2nd Place, Critical Essay, 2021 Literary Awards
Kate Chopin’s novel The Awakening highlights the confinement women face when they enter motherhood. The main character, Edna Pontellier, recognizes she has responsibilities as a mother and wife but struggles with those expectations due to her own desire for independence and passion. Edna sees two women live out contrasting roles of womanhood in the novel– Madame Ratignolle, the ideal, angelic doting mother and Mademoiselle Reisz, the unmarried musician who has more freedom to follow her passions. In essence they represent one who conforms to what society expects of a woman and one who does not. Edna knows she is not the mother type, so she cannot be like Adele. However, she cannot fully be like Mademoiselle Reisz either because Edna, unlike Mademoiselle Reisz, is a mother and cannot forgo the responsibilities of motherhood. Therefore, Edna faces an impossible predicament and ultimately commits suicide which allows her to be set free from the societal constraints and expectations that trap mothers.
Adele Ratignolle conforms to what society expects of mothers and represents to Edna the ideal mother woman. Nearly every time Chopin writes about Adele it is in regard to her domesticity. The stoutness of her postpartum body does not affect her beauty because “[o]ne would not have wanted her white neck a mite less full or her beautiful arms more slender” (Chopin 29). Despite having children Adele remains attractive which fulfills the expectation that mothers must “bounce back” and look beautiful even after children. This maintenance of beauty supports the notion that women are viewed as objects. Society expects them to keep their appearance and Adele Ratignolle fills her end of the bargain. Furthermore, her hands are, “exquisite,” especially as she “threaded a needle or adjusted the gold thimble to her taper middle finger as she sewed away on the little night-drawers or fashioned a bodice or a bib” (29). Straightaway readers are reminded of her domesticity as a mother. Her hands are “sewing”– a domestic duty of a wife and mother. Adele sews “a bodice or a bib” both of which are related to womanhood and motherhood in their own way. A bodice meant for a woman to wear to keep her feminine figure, perhaps after having a child, and a bib for a child to wear to catch food crumbs. Later in the novel, Chopin contrasts Edna to Adele as they are walking together and writes, “Madame Ratignolle possessing the more feminine and matronly figure… She [Adele] wore dogskin gloves, with gauntlets that protected her wrists. She was dressed in pure white, with a fluffiness of ruffles that became her” (36). Here, Chopin explicitly states that Adele was more “feminine and matronly” than Edna suggesting that Edna may not be fit to be a mother. Thus, Adele remains the perfect example of a woman and mother. Her “pure white” (36) attire with “a fluffiness of ruffles” (36) suggest some sort of purity or angel-like quality that a mother should possess. Edna sees the motherly qualities Adele has but recognizes that she cannot fit the mold of motherhood in the same way Adele can.
Edna understands that she is not the mother type and reveals her true beliefs about motherhood. Edna’s children do not seek comfort in their mother because, simply put, “Mrs. Pontellier was not a mother-woman” (29). Edna is literally the mother of her two sons but spiritually does not feel like a “mother-woman.” Later on, Edna expresses her true inner thoughts on the notion of domesticity. Following a visit of hers to the Ratignolle residence Edna reflects on their situation and says that she “felt depressed rather than soothed after leaving them. The little glimpse of domestic harmony which had been offered her, gave her no regret, no longing. It was not a condition of life which fitted her, and she could see in it but an appalling and hopeless ennui” (78). Although Edna herself is a mother she still has “no regret, no longing” to this domestic lifestyle the Ratignolle’s live. She does not feel hope or excitement about the motherly lifestyle Adele leads, instead she experiences a feeling of “hopeless ennui”– meaning a hopeless sort of boredom. Not only is Edna not the “mother-woman” but she goes so far as to say she finds that life as a dutiful wife and mother is “hopeless” and boring. These negative feelings about motherhood lead Edna to become fascinated with another lifestyle–that of Mademoiselle Reisz.
Mademoiselle Reisz represents a less conventional side of femininity and therefore society deems her an outcast. However, her lifestyle attracts Edna Pontellier anyway. Mademoiselle Reisz is unmarried with no children; this already resists society’s expectations of women to get married and have children. The absence of children contributes to her freedom from domesticity and the rigid box that married women and mothers are placed in. The contrast between the Pontellier home and that of Mademoiselle Reisz showcase the difference in expectation between a wedded woman with children and an unmarried unmothered woman. Mademoiselle Reisz’s home had “plenty of windows in her little front room. They were for the most part dingy, but as they were nearly always open it did not make so much difference… A magnificent piano crowded the apartment” (84). Words like “dingy” and “crowded” suggest that Mademoiselle took less care in the upkeep of her home – taboo for a married woman, especially one with children. Moreover, the word “dingy” suggests that her home is sort of drab and even gloomy. Society correlates children with happiness, so since Mademoiselle Reisz does not have children, her home and life must then automatically be drab and gloomy. However, there are parts of Mademoiselle Reisz’s home and life that suggest otherwise. For example, the concept of open windows indicates that Mademoiselle lives a less constricting life than her counterpart Edna. In contrast, the Pontellier home is: a very charming home on Esplanade Street in New Orleans. It was a large double cottage, with a broad front veranda, whose round, fluted columns supported the sloping roof. The house was painted dazzling white; the outside shutters, or jalousies, were green. In the yard, which was kept scrupulously neat, were flowers and plants of every description which flourishes in Southern Louisiana. (71) Instead of “dingy” and “crowded” readers see the words “charming” and “large.” These descriptive words emphasize the expectation of beauty placed on a married mother’s home. Also, the house was “dazzling white” which again alludes to the angelic quality mothers and women in general should possess. The color white may also be associated with infants and the bearing of children. Motherhood was an inevitable expectation following a woman’s marriage. Even their yard was “flourishing” which indicates the fertility of women and expectation for them to have children. The two descriptions of these homes lend themselves to the type of woman living there; Mademoiselle’s is free from children and overall, less constricting while Edna’s is pristine and fertile.
