Commentary on Passage from Chopin's "The Awakening"

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Recommended: Views of women in the Victorian era

Often, people can say different things in different ways, yet they are trying to illustrate the same point. For example, to explain a certain process, one person may use analogies to other similar processes, another person may simply explain the mechanics of the processes, while a third may act the process out. One can also combine all these methods in one to give an effective explanation. Similarly, authors use many different techniques to establish one purpose. In this passage, Chopin achieves her goal of defining Edna Pontellier as a woman who is the opposite of what society expects her to be, an ideal mother-woman, through the description of character action, Edna's interaction with other characters, and the use of organization and circular structure.

Chopin specifically describes the actions of characters in this passage to establish Edna's character. Initially, the actions of Madame Ratignolle are described in order to serve as a comparison to Edna's character. Madame Ratignolle is depicted to be what society expects Edna to be: a perfect mother-woman. Madame Ratignolle is introduced in this passage as a woman who sews, illustrating qualities of an ideal Victorian woman because she could possibly be sewing clothes for her children or maybe her husband. The connotations associated with sewing remind one of a caring grandmother or mother who cares for her loved ones so much that she is wiling to sacrifice her own time in order to fabricate a blanket or clothes for them as a symbol of her love. Also, Chopin writes that Madame Ratignolle folds her sewing materials away "neatly" and then pinned them "securely" showing that she is a neat and organized woman, other qualities women are expected to posses by society. Next, she co...

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...lle is shown first in this passage as she spends her time with her children, it makes Edna's actions to go off with Robert seem more significant to the definition of her character. Also, in this passage, the introduction and conclusion end with the same image where "the sun was low in the west, and the breeze was soft," which encloses this passage as a vignette which defines Edna's character as the contrary of Madame Ratignolle's; Edna is anything but the perfect mother-woman.

In Technique in Fiction, the authors provide nine methods which authors use to depict characters, and in this passage Chopin primarily uses the method of character's "behavior towards others." Chopin also uses her own writing techniques to further exemplify the characterization of Edna by using specific words to describe character action and also by her specific organization and structure.

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