Similarities Between The Awakening And Society's Role Model

Society’s Role Model vs Edna’s Role Model: A Tale of Two Women In the novel The Awakening, protagonist Edna Pontellier finds herself in constant conflict with the ways of her time. Pontellier is a young 28-year-old woman, a mother of two children and the wife of well-known local businessman Lèonce Pontellier. Taking place around the end of the 1800s in New Orleans, LA, Edna portrays a textbook dynamic character. Edna’s transformation is the focus of the novel, and the name “The Awakening” derives from Edna’s experiences as she discovers herself and her growing passion to be free from the Victorian gender ideals and custom. Early on, Adèle Ratignolle is introduced as one of Edna’s closest friends, Ratignolle is the “perfect” woman for this

Ratignolle is the “embodiment of every womanly grace and charm” (667). A woman like Adèle is simply the golden standard of a wife and mother, and any woman that exemplified this was referred to as a “mother-woman”. No matter what the circumstances were, Adèle’s behavior always exhibited and family first-me second characteristic, as many people viewed as the correct way for a woman to act. Whenever capable, Adèle made it a priority to care for her children’s needs, whether preparing for an upcoming winter or ensuring that their everyday needs were met, Adèle always focused on her children. In addition to prioritizing her children, Adèle listened to her husband, regarding his opinion to be superior over anything that she might have a different opinion on. Despite this, Adèle and Edna found great friendship in each other and the women spent lots of time together doing a plethora of different activities together throughout the story. After a while, Adèle’s perpetual lack of uniqueness and her satisfaction with being merely her husband’s possession rather than an equal—regarding her marriage, gradually inched Edna away. Subsequently, Edna knows how Adèle feels and is unable to express her true thoughts and feelings towards the

In the beginning of the story, Adèle was Edna’s best friend, and other than minor cultural differences, they were just amazing friends. Once Edna realizes how different Adèle is from what she values, it forces Edna to gradually lose the attraction she once felt towards Adèle. Naturally, as Edna veers away from Adèle, she becomes more attracted to Reisz because she can relate to Reisz on a much higher level. Edna and Adèle never grew a dislike for each other, but their fundamental beliefs were on such opposite ends of the spectrum that it was impossible not to lose the closeness of their previous relationship. Towards the end of Edna’s journey, Adèle realizes how much Edna has changed, and she says to Edna quoting a conversation they had in the beginning of the novel, “‘Think of the children, Edna. Oh think of the children! Remember them!’” (746). Adèle’s comment, giving during her birthing of another child, further solidifies the realization Edna had been coming to all along. Edna could not stand how Adèle valued her children and family over her own life, thus the idea that any woman who could say such a thing was extremely repulsive to her, creating even more distance between the women who used to be best