In addition to the condition of Mademoiselle Reisz’s home, she also contradicts society’s expectations of women and mothers and creates life in a way that does not involve children. Edna enjoys the talent of Mademoiselle Reisz and Chopin writes, “The music grew strange and fantastic- turbulent, insistent, plaintive and soft with an entreaty” (86). First off, Mademoiselle Reisz has authority to play music as she pleases whether that is “turbulent” or “soft.” Autonomy and authority over oneself is not something Edna Pontellier fully has due to her role as a mother and her obligation to her children first. Second, the creation and playing of music is Mademoiselle Reisz’s way of creating life. In order to create such beautiful music Mademoiselle Reisz argues that ‘“the artist must possess the courageous soul… The brave soul. The soul that dares and defies’” (86). A soul that “dares and defies” is one that pushes back against boundaries that restrict her and is not afraid to do so. Mademoiselle Reisz possesses this “courageous soul” (86) by living in a way that rebels against society’s expectations of women. However, Edna is unable to have this soul due to her responsibilities as a mother. There are certain expectations she must follow and because of her role as a mother Edna cannot defy the expectations placed on her like Mademoiselle Reisz can. Mademoiselle Reisz opposes expectations placed on women to only birth children and instead births another form of life, powerful music and is able to do so because she possesses the “courageous soul” (86), a soul that Edna does not possess due to her identity as a mother. Another form of entrapment Edna faces is the fact that her identity is based solely on the fact that she is a mother. She cannot be someone’s love interest or be just Edna because motherhood and its responsibilities come first. Anytime Edna thinks about entertaining a part of herself outside of her role as a mother, motherhood and its responsibilities somehow steer her away, reminding her that her first obligation is to her children. Edna finds out that her love interest Robert is said to return soon: She was already glad and happy to be alive at the mere thought of his return. The murky, lowering sky, which had depressed her a few hours before, seemed bracing and invigorating as she splashed through the streets on her way home. She stopped at the confectioner’s and ordered a huge box of bonbons for the children in Iberville. (105) Previous feelings of the “murky, lowering sky” weighing in and wearing her down, she now finds “bracing and invigorating” almost freeing her in a sense upon hearing of Robert’s return. His return signifies her chance of being just Edna for a change instead of the mother Edna. However, Edna knows her duty as a mother and this understanding invades those feelings of freeness and hopefulness as she “stopped at the confectioner’s” to order her children treats. Far or near her children occupy her mind and Edna’s entire identity is based around her role of a mother. Motherhood and the identity that comes with it imposes on her again when Adele Ratignolle goes into labor and needs Edna by her side: “Between agonizing moments, she [Adele] chatted a little, and said it took her mind off her suffering” (133). The phrases “agonizing moments” and “suffering” (133) suggest that Adele is in significant pain which is not surprising due to her being in labor. This pain and “suffering” (133) is the price mothers pay during childbirth and a stark reminder to Edna of the pain she endures by being a mother herself– a pain she wants to escape. Furthermore, Edna is with Robert when Adele calls her away. In this moment Edna follows her duty as a mother and helps another one in need, thus losing Robert and closing off another part of herself, a part not connected with motherhood. Anywhere she turns, Edna faces the inevitable confinement and literal pain of motherhood and takes drastic measures to free herself from these restraints.
Edna’s dilemma between her duty as a mother and the longing for freedom from the restraints confining mothers leads her to commit suicide because she understands there is no other escape from the box of motherhood. In an earlier conversation between Edna and Adele Edna says that “she would never sacrifice herself for her children, or for anyone” (69). With this, Edna reveals her unwillingness to compromise her sense of self for anyone, even her children. Although she has a duty as their mother, she persists that she will not “sacrifice herself.” This says a lot about the pressure mothers face to fit in the box created for them. Edna thinks death is a more freeing option than attempting to conform to the expectations placed on mothers. Later on, she swims to her death in the sea and, “She thought of Leonce and the children. They were a part of her life. But they need not have thought that they could possess her, body and soul” (139). In her final moments her family was on her mind, but they are only “a part of her life” suggesting that they are not the entirety of her existence. Reiterating also that there are more parts to a woman (like Edna) than simply their role as a mother. They also could not “possess her, body and soul”, which suggests that not even her family could take her from herself. Ultimately Edna could not be either Adele Ratignolle or Mademoiselle Reisz and therefore commits suicide as a final act of freedom, freedom from the confining expectations society places on mothers.
Work Cited
Chopin, Kate, and Nancy A. Walker. The Awakening: Complete, Authoritative Text with Biographical and Historical Contexts, Critical History, and Essays from Five Contemporary Critical Perspectives. Bedford Books of St. Martin’s Press, 2000.
Ieden Sheehan is an English Education major from Wausau Wisconsin. She was inspired to write this essay after noting the eerie similarities between feminist issues of Chopin’s time and the current 21st Century. Ieden continues to take up topics related to feminism and “the woman question” as she is fascinated with women’s continued struggle between the expectations and duties of motherhood and the passions women have outside of that realm. When Ieden is not close-reading Kate Chopin’s work, you can find her running on the trail or enjoying an ice cream treat from Zesty’s.
