"The Awakening Chapter 21 - End

Throughout our time reading The Awakening we've been reminded to find empathy towards Edna. We've had to remember that while her actions may be irritating at times, we must try to put ourselves in her shoes and understand her logic. When reading these chapters, I found myself relating this mentality to Leonce. Throughout our discussions, it has been clear that I as well as others have found him to be quite possesive and problematic. He views Edna as his property, he is highly concerned with his social status, and he is consistently hypocritical towards Edna's role as a mother or lack there of. Leonce's rigid conformity is so absurd that it is at times comical. For these reason, I often find him totally unlikeable. Yet, when reading chapter 22, I found myself reminded that he is also human, and if we are willing to find empathy for Edna and her reckless behavior, we must also be willing to find some for Leonce. When he goes to visit the doctor concerning what he considers to be Edna's condition, he is clearly worried about her. While his reasonings are a bit flawed like she "abandoned her Tuesday at home", in this day and age that would be a real cause for concern. While to us this may seem like a superfical reason to feel worried about the mental state of your wife, for him, this could mean something really serious is going on. And he's right. Edna is clearly struggling with her mental health and while he may be comically superficial about concerns, he cares about her enough to notice something is wrong. And while one may say that this is just because her actions are affecting his social status, I don't believe that. When the Doctor tells Leonce to let Edna work through these impulses, he does. Leonce truly cares for Edna, and while he often times falls into the rigid ideals of his society, this is simply because he was raised to do so. Can we really judge Leonce so harshly for confining to his society if we do not judge Edna for her reckless abandonment? While I do agree they are different situations, both Edna and Leonce are human. Leonce makes A LOT of mistakes, but honestly so does Edna, and I think that we must be fair in the judgments passed onto both of them. Both Leonce and Edna deserve to be treated with both empathy and some judgment. They are not perfect people so we should not expect either of them to act like it. 

"The Awakening" Chapters 11-20

     Chapters 11 through 20 of The Awakening left me with a sense of whiplash. One moment, Edna and Robert seemed to be getting along well and becoming interested in one another romantically. The next moment, Robert is on his way to Mexico and Edna is left to wonder where she may have gone wrong. In the moment of finding out that Robert was going to Mexico, I very much felt similar to Edna: shocked and confused. Chopin writes, “Edna’s face was a blank picture of bewilderment, which she never thought of disguising” (Chopin 55). When I was reading, I’m sure that my face was also one of bewilderment. The announcement seemed to come out of nowhere, especially the fact that he was leaving that night! Then, he comes by to say goodbye to Edna, which feels like he is somewhat disrespecting her feelings and need for time to comprehend the situation. Yet, in the end, Edna has feelings for Robert and is very upset to see him leave, which made me upset as well. It is like Edna wants to be angry and upset with him, but she is too infatuated with him for those feelings to even be relevant. When Robert leaves, it is almost like Edna is submitting to the feminine stereotype of being lost without the male figure. Her days feel dull and she does not have much to do. Edna and Robert’s new romance and Edna’s awakening inside herself seem to be codependent upon each other, and therefore one can not exist without the other.

    To change the topic, Mr. Pontellier further contributes to his possessive qualities. Chopin writes that he “greatly valued his possessions” (67), Edna being one of those possessions. Hearing that Leonce had been worried about where Edna was led me to question whether this was out of pure concern, or for how society would view him if she was in an affair with someone else. If I am being honest, I am a fan of Robert and Edna together. He makes her feel unexplainable joy and that is not something you want to pass up. At the end of Chapter 14, Edna and Robert had parted ways, and Edna was singing a song that reminded her of Robert as she waited for her husband to arrive. This just shows that Robert has overcome Edna’s thoughts. Chopin even writes, “The sentiment which she entertained for Robert in no way resembled that which she felt for her husband, or had ever felt, or ever expected to feel” (63). The feelings she has for Mr. Pontellier will never compare to those which she feels for Robert. Another thing that annoyed me about Leonce’s possessiveness was the scene where he scolded her for not giving a “suitable excuse” as to why she went out. She should not be required to answer to him in any way or give an explanation because everyone deserves privacy in some capacity. Mr. Pontellier is very spoiled and he has no problem telling someone when something is not satisfactory for him. For example, the dinner and the work that Edna is doing answering messages. He commands her to “write her a note” (69) when she clearly knows how to do the job and does not need him telling her. In the end, chapters 11-20 were an emotional rollercoaster that left me with many questions about the future for Robert and Edna, as well as Leonce and Edna.