Nguyen 1

Katelynn Nguyen

Mrs. Angus

AP Literature and Composition

24 October 2017

Word Count: 837

1. Choose a character from prose fiction of recognized literary merit and write an essay in

which you (a) briefly describe the standards of the fictional society in which the character

exists and (b) show how the character is affected by and responds to those standards. In

your essay do not merely summarize the plot.

Edna’s Defiance to Social Expectations

The Awakening​, written by Kate Chopin, takes place during Victorian Era, when the

expectations of women were to be the perfect housewife as well as to be a loving mother. The

main character, Edna Pontellier, grows tired and feels unfulfilled with keeping up with these

idealistic expectations of women. She defies the standards by discovering herself as a

self-defined individual and rejects social normalities in which she becomes “awakened,” through

the help of Mademoiselle Reisz.

Edna does not conform to societal expectations despite being under male dominance. The

social standards that existed were based off of a male dominant society where women had

limitations in what they ​could​ do. In Leonce’s relationship with Edna, he questions “If it was not

a mother’s place to look after children, who’s on earth was it? He himself had his hands full with

his brokerage business” (Chopin 10). Gendered divisions of labor were considered to be social

norms in Victorian society and a woman’s profession was to take care of the home and children
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whilst the man ​would​ be making the money for the family. That is to say that if Edna were to fall

short on her job as a mother and wife, she ​would​ get reprimanded from her boss, in this case

being her husband, Leonce. However, instead of conforming to society Edna defies standards

when she “abandoned her Tuesdays at home, has thrown over all her acquaintances, and goes

tramping about by herself, moping in the street cars, getting in after dark” (95). At this point,

Edna begins to change and starts to discover who she is as an individual, not who she is as a

mother or wife, but self-discovery. Even under pressure from both male figures in her life, her

father and husband, she refuses to be a mother-woman who has to follow what others say and

make other people feel joy; she yearns for her own pleasure, independence, and freedom from

society.

The society in which Edna lived expected women to be a wonderful housewife and a

loving mother. During the Victorian Era, women typically, “idolized their children, worshipped

their husbands, and esteemed it a holy privilege to efface themselves as individuals and grow

wings as ministering angels,” and such qualities were deemed as the epitome of the perfect

woman (14). Because Edna does not follow these standards nor does she want to, she is viewed

as unwomanly. Furthermore, Edna’s choice of words such as “worshipped,” “holy,”

“ministering,” and “angels” depicts Edna’s thoughts of motherhood and being a wife as some

sort of religion. Even though her word choice portrays women as angelic and what their role as

women are as privileged, their whole identity revolves around the lives of their husband and

children. Later on, Edna admits to Madame Ratignolle that “she would never sacrifice herself for

her children, or for anyone” because she believes that a woman ​should​ only sacrifice themselves

for their own being (69). In Creole culture, Edna’s own self ​should​ be found within her children
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and husband causing them to be tied to her very own life, however Edna’s resistance to the role

of being both a mother and a woman leads her to yearn for an individual sense of self.

Edna does not discover herself alone, she crosses paths with Madame Ratignolle and

Mademoiselle Reisz who allow her to further find herself. Madame Ratignolle demonstrates the

accepted standards of Creole womanhood whilst Mademoiselle Reisz challenges those standards.

Edna’s relationship with these two women embodies the journey she takes in her deviation from

roles of a wife and a mother. Madame Ratignolle’s image depicted is based off of her appearance

where “nothing subtle or hidden about her charms; her beauty was all there, flaming and

apparent,” (14). She is showcased as a loving mother and wife dedicated to making those she

loves happy. Madame Ratignolle is a prime example of what men expected in their wives and as

a mother. In contrast, Mademoiselle Reisz is described as “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 right of others” (36). Mademoiselle Reisz follows her own

passions and her description focuses more on her personality rather than appearance. The way

she is described personality-wise speaks to how she is portrayed because she does not feel afraid

to speak up for something she believes in which encourages Edna to do the same. These two

women pave the pathway to which Edna comes to her own understanding of her place in society.

Edna fights against the societal expectations of being a mother and wife instead of being

herself. The inevitability of her fate in a predominant male society brings her to a state of

desperation, thus she sets herself free the only way she knows -suicide. However throughout her

journey, Edna was enabled to discover herself with Madame Ratignolle but when she the return

to New Orleans, her friendship with Mademoiselle Reisz fuels Edna’s rebellion.