Heartbroken and confused, Edna returns to Grand Isle. He's left a note saying that, although he loves her-in fact, because he loves her-they have to split. However, when Edna returns, Robert's gone. Edna conveniently runs off to be with her friend, but asks Robert to stick around so they can finish their conversation about love and/or marriage. They start to talk it out, but a message soon arrives that Adele is delivering her baby. She realizes that what she wants is to belong to herself, rather than be a wifely appendage to another husband. Once Robert starts talking about wedding bells, Edna panics a little. In fact, Robert says he wants to marry her. They make out passionately, and pledge their mutual love for one another. Ironically, the sudden return of Robert throws a spanner in the works. During this new-found independence, Robert returns and visits Edna. One of which is moving into a house of her own around the corner from her husband's house as a way of claiming absolute independence. Her mixed emotions lead her to make some rash decisions. For the first time in her life, Edna's feeling real passion, but she's also feeling real pain. Her husband’s concern about her behavioral change prompts her to recall and re-examine things she recently has heard, particularly that a woman devoting all of herself to her kids and husband is a false ideal that serves everyone except the woman. Rather than validate the husband’s suggestions that Edna is ill or crazy, the doctor insists that not only is Edna absolutely fine, she’s even looking very lively. Also, in taking Edna’s emotional shift seriously, Mr.Pontellier goes so far as to ask a doctor about his wife's weird behavior. The piano music seems to soothe her lovesick soul.
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Instead of doing housework, she starts painting obsessively and instead of taking visitors like a respectable housewife, she goes to the house of a mildly eccentric woman to hear her play the piano. Immediately, she starts acting in a way her husband thinks of as deeply odd. Soon after, the summer ends, and Edna returns to her home in New Orleans. There are now some real feelings on the line.
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When she comes out of the water, there's an unspoken realization that what had been considered innocent flirtation with Robert has become a little more than a harmless crush.
#The awakening book how to
Attending to her own personal development, Edna spends a day at the beach, learning how to really swim. In response, he's a little rude and caddish and questions whether Edna's a good mom. Her husband notices this before he goes back to the city to get some work done. She's learning how to paint and how to swim, and she's spending time with her pregnant friend Adele.Īdele is someone that Edna thinks of as naturally maternal-she loves babies, her husband and knitting. Edna has some hobbies other than flirting with Robert, though. Although Edna gradually develops some feelings for Robert, the whole beachside community treats the crush as a pretty innocent way to pass the time.
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It's a beautiful vacation spot, the kids are cute, the husband is attentive and Edna is getting hit on in a pretty harmless manner by a dude named Robert Lebrun. The feminist movement lauds Chopin's portrayal of Edna and the restraints tradition places on women.When the novel begins, Edna Pontellier is an obedient wife and mother, vacationing at Grand Isle with her family. Although there was some praise for the novel's artistry and insight, critics generally denounced Chopin for her failure to condemn Edna's actions and for allowing Edna to make her final choice in life.Īs evidenced by the many reprints of the book, modern critics appreciate Chopin's skill and artistry-particularly her use of psychological realism, symbolic imagery, and sensual themes. Louis Fine Arts Club expelled Chopin from its membership. The book was removed from library shelves in Kate Chopin's hometown of St Louis, and the St. Stone and Company published The Awakening in 1899. While this plot is common by today's standards, it caused a huge commotion when Herbert S. When she returns to the city, Edna throws off the trappings of her old life-devotion to family, attention to societal expectations, and adherence to tradition-to explore independence in love, life, and sexual fulfillment. Moonlit walks and intimate conversations with Robert spark feelings that Edna has forgotten. While the family is vacationing at a seaside resort, Edna becomes acquainted with Robert Lebrun, a younger man who pays special attention to her. At the start of the story, Edna is a young mother of two and the wife of a successful New Orleans businessman. The Awakening tells the story of Edna Pontellier and the changes that occur in her thinking and lifestyle as the result of a summer romance.