Love and Infatuation

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Love and Infatuation
In The Awakening, Edna is faced with temptations from various different directions. In the late 1800's, women were expected to be a perfect wife and a dedicated mother. Edna on the other hand breaks that tradition as she is confronted with emotions for two other men. The definition of love and infatuation will vary from person to person. One may think that love is a feeling of deep affection while another person may think it means to feel passionate towards another person. Infatuation is often a difficult word to describe. Some people believe that the definition of infatuation is similar to that of love while others will describe it as a short lived passion towards someone. In The Awakening by Kate Chopin, Edna Pontellier is both in love and infatuated with three men: Léonce Pontellier, Robert Lebrun, and Alcée Arobin.
Edna found herself questioning whether or not she ever truly loved her husband. In the 1800's women were expected to be married with a family. This is where infatuation played a role in the relationship between Edna and her husband, Léonce. Some examples of infatuation are when he/she get with someone just to spite a family member or friend, or when the relationship is prolonged, the passion and excitement that was once there is now lacking. In the case of Edna and Léonce, Edna thought that being married would conform her more to her society, and when she received the disapproval of both her sister and father that gave her an even higher inclination to marry Léonce. Love to me is having a family and being supportive of each others decisions. Edna and Léonce have half of that, they together have two children. Back then the women were supposed to be a mother-woman but Edna on the other hand was...

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...ther companion. Edna was missing the attention from both her husband and Robert so when Alcée directed his attention to Edna she instantly fell for his charm and good looks. The largest part of infatuation is being immediately attracted to his/her looks. Alcée was unquestionably a lady's man so when he got the chance to use his charm on Edna he could not resist. Love is when one is able to let his/her heart take control of the situation. When Robert leaned into kiss Edna she did not back away, she simply grasped his head and held her lips to his. Edna said "It was the first time of her life to which her nature had really responded. It was a flaming torch that kindled desire." This shows that she had genuine feelings for him but they were not enough to make her fall in love. Edna did have evident feelings for Alcée but they were nothing more than a simple infatuation.

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