist one must posses...

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8. The Feminist Movement in Literature

... 32). The main character, Edna Pontellier, craved freedom to be reckless and independent; she wanted her own money, house, and life. As Edna Pontellier tells to Mademoiselle Reisz , "...but I feel that I have gained in ease and confidence. However, as I said, I have sold a good many through Laidpore. I ... to keep up social ranks, not Edna's mental health. After leaving Grand Isle, Edna Pontellier befriends the famous candor pianists, Mademoiselles Reisz. Mademoiselle Reisz influences Edna through the entire book, being a single women, living on her own. Reisz is one of the few people who...

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9. Kate Chopin - The Awakening

... also becomes more self-aware and begins to analyze her former behavior. Another character to help formulate Edna's new found independence was Mademoiselle Reisz. She is an unconventional and unpopular older woman but she serves as Edna's inspiration. Mademoiselle is distant and reserved when it comes to interacting with the other guests on Grand Isle although she is often called upon for ... entertainment due to her expert piano playing. Her and Edna's relationship begins when Mademoiselle Reisz realizes that Edna is the only one who is truly touched by the music. Mademoiselle Reisz und...

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